THE NEW BREITLING NAVITIMER 8

Our first glimpse into the “new” Breitling is the Navitimer 8 collection, launched with much fanfare this year.

Georges Kern, the new CEO at Breitling has really stamped his ethos onto the new range, with this the first of the “all-new” Breitling

We had the chance to get our hands on the collection this week, with 6 models now in store

The inspiration for the name, and the watches, of the Navitimer 8 line, was the instrument clocks , aboard many of the world’s aircraft, of the 1930s and ’40s, which were called “Breitling 8” for their eight-day movements.

Contrary to common belief, the Navitimer name was used on more watches than just the ,very well known, slide rule chronograph and going forward, all Breitling pilot’s watches will fall under the Navitimer family.

The new Navitimer 8 represents a departure for Breitling, there’s no slide rule or scale of any kind on the dial, the rotating bezel is very minimalist, with a subtle arrow that can be set opposite the minute hand to track elapsed time.

There’s more space on the dial and the Breitling logo has been simplified. Gone is the winged “B” we’re used to, and there’s no extraneous text beyond the Breitling name in a sans serif font.

This dial design is true to those Breitling 8 board instruments used in the planes of the 1930s, right down to the font used for the numerals, the triangles and small ticks on the minute track that extend into the dial, and the five-minute numerals between the hour markers and the track.

The coin edge grip of the bezel is reminiscent of bezels of the vintage instruments and slopes down and away, giving a more svelte appearance than, say, the squared-off bezel of the standard Navitimer 01.

Pump pushers and a big crown flank the right side of the watch, all sealed up enough to guarantee a healthy 100 meters of water resistance.These watches have a solid engraved caseback and will be offered with a stitched calfskin strap or on steel bracelet. It is a more refined appearance.

Also for the new collection, a Forties reference has been mined for its readily legible display, chemin de fer or “railtrack” minute-markers and elegantly drawn numerals.

There are five models in the range (including a UTC world-time model), readily identifiable by their shared scalloped bi-directional rotating bezel, shorter lugs, faceted hands and clean-cut Arabics.

Our impression on the Navitimer 8 is one of a homage to the Breitling of the 1920s and 30s, when they were the first “proper” aviators watch. This vintage style is something we love and can’t wait to show you.