Last year, Breitling gave its Avenger collection a major generational update as one of its cornerstone releases of 2023. While the updated series originally debuted in stainless steel, it was only a matter of time before we would see other executions of the new Avenger. Among its latest releases for 2024, Breitling has further expanded the updated Avenger collection to include additional sizes and materials for its ultra-durable lineup of pilot watches. Launched alongside new versions of the Avenger Chronograph B01, with either smaller 42mm stainless steel cases or larger 46mm cases made from titanium, are new Breitling Avenger Night Mission models. These are crafted from black ceramic and available in time-and-date, GMT, or chronograph formats.

While the standard time-and-date models from the updated Breitling Avenger collection feature cases made from stainless steel, the new Breitling Avenger Automatic 42 Night Mission (ref. S17328101B1X1) is crafted from black ceramic. It measures a tenth of a millimeter taller than its stainless steel siblings at 42mm in diameter by 12.25mm thick, with 22mm lugs and a lug-to-lug profile of 51.21mm. Just like the standard time-and-date Avenger models, the new Breitling Avenger Automatic 42 Night Mission features a curved anti-reflective sapphire crystal protecting its dial, while a screw-down crown at 3 o’clock helps create an ample 300 meters of water resistance. However, the new Night Mission version uses titanium for its caseback and crown, and the caseback features a screw-on design, rather than being threaded into the middle case like the stainless steel models. Similarly, the unidirectional timing bezel on the Avenger Automatic 42 Night Mission is crafted from black ceramic (rather than stainless steel), although it appears in the same style with an engraved 60-minute scale and the brand’s signature “rider tabs” located at the cardinal points.

The dial fitted to the new Breitling Avenger Automatic 42 Night Mission represents a notable departure from those of its stainless steel siblings, and it features a forged carbon surface with bold Arabic numerals taking the place of the baton-shaped hour markers on the steel models. The updated style of indexes provides the Night Mission version with an inherently more utilitarian appearance, and small bright red accents appear throughout its dial and on the tip of its seconds hand. Just like the stainless steel time-and-date Avenger models, the Night Mission version is powered by the Breitling Caliber 17 automatic movement, which is a COSC-certified chronometer based upon the design of the venerable ETA 2824-2 that runs at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) with a power reserve of approximately 38 hours. Additionally, completing the new Breitling Avenger Automatic 42 Night Mission is a dark anthracite-colored leather and textile strap that is fitted with a deployant-style folding clasp made from titanium.

Also part of the new Night Mission series is the Breitling Avenger Automatic GMT 44 Night Mission (ref. S32320101B1X1), which follows a similar overall concept to its time-and-date counterpart. Crafted from black ceramic, the case of the new GMT-equipped Avenger Night Mission is slightly taller than its stainless steel siblings, and it measures 44mm in diameter by 12.35mm thick, with 22mm lugs and a lug-to-lug-profile of 53mm. Similar to the time-and-date model from the new Night Mission lineup, titanium is used for both the caseback and crown and the caseback features a screw-on design, while the crown screws down to help ensure 300 meters of water resistance. Just like its stainless steel counterparts, the top Breitling Avenger Automatic GMT 44 Night Mission is furnished with a curved anti-reflective sapphire crystal that is surrounded by a bidirectional GMT bezel; however, the bezel is crafted from black ceramic to match the rest of its case, with its 24-hour scale engraved into its surface.

Similar to the new time-and-date Night Mission model, the dial fitted to the Breitling Avenger Automatic GMT 44 Night Mission features a forged carbon surface with luminous Arabic numeral hour markers taking the place of the baton-shaped indexes that can be found on the stainless steel Avenger GMT watches. However, unlike the time-and-date model, the Avenger GMT Night Mission only features red accents at the cardinal points within its minute track, and it has green Super-LumiNova filling its Arabic numeral hour markers. Internally, the Avenger Automatic GMT 44 Night Mission receives the same COSC-certified Breitling Caliber 32 automatic GMT movement as its stainless steel siblings, which is based on the architecture of the ETA 2893-2 and runs at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) with a power reserve of 42 hours. Lastly, fitted to the lugs of the new Avenger GMT Night Mission is a dark green strap made from leather and fabric that secures on the bottom of the wrist with a titanium folding clasp.

