Breitling Watches

About Breitling

Breitling SA is a Swiss watch manufacturer headquartered in Grenchen, Canton of Solothurn. The company's watches are marketed primarily for use in the aviation industry but have achieved a mass-market appeal at or beyond that of any other watch manufacturer. These watches have become status symbols for their wearers and are among the most sought after timepieces in the world. Known for their highly accurate chronograph movements, large faces and rugged builds, Breitling watches have an enormous following of loyal owners and aficionados. The company manufactures various models incorporating mechanical automatic movements, quartz movements or sometimes a combination of the two. Owners are often known to customize their timepieces through the inclusion of diamonds or gems on the bezel, bracelet and or dial. New watches retail anywhere from a few thousand dollars US to tens of thousands of dollars US.

The company was founded in 1884 by Leon Breitling at the age of 24. Initially Leon's shop was located in St. Imier, Switzerland and specialized in the manufacture of chronographs and other precision timekeeping mechanisms for various professional applications. That the company started initially as a producer of industrial counters would lay the foundation for the company's proclivity towards highly accurate movements rather than style or fashion. By 1892 the company was experiencing tremendous growth in demand for its products. At this time Leon decided to move the company to the unofficial Swiss watchmaking capitol of La Chaux-de-Fonds. The company would continue to thrive there beyond the death of Leon in 1914. Control of the company turned over to his son Gaston.

It was only a year later when Gaston released the company's first wristwatch chronograph. Its popularity among World War I pilots would serve to solidify the company's association with aviation. In 1923 the company released its first self-manufactured chronograph with independent button. Gaston's reign would continue until 1932 when his son Willy assumed control of the company. The trend towards innovation in the field of aviation timekeeping would only increase when in 1934 the company released the first second return-to-zero reset button. This feature was coveted by pilots for its ability to measure short time intervals on the fly. This would lead to the company partnering with the Royal Air Force as its official supplier of watches. This relationship established the company as a major force in Swiss watch manufacturing for years to come.

The first Breitling Navitimer was released in 1952 as the 806 model. Considered the ultimate in navigation watches the model has remained relatively unchanged in nearly six decades. The Navitimer is COSC (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres) certified; the institute charged with certifying true timekeeping accuracy of Swiss watches. The Navitimer is capable of tracking all variables involved in a flight plan. The model experienced tremendous demand and became the official watch for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Ten years later in the year 1962, the company expanded its dominance in flight by producing the Cosmonaute Navitimer at the request of astronaut Scott Carpenter. The model included a 24 hour dial rather than a 12 hour dial. The watch was worn that same year during Carpenter's flight into space.

Among its many inventions and contributions to the watchmaking industry, perhaps none are more significant than the self-winding chronographic movement. Revealed as the Chronomat model during the 1969 Basel Watch Fair and through a partnership with Hamilton-Buren and Heuer-Leonidas, this would represent a major breakthrough for the entire watch industry. It used a balance wheel and microrotor to power the movement rather than requiring manual winding. It was during this era in 1979 that control of the company turned over to Ernest Schneider. Schneider, as a former pilot and blossoming watch maker, would lead the company on its continued path towards market dominance.

Popular families of past and present watches include the Navitimer, the Windrider, the Professional, the Aeromarine and the Bentley series. In the Navitimer family there is the Heritage, the Olympus, the Cosmonaute, the Montbrillant and the 50th Anniversary. In the Windrider series there is the Chronomat, the Wings Automatic, the CrossWind, the HeadWind, the Callisto and the Blackbird. For the Professional series there is the Emergency, the Aerospace, the B Series and the Hercules. For the Aeromarine models there is the Chrono Avenger, the Rattrapante, the Sixty-Nine, the M1, the Seawolf, the Superocean and the Colt. Finally in the Bentley series there is the Bentley 6.75, the Bentley GT, the Bentley Chronograph and the Bentlry LeMans.