Gaaf!
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Das ook smullen! Mooie foto ook.
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Mooi hoor…en gelijk heb je!
Heel erg mooi…zeker als de zon er op schijnt.
Geschreven door Fred, beantwoord misschien ook wat vragen ?
I have been working with Georges Kern since he took over as Breitling CEO (actually a bit longer than that); with Rene JK we worked on documenting the brand's glorious past, analyzed those rich back catalogs, discussed the potential for future re-editions (lovely watches coming up, but re-editions need to be perfect, so this will take some patience, please stay tuned!) - finally a Breitling CEO as passionate about Breitling heritage as we, the most passionate of collectors.
So I knew quite a bit about the upcoming product announcements, but could, of course, not comment about the theories and thoughts raised here and on other forums.
Before I share pictures of that launch event; I'd like to address some of the fears & criticism I've read on forums and many watch blogs - I'll probably not cover all questions, so feel free to comment & ask, I may either know the answer or ask Georges and the Breitling Team.
The Navitimer 8 will NOT replace the current, iconic sliderule Navitimer!
Just the opposite is true - we will soon see beautiful new variations of that most iconic of all Breitlings - the Navitimer 8 & the classic Navitimer will both be part of the core model range.
The "Breitling EIGHT (or HUIT in French) Aviation Division" provided design & naming inspiration for the Navitimer 8
When Willy Breitling took over the company management in 1932 he saw huge potential in the Aviation market - and in 1934 he established a new division, specializing in aircraft cockpit instruments & Pilot's wristwatches. In May 1937 Breitling applied for patent CH196710 for their Aircraft Cockpit Chronograph with 8-day power reserve that Willy chose as a name element for the division, but the pilot's wrist watches and wrist chronographs had the same 40-hour power reserve we see on wristwatches of the period.
1939 Breitling HUIT catalog page
If you look at the bezels & dials of both the cockpit instruments and pilot's watches of the 1946 Breitling 8 catalog below, the design inspiration for the Navitimer 8 range should be quite clearly visible - the rotating pointer bezels for the wrist watches were an important navigation & orientation tool for pilots of the period, we see those in use well into the later 1950s when Breitling had already moved to different designs, just have a look at the Breguet TypeXX, Vixa or Auricoste Type 20 ;)
from the 1946 Breitling HUIT catalog
Cockpit chronograph ref. 640 & David's @davedcwatches superb "Pilot Wristwatch with Turning Bezel" ref. 768
"Navitimers MUST have a sliderule bezel" - Willy Breitling did not think so!
Many of us have learned to associate the Navitimer branding with that unique sliderule we love so much and use so rarely, but in 1956, very soon after the launch of the Navitimer 806, Breitling launched the ref. 66 - an elegant 3-hand "Navitimer".
Wayne's @geebeeflyer65 Navitimer ref. 66
So - it might feel unusual to us, but historically the non-sliderule Navtimer is clearly "correct" - and you can't blame Breitling for leveraging their best known branding (although the purist in you doesn't have to be totally happy with it) ?
No, a Navitimer doesn't "have to have" a wings logo.
When the Navitimer was launched in 1954 it was intended as a special edition for AOPA, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association only - it not only lacked a model reference, but also had no Breitling branding on the dial, "just" the AOPA wings - and it was marketed through that organization only.
As the model apparently proved to be successful above the most optimist projections, Breitling added the model reference 806 in 1955 and started to market the Navitimer through their regular sales channels too - but seemed unsure how to add their branding to the dial.
We see the (mega rare) applied "B" version , AOPA wings without the AOPA shield, cursive printed "B" and capitals, wings & capitals, endless variations; as late as 1964 we see catalogs with the new reverse panda Navitimer, a cursive B logo ... and no wings. Some (by far not all) variations below, if you want an in-depth look at the variations, please refer to the Kurt Broendum Navitimer article, still by far the best resource available.
Navitimer logo variations from 1954 to 1964
and here some first wristshots from Shanghai, late night & bad lighting ... see if you can find some historic DNA ?
Glorious past
Heritage was taking center stage - I had the pleasure to curate three exhibitions, 56 vintage watches each for the three Spring Roadshow gala events (Zurich and New York will follow during the next weeks) covering the period from 1915 to 1975; some event impressions below ...
Graham Hill wearing his Navitimer 806 - and a 1945 Premier ref. 777
Raquel Welch with the Co-Pilot AVI 765; Scott Carpenter and the First Swiss Wristwatch in Space, the 1962 Cosmonaute
having a drink with the "James Bond Thunderball" TopTime 2002
Georges Kern welcoming "some of the world's finest actors", Stephen Fung, Yang Shuo and Ji-Sung - I did not know them, I admit, but the audience sure did!.
Exhibition catalog & Breitling History
#gloriouspast
some rarely seen watches on display in Shanghai, the 1962 Wide Bezel Cosmonaute, the First Swiss Wristwatch in Space
Breitling 8 Aviation: Cockpit Chronograph, Pilot's Wristwatch & Pocket Chronograph
single & dual pusher chronographs from the 1930s & the first Premier from 1939
ref. 747 Clamshell, a ref. 178 & a Premier 765
Chronomat 769 and a very rare ref. 786
Copilots - Rene's @rene_jk wonderful Lucy Mk1.4, a Mk2 "Raquel Welch" and a Mk1.3 Lucy Digital
#legendaryfuture - the new Navitimer 8 Chronographs & Automatic
If you've stayed with me until the end of that very long post, thank you!
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Wat onwijs gaaf dat je zo intensief mee hebt mogen werken om de nieuwe richting ban breitling vorm te geven.
Om de pols lijkt het me toch een hele mooie lijn (vooral de chrono).
welke prijs is tegenwoordig acceptabel voor een titaan emergency (de eerste).
Full set en wat gebruikssporen.
Wat een goed verhaal en wat slim van Breitling om die-hards op deze manier te betrekken. Well done!
Ha René,
Allereerst leuke post zeg!
En in alle eerlijkheid heb je nog de mooiste Breilting van het hele stel. Die Co-Pilots zijn toch wel het summum.
De naam van de nieuwe serie heeft dus een zekere legacy. Zullen de meesten niet zo hebben geweten, wordt dit in de campagne nog verder uitgedragen?
Want dat zou toch bijdragen aan de aantrekkingskracht van de lijn.
Ik ben erg benieuwd naar de re-issues, die ref 810 zou helemaal top zijn. Dus geen Ltd hoop ik, maar gewoon blijvend onderdeel van de collectie (net als de SOH). Want het zal vast flink sparen worden.
Zou er nog een boek uitkomen over de historie met alle modellen?
Veel succes met de branding going forward.
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Oef!
De omega is mooi, maar dit blijft toch een klapper!
Het is dat @Bas.o zijn verkoop topic had ingetrokken. Anders had er een Breitling om de pols gezeten haha.
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