Breitling Revamps the Navitimer Collection with 16 New Novelties in Varying Colorways
Today during their “Air Breitling” event, George Kern invited a number of journalists to reveal some novelties. The first of this reveal, is the Breitling Navitimer. The revamp is a cleaner design language, and comes in a slew of new colorways that’ll appeal to the hardcore Breitling enthusiast, or someone just looking for a good looking pilot watch to roam the skies with.
THE BASICS:
Brand: Breitling
Model: Navitimer
Case Material: Stainless Steel
Crystal: Sapphire with Exhibition Caseback
Case Size: 43mm
Water Resistance: 3 Bar
Movement: Breitling Caliber B01
Strap Options: Black or Brown Alligator Strap or Matching Bracelet
THE JUICE:
This isn’t the first time George Kern has revamped the entire Navitimer Collection. If you’ll remember, when he first joined on as Breitling CEO a number of years ago, one of the first watches out of his inaugural year was a Navitimer 8, which was released to both mixed reviews, and high praise. It was shortly followed by the more traditional Navitimer collection in various sizes and colors - However it did stick to the more tradition colorways of black, blue, and white. They later released the Airline Series, with Swiss Air, TWA, and Pan Am - Which was also released to mixed reviews. Then, of course, the fan favorite 1959 Navitimer release - which was widely accepted as one of the more ambitious, but favorable releases.
Today, Breitling has announced an all-new Navitimer release with 16 new models to the collection.
The watches come in varying sizes, from 46mm at the largest, down to a 35mm at the smallest. You’ll also notice that on each dial, the brand has opted for it’s shield and wing logo instead of the “B” it’s been using for the last few years - a nod back to the 50’s when the Navitimer was first released. The configuration remains largely the same, though you’ll notice the sunburst dial pattern instead of the typically matte finish of most Navitimers. Additionally… You’ll notice quite a trend in Colorways.
That’s right, Green is the name of the game this time. The brand now has a whopping five different green Navitimers in their catalogue. With the marketing quickly moving green on everything, Breitling takes notice and includes additions too. Is it overkill? I don’t know. But it’s definitely a lot of Green. We’ve recently seen green entire the mainstream mix with the brand’s new Top Time Classic Car Watches, and those were a collective hit.
Of course, like the rest of the modern Breitling chronograph catalogue, the watch will features the brand’s in-house B01 movement. The mechanical movement beats at 28,800 VpH, features 47 jewels, and has a generous power reserve of 70 Hours.
Additional, both bracelet and strap options will be available with the matching metals corresponding to the case (IE: Red gold, Steel).
Overall, I’m excited about this release. It isn’t exactly a daring or bold new direction, but it’s clean and effective enough to do well for the brand. I’ve appreciated George Kern’s direction for Breitling, and I think making incremental, al-be-it important changes to each collection over time is an important step in creating a staple catalogue to be universally adopted by everyone. The new Navitimer’s are exactly that - Minimally changed for the better.
So, how much is the New Navitimer Collection?
Prices are a little convoluted, so bear with me. The Breitling Navitimer 46 on leather will be $9,200 USD with the bracelet option being $9,600 USD. The Red Gold 46 will run $19,500 USD.
The Breitling Navitimer 43 will run $9,100 USD on leather, with the bracelet option being $9,500 USD. The Red Gold option on bracelet will be $37,500 USD.
The Breitling Navitimer 43 will run $9,100 USD on leather, with the Red Gold option on bracelet will be $18,500 USD.
The Navitimer Automatic 41 will run a modest $4,750 USD
The Navitimer Automatic 34 will run a modest $4,650 USD
Read more about the watches on the brands website here.