The rattrapante is one of the most sophisticated complications in all of watchmaking. Put simply, with two superimposed central chronograph hands, it can measure two elapsed times simultaneously. The rattrapante feature in the new Breitling Navitimer B03 Chronograph Rattrapante 45 is very special indeed, and there are some additional details that define this watch as an instant classic.
The Navitimer B03 Chronograph Rattrapante 45 is as aesthetically impressive as it is technically sophisticated. Housed in a big, bold 45 mm 18 k red gold case, it is distinguished by a Stratos Gray dial. Its hour markers and hour and minute hands are coated with Super-LumiNova®, which guarantees legibility in all lighting conditions. The watch has a bidirectional rotating bezel with the circular slide rule that has long been associated with Breitling’s Navitimers.
The Navitimer B03 Chronograph Rattrapante 45 offers another exquisite detail. Normally, a Breitling Navitimer features a stylized “B” logo with an anchor symbol adorning the base of the chronograph hands. But here there is a subtle refinement, with the logo divided between two hands. The B is on the red chronograph hand, while the anchor sits on the split-second hand. As a result, the two elements of the logo are separated when the split-second hand is stopped and reform when the hands realign with each other.
The split-second pusher, which is housed in the crown at 3 o’clock, serves to stop and restart the split-second hand as often as desired during a timing operation, allowing the wearer to measure split times or compare the results of several competitors.
The Breitling Manufacture Caliber B03 was produced by the brand at its Chronométrie facility in La Chaux-de- Fonds. The COSC-certified chronometer, whose performance can be viewed through the watch’s transparent sapphire caseback, offers a power reserve of around 70 hours and is protected by a five-year warranty. The watch, with its striking 18 k red gold case, is presented on a black alligator leather strap with a pin buckle.
