Could there be a more symbolic partner for Breitling than Switzerland’s national airline, SWISS? The two companies’ shared values can be summed up in three words: aviation, precision and quality. And all with a Swiss Made label. The partnership was sealed in 2016 when the airline commissioned a new Boeing 777 and made Breitling the “onboard timekeeper” for all Swiss flights. The brand is visible on passengers’ seat back screens and, more significantly, the Breitling Navitimer Swiss Boeing 777, produced in a limited edition of 777, is available exclusively on board SWISS aircraft.
To celebrate the ongoing partnership, Breitling has unveiled two new limited editions reserved exclusively for travellers with SWISS. The familiar Navitimer name is back, which is only natural given the “pilot’s watch” status that this model, created in 1952 by Willy Breitling and equipped with a patented rotating slide rule designed specifically for navigation in the air, has acquired over the years. However, in the interests of modernity, it’s the Navitimer 8 watches that have been given the SWISS treatment this year. The new Navitimer 8 collection launched at the beginning of the year is a direct tribute to the Huit Aviation department created by Willy Breitling in 1938, whose name was chosen to reflect the 8-day power reserve of cockpit instruments. Although the Navitimer 8 is directly inspired by the Reference 768, some of its models come with a simpler design, a more readable dial and a case diameter coming in at under 43 mm. The numerals, hands and lugs have been redesigned to create a timekeeper that is less obviously a pilot’s watch, and the new Breitling logo stripped of its wings, which has been introduced with this collection, enhances the overall effect.
Navitimer Aviator 8 B01 Chronograph 43 SWISS Limited Edition
The stainless steel case comes in a diameter of 43 mm with a depth of 13.97 mm. The screw-down crown, bidirectional rotating bezel and screw-down stainless steel and sapphire crystal caseback all bear witness to the depth rating of 100 metres. The black dial with its three contrasting silvered registers – small seconds, plus 30-minute and 12-hour chronograph timers – is protected by a convex sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides. The hour and minute hands and Arabic numerals are coated with Super-LumiNova® for maximum legibility. The self-winding in-house Breitling 01 calibre beats at 28,000 vph, and has a bi-directional ball bearing rotor that delivers a 70-hour power reserve. Like all Breitling movements, the vertical clutch chronograph calibre with date is COSC-certified. This 777-piece special edition developed for Swiss has some unique details, such as the plane at the base of the seconds hand and the turbine engine design on the sapphire caseback.
Navitimer Aviator 8 Automatic SWISS Limited Edition
These aesthetic elements are also featured on the second SWISS special edition, 1000 of which have been made. This watch also comes in black and steel, but the dimensions are smaller: 41 mm in diameter with a depth of 10.74 mm. It features a similar a screw-down crown, convex sapphire crystal, bi-directional bezel and luminescent hands and markers. This three-handed watch with date is driven by the automatic Breitling 17 calibre, whose bi-directional ball-bearing rotor generates a power reserve of 40 hours. The retro-modern styling is completed with a brown leather strap.
The Navitimer Aviator 8 B01 Chronograph 43 SWISS Limited Edition is sold for 6870.- Swiss francs, the Navitimer Aviator 8 Automatic SWISS Limited Edition for 3620.- Swiss francs, exclusively to SWISS passengers. The watches are available on all SWISS long-haul flights. You can pre-order your watch online and take delivery of it on your next flight.
