Amidst a collection filled with robust, rugged chronographs tied to military aviation, there’s arguably no more military-related watch in Breitling’s catalog than the Avenger line. Generally marketed with images of helicopter pilots and on-base ground crew, it’s little surprise that the latest addition to the Avenger family takes on a partnership with the world’s second-largest air force: the United States Navy. As part of this new naval-inspired collaboration, the recently updated Avenger chronograph takes on a trio of dark, punchy new dial designs paying tribute to the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Navy squadron VX-30 “The Bloodhounds,” and U.S. Navy squadron VX-31 “The Dust Devils.” The new Breitling Avenger U.S. Naval Editions collection, including the Breitling Avenger B01 Chronograph 44 Night Mission U.S. Naval Academy, Breitling Avenger B01 Chronograph 44 Night Mission USN Bloodhounds, and Breitling Avenger B01 Chronograph 44 Night Mission USN Dust Devils, offers a trio of tough, compelling modern military takes on the heavy-duty Avenger silhouette without losing the refined feel of the series.

Functionally speaking, the cases of the new Breitling Avenger U.S. Naval Editions series are identical to the current Avenger Night Mission line in images, and all three models in the same collection share the same design outside of minor caseback engravings. With this in mind, the beefy 44mm wide, 15.2mm thick black ceramic cases in this series should seem more than a little familiar to fans of the brand. In practice, this means that the muscular-yet-embellished lines of the standard Avenger chronograph are reimagined in a darker, more aggressive colorway here, dominated by largely matte-blasted finishing. Even in this tough, purposeful execution though, Breitling still adds crisp brushed highlights for the upper surfaces of the stepped lugs and the raised bezel tabs, along with the Avenger’s usual suite of decorative bezel edge screws. While it’s likely to share some of the same chunky, high-impact on-wrist stance of the rest of the Avenger chronograph family, this sense of heft should be slightly mitigated, both visually and tangibly, here.  The classic slimming power of black is in full effect in initial images here, masking some of the perceived weight of the broad case body, tall case sides, and stout bezel. On the other hand, this should be significantly physically lighter than its counterparts in stainless steel, making for a lighter and less imposing on-wrist experience. All three of the new models are fitted with sapphire display casebacks and are rated for a go-anywhere, do-anything 300 meters of water resistance.

Naturally, the dials of the new Breitling Avenger U.S. Naval Editions models are where these new iterations truly stand apart from the rest of the lineup. The underlying layout for all three is shared with the base Avenger chronograph in images- the trio of recessed, azurage subdials, the smoothly integrated 6 o’clock date window, raised matte indices, and faceted pointed baton handset are all present and accounted for here. Through the use of color and detailed graphic design, though, each model in the trio takes on a personality of its own. The Breitling Avenger B01 Chronograph 44 Night Mission U.S. Naval Academy is arguably the most refined of the trio, with a matte navy blue dial base complemented by rich golden yellow accents for the subdials, outer seconds scale, and the central chronograph seconds hand. At 9 o’clock, the running seconds subdial is emblazoned with the ornate scrollwork emblem of the United States Naval Academy, famously located in Annapolis, Maryland. For the Breitling Avenger B01 Chronograph 44 Night Mission USN Bloodhounds, the brand instead takes a subdued, purposeful modern military approach to the colorway. A charcoal gray matte main dial surface is matched to vivid hazard yellow accents, while the 9 o’clock subdial showcases the snarling, detailed three-headed emblem of the U.S. Navy VX-30 “The Bloodhounds” experimental test squadron. Lastly, the sense of visual aggression is dialed all the way up in images for the Breitling Avenger B01 Chronograph 44 Night Mission USN Dust Devils. Here, the deeper black matte dial is matched with blazing red highlights, and the U.S. Navy VX-31 “The Dust Devils” test squadron emblem at 9 o’clock completes the package. Complete with a cartoon pistol-toting devil riding a tornado, this emblem arguably offers the most classic “squadron art” feel, and when paired with its aggressive surroundings, it might well be the most eye-catching of the trio in images.

Inside each of the Breitling Avenger U.S. Naval Editions models beats the brand’s in-house Caliber 01 automatic chronograph movement. The Caliber 01 has been Breitling’s go-to in-house chronograph powerplant for several years and stands as an impressively capable, modern design with excellent performance across the board. Its hefty 70-hour power reserve at a 28,800 bph beat rate is supplemented by a column wheel and vertical clutch chronograph actuation system, and the movement is COSC chronometer-certified for accuracy. In terms of finishing, the Caliber 01 is decent for its price point, with a mix of matte blasting, arabesque brushing, and linear brushing for the bridges, and a sleek skeleton rotor with further linear brushing. Each of the Avenger U.S. Naval Editions models is topped off with a fabric-effect “military leather” deployant strap. For the Avenger B01 Chronograph 44 Night Mission U.S. Naval Academy, this is an appropriately deep navy blue, while both of the remaining models feature black straps with dial-matching accent stitching.

There’s no shortage of military theming and heritage in Breitling’s back catalog, and among its current offerings perhaps no other series leans into this part of the brand’s legacy more than the Avenger. The new Breitling Avenger U.S. Naval Editions series accentuates this military side of the line’s character with more aggressive, purposeful styling, but doesn’t lose sight of the Avenger’s refined, premium feel. All three models in the series, including the Breitling Avenger B01 Chronograph 44 Night Mission U.S. Naval Academy, the Breitling Avenger B01 Chronograph 44 Night Mission USN Bloodhounds, and the Breitling Avenger B01 Chronograph 44 Night Mission USN Dust Devils, are available now through authorized dealers. MSRP for each of the watches in the series stands at $10,200 USD as of press time. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.