Three watches honoring an aviation legend

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Three watches honoring an aviation legend - Breitling
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Breitling claims its links to the world of aviation with three pilot’s watches commemorating its partnership with the maker of the iconic Curtiss P-40 Warhawk airplane.

When the Curtiss Wright Corporation, a renowned American aircraft manufacturer, was producing its legendary fighter aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s, Breitling’s Huit Aviation Department was creating onboard clocks for some of the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers. Its most famous plane was the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, which was manufactured between 1938 and 1944.

Three watches honoring an aviation legend

These three new watches – the Aviator 8 B01 Chronograph 43 Curtiss Warhawk, the Aviator 8 Chronograph 43 Curtiss Warhawk, and the Aviator 8 Automatic 41 Curtiss Warhawk – pay tribute to a partnership between two aviation pioneers. Fittingly, they do it with features that recall one of Breitling’s early pilot’s watches, the iconic Reference 768, which featured a rotating bezel and distinctive triangular pointer that made it an instant hit with aviators.

The Aviator 8 watches reflect the aviation heritage of two important brands but, with their modern retro flair, they are sure to appeal to a new generation of watch enthusiasts.

 

Aviator 8 B01 Chronograph 43 Curtiss Warhawk

The Aviator 8 B01 Chronograph 43 Curtiss Warhawk is distinguished by its military green dial with a matte finish. The contrasting silver subdials – 12-hour and 30-minute chronograph counters and a small second subdial – indicate that the watch is driven by the Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01, the brand’s in-house mechanical movement, which delivers a power reserve of approximately 70 hours.

Three watches honoring an aviation legend

This COSC-certified chronometer has a 43-millimeter stainless-steel case topped by a bidirectional rotating bezel featuring Arabic numerals and indexes as well as a practical red pointer. The Super- LumiNova® coating on the hour and minute hands and the Arabic numerals on the dial make it easy to read the time in any light. This chronograph is water-resistant up to 100m and mounted on a green military strap.

Three watches honoring an aviation legend

The caseback has a transparent sapphire crystal printed with a Curtiss inscription and an image of an airborne P-40 Warhawk, whose design, with its shark’s mouth and color scheme, is based on the characteristic paint job associated with the plane when it was piloted by the American Volunteer Group in the Chinese Air Force’s famed Flying Tigers unit.

Aviator 8 Chronograph 43 Curtiss Warhawk

The Aviator 8 Chronograph 43 Curtiss Warhawk model features a military green dial with a matte finish and tone-on-tone subdials – 12-hour and 30-minute chronograph counters and a small second subdial. The black nickel-plated hour and minute hands, as well as the Arabic numerals on the dial, are coated with Super-LumiNova®, so they are legible even in the most challenging of lighting conditions.

Three watches honoring an aviation legend

This chronograph is powered by the Breitling Caliber 13, a mechanical movement renowned for its stability and performance, which offers a power reserve of approximately 42 hours. This COSC-certified chronometer, which is water-resistant up to 100m, comes with a green military strap.

Three watches honoring an aviation legend

The watch caseback is engraved with a Curtiss inscription and an image of a P-40 Warhawk with the shark’s mouth paintwork that made a powerful visual impact when the plane was part of the Chinese Air Force’s Flying Tigers unit and flown by pilots of the American Volunteer Group.

Aviator 8 Automatic 41 Curtiss Warhawk

The Aviator 8 Automatic 41 Curtiss Warhawk features a military green dial with a matte finish, whose hour and minute hands and Arabic numerals are coated with Super-LumiNova®. Its DLC-coated stainless-steel case houses the Breitling Caliber 17 movement, which offers a power reserve of approximately 40 hours, and is topped by a bidirectional rotating bezel with a distinctive red pointer and a central seconds hand with a red tip.

Three watches honoring an aviation legend

Like all Breitling watches, the precision of this model is confirmed by its status as a COSC-certified chronometer. The timepiece features an engraved caseback bearing the Curtiss inscription and an image of a P-40 Warhawk with the shark’s mouth paintwork.

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