2024 sees Breitling celebrate its 140th anniversary in style, highlighting important milestones in its stunning three-story Breitling Pop-Up Museum in Zürich, a world-traveling vintage watch exhibition bound to visit 50 boutiques, a series of limited-edition anniversary watches, along with an anniversary book — Breitling: 140 Years in 140 Stories — that offers fascinating insight into this innovative watchmaker’s past. A special podcast recording supplements the latter with an exciting discussion among Breitling’s Global Head of Heritage, Gianfranco Gentile, Breitling Historian Fred Mandelbaum, and aBlogtoWatch’s David Bredan.

 

Breitling’s legacy is one of firsts, and thus of many incredible transformations. Breitling was established in 1884 by Léon Breitling to create precise chronometers — pocket watches, specifically, as the earliest wristwatches were making their debut on the wrists of a select few soldiers but not the greater public just yet. With his eyes set on better quality and higher performance, he soon relocated the company to La Chaux-de-Fonds, a cradle in the history of Swiss watchmaking. In 1893, Breitling patented a movement with 8 days of power reserve, a showcase of early advancements in timekeeping technology.

Over 100 years ago, Breitling made its first lasting mark on wristwatch design and functionality. Obsessed with aviation, it was in 1915 that Léon Breitling and his son Gaston developed the first wristwatch with a chronograph pusher at 2 o’clock, separated from the crown. The founder’s grandson, Willy Breitling, took this to the next and indeed final frontier in October 1933, when Breitling was the first to patent and introduce a chronograph wristwatch with two separate pushers. This was revolutionary because it would allow these timing tools to be paused and started again without being forcibly reset to zero before starting again. In other words, chronograph wristwatches before Breitling’s 1934 models were monopushers, meaning that the chronograph pusher would cycle through the start, stop, reset, start cycle with every press.

“Breitling’s dual-pusher chronograph patent changed the whole world of chronographs as we know it and it still influences the way all brands are manufacturing chronographs today.”  Gianfranco Gentile, Breitling’s Global Head of Heritage

The design and functionality of the overwhelming majority of modern chronograph wristwatches can be traced back to Breitling and 1934. Willy Breitling, who brought Swiss watchmaking to this milestone, directed his heirloom company to new heights and importance through various firsts, partnerships, and tireless dedication to wristwatch quality and performance. Willy took over Breitling at the exceptionally young age of 19 — he inherited it at 14 after the unexpected passing of his father, Gaston, but it was managed by a team until he reached a suitable age to take the helm.

He continued his family’s legacy by maintaining a keen focus on aviation — understandably so, as airplanes and air travel were quickly developing and reshaping the world at the time. Willy secured partnerships with the British Royal Air Force and the United States Army, forebears to impressive collaborations with Lockheed, United Airlines, KLM, and others you will see at the top of that yellow vintage ad just below. More importantly, Willy was instrumental in developing some of Breitling’s most iconic and lasting models.

“The innovations of Willy made me fall in love with the brand.” — Fred Mandelbaum, Breitling Collector and Historian

Developed in 1940 and launched in 1941, the Chronomat — a contraction of “Chronographe-Mathematique” — cleverly incorporated the slide rule into a chronograph wristwatch. At a time when smartwatches weren’t even a theory, Willy and his team patented his “smartwatch chronograph” in 1940, combining the circular logarithmic slide with a chronograph for engineers, mathematicians, and businessmen. This system was capable of easily handling a wide range of mathematical operations with a tachymeter, telemeter, and pulsometer functions, as well as multiplication, division, and rule-of-three problems, production calculations, and more. This was a time when well-made and ingeniously designed watches were tools that had to prove their worth every day — which the Chronomat has done. Better still, the Chronomat was not only functional, but beautiful, too, with elegant lines, a slim profile and a well-balanced dial, making it a favorite among pilots, industry and technical professionals, and athletes.

