Breitling celebrates 140 years with colourful and spaced-themed Navitimer watches

Luxury watch manufacturer, Breitling is celebrating its 140 year anniversary by releasing stunningly colourful watches to its ever-popular Navitimer collection. The new watches join the Navitimer Automatic 41 and the Navitimer GMT families, with a limited edition Navitimer B12 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute thrown in for good measure.

As part of the 140th anniversary celebrations, Breitling is adding to its Navitimer collection which first made its debut in 1952. As aviator watches, the Navitimer has become a firm favourite of pilots, and marks the first wristwatch to combine a chronograph and computational slide rule.

In 2022, Breitling began redesigning the Navitimer line with added chronograph detailing. But the new versions to the collection, the Navitimer Automatic 41 and Navitimer GMT, have omitted the chronograph and kept things simple to keep the dial balanced and more wearable.

With 41mm cases, both the Navitimer Automatic 41 and Navitimer GMT feature notch bidirectional bezels, sapphire crystals, winding crowns and casebacks, and are water resistant to 30 metres. Despite the lack of chronograph, the watches still have that distinct Navitimer look with alternating brushed and polished finishes.

Bold and colourful, the Navitimer Automatic 41 and Navitimer GMT are available in multiple colourways, including black, dark blue, ice blue, silver and green dials. The dial is a solid colour with white and silver hour markers and numbers around the face. The second hand has a small splash of red at the end, as do certain markers around the dial.

The watches are encased in stainless steel or 18k red gold, with a two-tone variant available for the Automatic version. Wearers can also choose between a stainless steel bracelet or alligator leather strap to finish.

Breitling has also unveiled a limited edition Navitimer B12 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute for its anniversary celebrations. Inspired by astronauts, the Navitimer B12 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute pays homage to the first Swiss wristwatch to go to space.

In 1962, Scott Carpenter, Mercury Seven astronaut, asked Breitling to modify the Navitimer with a 24-hour dial so it was better fit for space exploration and could distinguish day from night. The Cosmonaute was the result of this and was worn by Carpenter on his mission. The Navitimer B12 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute is a new version of the 24-hour timepiece, and has been modified with the B12 self-winding chronograph movement.

Other space-themed features of the Navitimer B12 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute include an engraved caseback that says “First Swiss Wristwatch in Space/Navitimer Cosmonaute May 24,1962” and “One of 250”. It has an open caseback to showcase the movement and is complete with a green dial, golden numerals, an 18k red-gold case and a 70 hour power reserve.

The new Navitimer watches are available to buy on the Breitling website with prices starting at £4,450. The limited edition Cosmonaute is available in select Breitling boutiques and is limited to 250 examples.