Today — in a rather odd place but with a rather familar face — Breitling (see all our coverage of the brand here) announced the introduction of a limited edition series, the Breitling Navitimer Caliber 01.  Available in steel (2,000 pieces) and red gold (200 pieces), this limited edition Navitimer leverages Breitling’s first in-house movement introduced by the brand just last year, the COSC-certified Caliber 01.  The Navitimer Caliber 01 is distinguished by its slightly broader diameter (43mm vs. standard 42mm) and its transparent caseback (a rarely used feature for Breitling) .  The red gold piece is particularly attractive to me.  The watches will hit the market Spring 2011 with pricing set at $7,475 (steel) and $17,705 (red gold).

Breitling Navitimer Caliber 01

Red Gold – limited edition of 200 pieces

If you are not intimately familiar with what has become a cult watch amongst pilots and aviation watch enthusiasts, here is a bit of history on the Breitling Navitimer.  It was first introduced in 1952.  Its defining feature is the circular slide rule which, prior to the advent of modern electronics, was capable of performing a variety of important flight calculations.  The Navitimer is (was?) the official watch of AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association).  A “Cosmonaute” version of the Navitimer accompanied Scott Carpenter on his orbital flight aboard the Aurora 7 capsule (1962), thus becoming the first spacegoing wrist chronograph.  Breitling also claims that “Continuously made since 1952, the Navitimer is the world’s oldest mechanical chronograph still in production.”

Breitling Navitimer Caliber 01

Steel – limited edition of 2,000 pieces

And here is a look at the backside of the watch…

Did you know?

In 2009, Breitling laid a major milestone in its history by joining the exclusive circle of the rare watch companies to have their own mechanical chronograph movement. This was a logical culminating point for a brand that is one of the leaders in this complication and has played a crucial role in its technical development through several key inventions: the first independent pushpiece (1915); separation of the stop/start and reset functions (1923); creation of the second independent pushpiece for zero-resetting (1934); and the launch of the very first selfwinding chronograph (1969).  Caliber 01, the first movement entirely developed and produced in the Breitling workshops, was first used to power an exclusive new version of the leading Chronomat model, duly named Chronomat 01. Breitling now introduces it within another watchmaking icon, the famous Navitimer which proudly embodies the brand’s aeronautical vocation. (via Breitling).

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