Breitling

About Breitling

Breitling specialised in chronographs from the start and did the fundamental work on how they are operated: the separate start-stop pusher in 1915, and the second pusher for an independent reset in 1934 — the layout nearly every chronograph still uses. The 1952 Navitimer added a circular slide rule for flight calculations and became the official watch of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

Signature models

The references that define the house — and the ones you are most likely to meet.

• Navitimer
• Chronomat
• Superocean Heritage
• Avenger
• Premier
• Emergency

What to look for

Details worth checking before you trust a dial. None of them certify authenticity on their own.

• A Navitimer's rotating slide-rule bezel should turn with light friction and align exactly with the printed outer scale
• Beaded or 'rouleaux' bezel grip on Chronomats, and a proper screw-down crown on Superocean models
• The winged 'B' logo, and on modern pieces a COSC chronometer marking on the dial
• Caliber 01 in-house chronographs have a column-wheel action — the pusher should feel crisp, not spongy

Facts

• The Emergency contains a genuine distress beacon; it has been used to rescue downed pilots.
• Breitling co-developed the Calibre 11 in 1969, one of the first automatic chronograph movements, alongside Heuer, Hamilton-Büren and Dubois Dépraz.