In 1952, Willy Breitling was approached by the renowned US Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) with a request to create a new chronograph for its members. He decided to develop an innovative wrist-worn instrument that would enable pilots to perform all necessary flight calculations, including average speed, distance traveled, fuel consumption, rate of climb or descent, and conversion of miles to kilometers or nautical miles — and to facilitate all this, he could rely on the Chronomat and its ingenious slide rule system.

Willy Breitling therefore adapted the original logarithmic slide rule of the 1940s Chronomat for aviation purposes and integrated it into a rotating bezel, surrounded by small beads to make it easier to manipulate. The case diameter was fixed at 41 millimeters, which was large for its time — large enough to ensure that all the information provided by the dial would be easy to read. The readability was further enhanced by oversized Arabic numerals filled with radium that efficiently contrasted with the black dial. As for the name, what could be more evocative than Navitimer, a combination of navigation and timer? When the Navitimer was finally introduced to the AOPA, it was an instant success among the association’s members.

The evolution of slide-rule-equipped Breitling wristwatches continued with a notable milestone reached in 1961. American astronaut Scott Carpenter approached Breitling to create a modified version of the Navitimer for him to wear during his Mercury-Atlas 7 mission. He requested a 24-hour dial to help distinguish between day and night in space — as astronauts orbiting the earth witness several sunsets and sunrises over the course of 24 hours — along with a simplified slide rule, a wider bezel for better grip, and a stretchy metal bracelet so that the watch would easily go around his spacesuit. This custom watch, known as the Navitimer Cosmonaute, was delivered just five days before Carpenter’s mission. Read aBlogtoWatch’s hands-on with that very special and first Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute — the first Swiss wristwatch in space!

Breitling reached yet another notable milestone under Willy Breitling’s direction with the 1957 SuperOcean reference 807. A significant advancement in dive watches, the SuperOcean 807 was the first to feature a chronograph. Launched just a couple of years into the dawn of professional diver’s watches — when professional deep-sea diving and scientific exploration of the seas were breaking new frontiers — it set new standards with its extended functionality, robust design, and water resistance, catering to the needs of professional divers.

Even the very first SuperOcean time-only and chronograph watches boasted 20 ATM (equivalent to 200 meters or 660ft) water resistance, matched to a stunning and instantly recognizable design that lives on today thanks to the Breitling SuperOcean Heritage ’57 watch collection. Building on its extensive experience crafting extra legible onboard instruments for aviation, Breitling maximized the legibility of the SuperOcean with highly oversized circular and triangular hour markers that also gave the dial a unique and trailblazing design. A concave bezel, exceptionally thin case profile and long lugs made the SuperOcean both an instant hit and a timeless classic. To learn more about specially modified movement-equipped and other fascinating SuperOcean watches, visit Breitling’s Icons site.

Always pushing the limits of technological possibilities, Breitling teamed up with Heuer, Buren, and Dubois-Depraz on Project 99 — a pivotal initiative in the history of watchmaking between watch brands and suppliers to co-develop a bold new caliber: The first self-winding chronograph movement. The resulting Chronomatic (or Caliber 11) featured Buren’s thin micro-rotor base caliber with a Dubois-Depraz chronograph module. Although the result of all their hard work was quickly overshadowed not just by Zenith’s El Primero and Seiko’s Caliber 6139, but also the quartz crisis, Project 99 nevertheless exemplifies Breitling’s enduring spirit and dedication to true innovation.

In 1999, Breitling became the first watchmaker to equip 100% of its watch production with COSC-certified movements. “The quality is there, then and now. It always was, took always centerstage, throughout the history of Breitling.”
Fred Mandelbaum, Breitling Collector and Historian

The aforementioned quartz crisis had a profound effect on the Swiss watch industry, and with it, Breitling. It was at the peak of the crisis that Ernest Schneider — who came from a varied background that included military service as well as managing the Sicura watchmaking firm — acquired Breitling in 1979 after Willy Breitling’s health declined and the company faced financial difficulties. His leadership revitalized the brand, focusing on its heritage in aviation and chronographs. Why that was the case, you can learn from our special podcast episode embedded above. Under Ernest Schneider’s guidance, later assisted by his son, Théodore, Breitling launched several iconic models, including the modern Chronomat, Aerospace, and Emergency watches. Importantly, in 1999, Breitling became the first watchmaker to equip 100% of its watch production with COSC-certified movements, ensuring exceptional precision and yet greater reliability across its entire range of watches.

