Breitling’s first capsule collection captures the spirit of a memorable time for commercial flight and revives the cool and evocative style of the 1960s and 1970s. The Navitimer 1 Airline Editions pay a tribute to the pioneers of civil aviation and celebrate some of the most emblematic airlines of the era. The collection was launched with the Swissair Edition, which was followed by the Pan Am Edition, and the collection is now complete with the addition of the newly released TWA Edition.
“We are introducing these Airline Editions in a new capsule collection that will be produced for a limited time and consequently in a limited volume, but the watches are not numbered,” says Breitling CEO Georges Kern. “With these capsule collections, Breitling aims to tell specific stories rooted in the history of its core collection. This distinguishes them from our limited editions, which will retain their original intent: to be limited to a small, fixed number of watches.”
Breitling’s Capsule Collections: The Storytellers
”We are delighted that our first capsule collection underscores Breitling’s important role in aviation in the mid-to late twentieth century – truly the golden era of commercial flight,” adds Breitling’s Chief Marketing Officer Tim Sayler. “The watches also focus on the young, cool design styles of the 1960s and 1970s, which are particularly relevant right now and have a huge influence on current design trends.”
In the 1950s and 1960s, commercial aviation experienced an unprecedented boom. The world suddenly became smaller as the dream of flying was no longer limited to a privileged elite. Flying had become accessible to a wider group of passengers, who, for the first time, could consider flying across a continent or even an ocean. Breitling’s onboard chronographs became standard equipment, first in propeller-driven planes and later in the jets produced by the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers.
When the Breitling Navitimer wrist chronograph was launched in 1952, it became a favorite with aviators and notably with the dashing pilots of the late 1950s, who flew their iconic passenger aircraft, such as the Boeing 707 and the Douglas DC-8, across countries or on intercontinental flights. The Navitimer featured a circular slide rule that allowed the pilots to make any critical calculations they might need to make in the air.
The Breitling Capsule Collection Navitimer 1 Airline Editions
The three Navitimer 1 Airline Edition watches are powered by the Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01. All models feature a bidirectional rotating bezel fitted with a circular slide rule, which serves to perform the entire range of calculations relating to airborne navigation. Their distinctive straight hands give the watches a dynamic, contemporary interpretation of a classic look. This first Breitling capsule collection will be available from April 2019 at Breitling boutiques and official retailers for a limited period of time.
The Navitimer 1 B01 Chronograph 43 TWA Edition
The Navitimer 1 B01 Chronograph 43 TWA Edition has a transparent sapphire caseback with the TWA logo printed on it. Trans World Airlines, which was based in the United States, was a familiar sight at the world’s major airports throughout most of the twentieth century. This stainless-steel watch has a silver dial, anthracite sub-dials, and a vintage-inspired brown leather strap or a stainless-steel mesh bracelet. And, like the other editions in the capsule collection, which honor Swissair and Pan Am, it commemorates one of the airlines that played such an important role in the emergence of commercial flight in the twentieth century and which were largely responsible for introducing passenger aviation as we know it today.
