Honouring a Space Icon, Breitling Launches the Exclusive Navitimer Cosmonaute

The relationship between aviation and the Breitling Navitimer is deeply rooted in both function and heritage. Introduced in 1952, the Navitimer was designed specifically for pilots. In no time, it became an essential cockpit tool because of its integrated circular slide rule, which allowed aviators to perform crucial flight calculations such as those regarding fuel consumption, airspeed, and distance. Its highly legible dial and chronograph functions made it indispensable during a time when digital instruments were not yet prevalent. 

Breitling's close ties with the aviation world were further cemented when the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) adopted the Navitimer as its official watch. Over the decades, the Navitimer has not only maintained its utility but has also evolved into an enduring symbol of precision, adventure, and aeronautical passion. The latest Navitimer iteration builds upon the model’s storied legacy while honouring America’s pioneering spirit in space exploration. The 50-piece limited-edition Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute Scott Carpenter Centenary (Ref. LB0240211C1P1) novelty has been launched to celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of revered American astronaut Scott Carpenter. 

Born in Boulder, Colorado, on May 1, 1925, Carpenter was the son of research chemist Dr. M. Scott Carpenter and Florence Kelso Noxon Carpenter. He attended the University of Colorado from 1945 to 1949 and received a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering. Then he was commissioned in the U.S. in 1949, was given flight training at Pensacola, Florida and Corpus Christi, Texas, and designated a Naval Aviator in April, 1951. 

On May 24, 1962, he completed America’s second orbital spaceflight during the Mercury-Atlas 7 mission. Naming his spacecraft Aurora 7, he completed three orbits of the Earth, conducting several experiments including photography of the planet. For this mission, Carpenter wore a one-of-a-kind Navitimer, custom-built by Breitling for space. It was a chronograph with a signature slide rule. In fact, prior to his mission, Carpenter wrote to Breitling asking for a custom Navitimer with a few special modifications: a wider bezel for use with gloved hands, a stretch-metal bracelet to fit over his space suit, and, most famously, a 24-hour dial. In orbit, where the sun rises and sets every 90 minutes, this 24-hour display would keep him grounded in time.

The newly launched 2025 timepiece is sized at 41 mm. The case and the bidirectional bezel with a circular slide rule are crafted from platinum. The crown at 3 o’clock is non-screw-locked with two gaskets; there are platinum mushroom pushers at 2 o’clock and 4 o’clock for the chronograph complication. The watch face is in deep blue, featuring a white slide rule. At 12 o’clock, the dial bears the winged logo of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), highlighting the Navitimer’s historic role as the official watch of the world’s largest pilots’ club since its development in 1952. 

The watch features three subdials with a spiral finish for running seconds at 9 o’clock, chronograph minutes at 3 o’clock, and hours, along with a discreet date window at 6 o’clock. Instead of regular hour markers, this model gets a 24-hour display with luminescent hour and minute hands; one can spot a red chronograph seconds hand as well. Powering the watch is a manual winding Breitling Manufacture Caliber B02 offering a 70-hour power reserve. With a column wheel and a vertical clutch, measuring 1/4th second, this movement is COSC-certified. Turning the watch showcases the sapphire open caseback with bridge engravings commemorating Carpenter with the inscriptions 'Carpenter’, his capsule ‘Aurora 7’, ‘3 orbits around the Earth’, and the name of NASA’s first astronaut group, ‘Mercury 7’. Additional caseback engravings read ‘First Swiss wristwatch in space’, ‘One of 50’, and ‘Scott Carpenter Centenary 1925-2025’. The watch is finished on a blue alligator leather strap with an 18 ct white gold folding buckle.