With its new Aviator 8 Mosquito watch, Breitling has drawn on the design of the onboard clocks designed by its Huit Aviation Department in the 1930s and 1940s and from its renowned reference 765 AVI, the watch known as the Co-Pilot. The Aviator 8 Mosquito honors a plane constructed almost entirely of wood, the de Havilland Mosquito.
The Breitling Aviator 8 Mosquito wears its dual design influences proudly: it recalls at once the design values of the onboard instruments designed by Breitling’s Huit Aviation Department and those of the Ref. 765 AVI – the Co-Pilot – whose bold look, rotating bezel, and impressive legibility with oversized Arabic numerals made it a favorite among aviators.
Breitling created the watch to honor the de Havilland Mosquito, a British aircraft whose lightweight wooden construction made it one of the fastest planes in the skies in the early 1940s. “The de Havilland Mosquito is a truly unique and iconic piece of aviation history", states Breitling CEO Georges Kern." It was distinguished by incredibly innovative design and an ingenious use of materials. Our Aviator 8 Mosquito is an affectionate reminder of one of the world’s true aviation successes.”
The Aviator 8 Mosquito features a 43 mm stainless-steel case and a black satin-brushed ADLC-coated stainless-steel bezel with a practical red pointer, indexes, and Arabic numerals. Its black dial has contrasting silver subdials – an indication of the Breitling Manufacture Calibre 01 in-house mechanical movement that powers the watch. This model has an ADLC treatment that provides an even darker tone than the regular DLC coating that has been such a popular feature on special Breitling watches for years – it is truly black in appearance as opposed to the anthracite shade that characterizes regular DLC.
The orange central hour, minute, and central second hands are coated with Super LumiNova®, making the watch legible in limited-lighting situations. Its striking red and orange accents recall the roundels and markings featured on the fuselage of the de Havilland Mosquito and add to the watch’s allure. The hand of the small second subdial features a black varnish finish. The dial is completed with a date window between the 4 and 5 o’clock positions.
The Breitling Manufacture Calibre 01, visible through a transparent sapphire caseback, offers an impressive power reserve of approximately 70 hours. The COSC-certified chronometer is water resistant to 10 bar/100 meters. It is presented on a brown vintage-leather strap available with either a pin buckle or a folding buckle.
