AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition

Image
AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition - Breitling
2 minutes read
A carefully researched and crafted re-edition of the Co-Pilot from 1953.

In 1953, Breitling launched its Ref. 765 AVI, a pilot’s watch (AVI stood for “aviation”) known as the “Co-Pilot”. It had a particularly bold look with a rotating bezel and oversized Arabic numerals, and its impressive legibility made it a favorite among aviators.  The Co-Pilot was a 1950s interpretation of the onboard clocks designed and produced by Breitling’s Huit Aviation Department in the 1930s and 1940s, which have already provided inspiration for the watches in the Aviator 8 collection.

The AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition is the brand’s second historical re-edition, after the Navitimer Ref. 806 1959 Re-Edition in 2019. The watch is being produced in a limited series of 1953 pieces, each of which will be numbered “ONE OF 1953”. It is powered by the Breitling Manufacture Caliber B09, a manually wound mechanical chronograph movement based on the brand’s in-house Manufacture Caliber 01. The B09 was designed with the Re-Edition models in mind, and, like all Breitling movements, it is a COSC-certified chronometer.

AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition

Breitling’s Re-Edition watches are created with painstaking attention to detail. Every effort is made to ensure that each one is a faithful reproduction of the original.

The AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition features the same Arabic numerals as the 1953 Co-Pilot as well as hand-applied Super-LumiNova®, the color of which recalls the luminescent material on the original. The 41.1-millimeter stainless-steel case is also identical, and the bezel is secured by three screws that are placed in precisely the same positions as those on the watch from 1953. The watch features thin syringe hands, which exactly match those on the earliest examples, and a domed hesalite crystal that has been fashioned in precisely the same shape as the original.

AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition

There are only two concessions that distinguish this new timepiece from its famous ancestor: the water resistance has been improved to 3 bar (30 meters/100 feet) and the “GENEVE” no longer appears on the dial. 

The Breitling AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition is presented on a black vintage-inspired leather strap with a pin buckle and comes with a five-year warranty.

AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition

The Breitling AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition in Precious Metals

Breitling will also be releasing the AVI 1953 Edition in two striking precious-metal versions. The first is crafted in 18 k red gold with a black dial and a brown vintage-inspired leather strap. This model will have a limited-edition run of 253 pieces, and “ONE OF 253” will be engraved on its caseback. The second is being produced in platinum and features a blue dial and a gold vintage-inspired leather strap. This extraordinary version will be available in a limited edition of only 153 pieces, a fact that will be verified by “ONE OF 153” engraved on the back of the platinum case.

These AVI 1953 Edition watches created using precious metals also offer water resistance to 3 bar (30 meters/100 feet) and feature hand-applied Super-LumiNova®, the color of which calls to mind the luminescent material on the original watch.

AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition

 

Featured brand