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FROM PURPOSE TO STYLE. In 1932, Willy Breitling took over the reins of the family business and leveraged the technical improvements made by his father and grandfather. Having witnessed the rise of military aviation and already sensing the role aircraft would play in the future of the modern world, Breitling began to focus on this burgeoning ...
Oct 16, 2020 · 1943: The Premier. Breitling. Breitling’s future seemed uncertain when Gaston passed away suddenly in 1927. His son Willy was just 14, so for the first time an external team took over the ...
- JamieAlan.Carson@Hearst.co.uk
- A Surge in Popularity
- The Race Was on
- Project 99
- The Age of Astron
- Under New Ownership
- Instruments For Professionals
- Breitling in The New Millenium
- The Dawn of A New Era
- In Good Hands
In the ’60s, chronographs were becoming quite popular among young people. With a keen eye on appealing to this growing market, Breitling released the Top Time in 1964. Willy Breitling realized that younger people didn’t want the same type of watch worn by their fathers. Instead, as he put it, they wanted “a competition watch with special dials and ...
As most watch enthusiasts are aware, the end of the 1960s marked an important event in the history of horology: the race to develop the first automatic chronograph. By the 1960s, convenient automatic watches had become very popular. Until that point, however, all chronographs had been purely manual-wind. Knowing they could either adapt or perish, m...
The consortium worked secretly on what was known internally as “Project 99” for three years, resulting in the Caliber 11. The group then planned to debut it on March 3, 1969, at simultaneous press conferences in New York and Geneva. Much to the members’ chagrin, however, Zenith announced the El Primero caliber on January 10 of that same year. This ...
Not even the automatic chronograph in 1969, however, could stop the next blow to the Swiss watch industry. The very same year that Seiko released its own automatic chronograph, the Japanese watch giant also released the world’s very first quartz watch, the Astron. Several Swiss brands had been experimenting with quartz technology as well. In the ea...
On November 30, 1982, Ernest Schneider registered the company under the name Breitling Montres S.A. and relocated the company’s headquarters to Grenchen. Despite the fact that quartz watches were dominating the market at the time, there were none yet with an analog chronograph display. In 1983, this prompted the aerobatic demonstration team of the ...
In 1985, Breitling launched the Aerospace. This quartz watch featured an analog time display, two digital displays, a perpetual calendar, dual time zone, and chronograph function. Remarkably, the wearer could control all of these functions via the crown. 1985 also saw the rebirth of the legendary Navitimer, first in a Lemania-powered manual-wind va...
The 2000s were, in general, an era of large, bold, and highly-polished watches for the brand. Breitling was actually no stranger to producing large watches for its day. As far back as 1969, in fact, Breitling had brought a whopping 47mm Navitimer Chrono-matic to market. The brand revived this design, albeit in a smaller 44mm case, in 2006. Then, in...
In 2009, just in time for the brand’s 125th anniversary, Breitling made a historic move. The brand launched its first completely in-house chronograph movement for a wristwatch, the B01. The caliber features a modern 70-hour power reserve, column wheel, and vertical clutch for smooth operation and continuous accuracy, and obligatory COSC certificati...
In 2017, CVC chose Georges Kern, former CEO of 14 years at IWC, to uphold the Breitling legacy. Since then, the brand has done a remarkable job of balancing its offerings. The Avenger, SuperOcean, and Professional lines strictly feature the brand’s largest, most modern, and “toughest,” designs. The Aviator 8, SuperOcean Heritage, Chronomat, Navitim...
One of the most significant watch launches – and periods within Breitling’s history – came in 1952, while Willy Breitling, grandson of Léon, was in control. The prototype for the iconic Breitling Navitimer – a portmanteau of ‘navigation’ and ‘timer’ – was released to the world.
The Navitimer was initially commissioned by the AOPA and not available to the public. Only after witnessing its huge success among AOPA members did Willy Breitling decide to make it part of Breitling’s catalogue. From there, the watch that was already a mainstay in every cockpit went on to become one of the most iconic timepieces ever made.
The watches come on a choice of classic alligator leather strap or sleek 7-row metal bracelet. 3 BREITLING.COM PRESS RELEASE MARCH 21, 2023 BREITLING S A - P.O. BOX 1132 - LÉON BREITLING-S TR A S SE 2 - CH-2540 GRENCHEN TELEPHONE +41 (0) 32 654 54 54 THE PREMIER’S JOURNEY REVEALED IN A NEW BOOK The launch of the new Premier B01 Chronograph ...
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Jul 5, 2021 · A golden age. In the first decade following Breitling’s relocation, the manufacturer’s reputation thrived, and its watches surged in popularity. Léon Breitling’s former one-man operation grew to employ 60 people, and in 1893, Breitling patented a stopwatch movement with an 8-day power reserve. In 1896, the brand also patented a ...
