Breitling may be forging ahead with their lovely Premier collection, but they’ve not forgotten the watch that made them a horological household name, nor their aviation heritage. In the new Navitimer 1 Airline Editions they’ve highlighted the best of both.

Back in the dawning era of global consumer air travel, three airlines all but held a monopoly: Pan American World Airways, Trans World Airlines and Swissair. Of course, they’re all now defunct, but they’re the iconic trio that has provided the inspiration behind Breitling’s Navitimer 1 capsule collection.

It’s a fitting place for Breitling to turn to; it was the same era and industry that originally gave birth to the Navitimer, complete with its pilot-friendly slide rule bezel. Plus, in case you didn’t realise, the 70s are in watchmaking vogue right now.

The three timepieces are based on the Navitimer B01 Chronograph, complete with Breitling’s own in-house movement, but all given a nice retro twist with some funky new colourways.

First is the contrasting black and red of Swissair, once regarded the finest airline in the world; then the blue, white and red of Pan Am, the first airline to buy the famous Boeing 747; finally, we have the silver, grey and red of US flag-carrier Trans World Airways. All three include the airline’s logo on the sapphire caseback.

They’re all nice nods to the past, but of the three the Pan Am is by far the standout. The medium blue with chapter ring and white subdials is all but perfect for the Navitimer 1. Of course, it helps that the Pan Am logo on the back is a staple of retro luggage stickers the world over. It also comes on a beautiful Milanese bracelet as opposed to the simple black and brown leather of the others.

Surprisingly these aren’t limited editions, at least when it comes to numbering. They will however be produced for a limited time. There’s no information yet on exactly how long that will be, but it’s best not to tempt fate with these things. Get in there as close to their April launch date as possible.

Price & Specs:

Model Name: Navitimer 1 B01 Chronograph 43 Pan Am Edition, Navitimer 1 B01 Chronograph 43 Swissair Edition & Navitimer 1 B01 Chronograph 43 TWA Edition Dial/Case: Stainless steel case, bidirectional rotating bezel fitted with the famous circular slide rule, which serves to perform the entire range of calculations relating to airborne navigation, each model has a transparent sapphire caseback with a printed Swissair, Pan Am or TWA logo Movement: Breitling Caliber 01, in-house mechanical chronograph movement Power Reserve: 70h Price & Availability: £TBC, available from April 2019 at Breitling boutiques and official retailers for a limited period of time.



Find out more at Breitling’s website.