In 2017, Georges Kern placed today’s Breitling on a new track that led it to its exciting and diverse future through a new-found connection with its past. World-renowned Breitling collector-turned-official-Breitling-historian Fred Mandelbaum was there to open up the brand’s history to Kern at the earliest of days of his takeover. Mandelbaum recalls: When looking at Breitling, “Georges saw a shark in a swimming pool. Strong, but in a very small segment and niche of the market. The wonderful thing for him and of course for all of us was that Breitling became strong enough financially to get that shark out of the swimming pool and into the open seas. To bring back all the worlds that have been covered under the dust of history for some time.”

To celebrate the 140-year anniversary, Breitling introduces three new limited editions that are not only precious but also technically innovative for the brand. The 140th-anniversary models of the Premier Datora, Navitimer, and Super Chronomat present the new Breitling B19 caliber in 42mm, 43mm, and 44mm, respectively, cases in 18k red gold. The new Caliber B19 is the brand’s first exclusive perpetual calendar movement, and naturally, it is also a chronograph —Breitling’s specialty from the beginning.

The beautifully decorated B19 features a full calendar automatically correcting for leap years and months of 28, 30, and 31 days, so it can run for nearly a century without a major adjustment. This truly exotic and new movement combines the moonphase-equipped perpetual calendar with a self-winding system, a chronograph function, and an extensive, 96-hour power reserve. Last, its 4Hz operating frequency renders it a truly high-tech and modern movement with immense performance. “With the Caliber B19 and our anniversary limited editions, we’re making history again,” says Georges Kern. “This launch is about being as groundbreaking as our 140 Years of Firsts demand.”

Two notable pillars of the anniversary celebrations include a brand-new book, Breitling: 140 Years In 140 Stories — and the opening of Breitling’s Then & Now Pop-Up Museum in Zürich. The 288-page, hardcover book offers a playful and inclusive look into 140 exciting, impressive, and charming stories linked to the company, its key managers, fans, and customers, as well as its watches. The Breitling Pop-Up Museum, located in the heart of Zürich, just next to Bahnhofstrasse, offers free admission into the three stories packed with historically important Breitling watches, memorabilia, and stories, as well as a Breitling Café on the ground floor.

Along with the Pop-Up Museum, Breitling is celebrating its outstanding legacy with a traveling exhibition that offers a chance to see many of its trailblazing pieces firsthand. Time Capsule: The Breitling Heritage Exhibition will make 55 stops at selected Breitling boutiques across four continents: North America, Europe, Oceania, and Asia (including the Middle East). This traveling showcase brings together the most significant watches from Breitling’s past, highlighting those that played a pioneering role in watchmaking history and aligning them with their modern-day counterparts.

As Breitling CEO Georges Kern reflects, “Celebrating Breitling’s 140 Years of Firsts highlights our pioneering spirit and groundbreaking achievements, honoring our past while guiding our future. Each event, exhibition, and story this year emphasizes our tradition of excellence and commitment to innovation.”

Today, Breitling is poised to celebrate its 140-year history in authentic style. With its Navitimer, Chronomat, Superocean and Superocean Heritage, Premier, Top Time, Classic Avi, Avenger, Emergency, Aerospace, and Endurance Pro collections all met with the attention they have earned over the past decades and more, the Breitling of 2024 makes the innovative spirit of its past a tangible reality. Visit the brand’s website to learn more about Breitling’s 140-year history and current selection of timepieces.

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