The final members of the new Breitling Avenger Night Mission are the chronograph models, which are being offered in two different case sizes not previously available within the collection. While the original stainless steel Avenger Chronograph and the Avenger Night Mission U.S. Naval Edition models all have 44mm cases, the new chronograph-equipped Night Mission watches are offered in either 42mm or 46mm formats. Both models have black ceramic cases, while their crowns, pushers, and display-style casebacks are crafted from titanium. Additionally, just like the other Night Mission models, the chronograph versions feature screw-on casebacks with threaded crowns that create 300 meters of water resistance; however, the casebacks are fitted with sapphire display windows to offer a view of their internal movements. The front side of the Avenger Chronograph Night Mission watches are furnished by curved anti-reflective sapphire crystals surrounded by unidirectional timing bezels, and just like the rest of the Night Mission collection, the bezels are made from black ceramic to match their cases.

The smaller of the two chronograph-equipped Night Mission models is the Breitling Avenger B01 Chronograph 42 Night Mission, and it measures 42mm in diameter by 15.15mm thick, with 22mm lugs and a lug-to-lug profile of 51.21mm. Additionally, the 42mm version of the Avenger Night Mission Chronograph is available in two different configurations, which include the turquoise dial (ref. SB0146101L1X1) and the forged carbon dial (ref. SB0146101B1X1). While the turquoise version has contrasting black registers and a black-finished minute track, the forged carbon version has black registers with khaki-colored luminous material filling its Arabic numeral hour markers. Similarly, both Avenger B01 Chronograph 42 Night Mission models feature leather and fabric straps with titanium deployant clasps that complement their respective colorways, and while the turquoise version receives a matching turquoise-colored strap, the carbon dial model has a khaki-colored strap that leans into the hue of its hour markers.

The larger of the Night Mission Chronograph models is the Breitling Avenger B01 Chronograph 46 Night Mission (ref. SB0148101B1X1) and it features a black ceramic case that measures 46mm in diameter by 15.32mm thick, with 24mm lugs and an overall lug-to-lug profile of 54.75mm. The overall colorway of the Avenger B01 Chronograph 46 Night Mission is very similar to the GMT-equipped model from the series, and it features a forged carbon dial with green Arabic numeral indexes and a dark green leather and fabric strap that is completed by a titanium deployant clasp. Additionally, regardless of their case size or colorway, all of the Breitling Avenger Chronograph Night Mission watches are powered by the brand’s manufacturer Caliber B01 automatic chronograph movement, which runs at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) with a power reserve of 70 hours. In addition to being a COSC-certified chronometer, the Cal. B01 operates with a column wheel and a vertical clutch, and Breitling showcases its in-house design through the sapphire display window in the Avenger Chronograph’s caseback.

Due to their black ceramic cases, the Breitling Avenger Night Mission models naturally cost more than their stainless steel equivalents, and the time-and-date Breitling Avenger Automatic 42 Night Mission is the least expensive at $6,300 USD, while the GMT-equipped Night Mission model costs $6,950 USD due to its larger size and more complex movement. Meanwhile, the Breitling Avenger B01 Chronograph 42 Night Mission is priced at $9,550 USD when fitted with a turquoise dial or $9,750 USD when buyers opt for the forged carbon dial version, and the 46mm Avenger Night Mission Chronograph is the most expensive among the series with an official retail price of $9,950 USD. Despite its generous durability, the Avenger collection has always been one of Breitling’s more value-driven offerings, and while the new Night Mission models are tangibly more expensive than their stainless steel counterparts, they still represent a solid value proposition within Breitling’s modern lineup, as even the top-of-the-line version costs negligibly more than a stainless steel Navitimer. For more information on the Breitling Avenger Night Mission series, please visit the brand’s website.