Breitling introduces two new perpetual-calendar chronographs that represent the Navitimer at its highest expression. The Navitimer B19 duo is inspired by the extreme altitudes the iconic pilot’s chronograph has mastered.

For over 70 years, the Navitimer has taken on many roles, from essential pilots’ tool to cultural icon. This year, Navitimer Stories will bring these chapters to light across aviation, lifestyle, and technical savoir faire, showing why this remarkable timepiece remains as relevant today as ever. Created in 1952 for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the Navitimer united a chronograph with Breitling’s patented circular slide rule, allowing aviators to perform flight calculations directly from their wrist. The quintessential pilots’ watch, it soon proved itself across every altitude—worn by supersonic pilots at the edge of space and by astronauts from the earliest days of human spaceflight.

Now presented in its highest expression of complexity and materials, Breitling introduces the Navitimer B19 as two exceptional timepieces powered by the brand’s manufacture B19 perpetual-calendar chronograph movement. Rendered in steel and platinum or full platinum and finished in altitude inspired colorways, they celebrate the vertical journey of Breitling’s icon.

“At Breitling, we have always pushed limits, not only through our iconic designs, but also by engineering exceptional movements that power our watches.” says Georges Kern, CEO of Breitling. “The Navitimer B19 delivers on both sides.”

A CENTURY IN MOTION: THE CALIBER B19

At the heart of this high-altitude duo is the Breitling Manufacture Caliber B19, first introduced in 2024 to mark the brand’s 140th anniversary. It represents a major technical milestone,combining Breitling’s chronograph exper tise with a true perpetual calendar, one that automatically accounts for leap years and varying month lengths, and will not require a major manual correction for a century. The moonphase adds a final celestial link, reinforcing the Navitimer’s original purpose as an instrument made for the sky.

Technically, the Navitimer B19 has set a new benchmark for Breitling, a feat that earned it a 2025 Temporis Award. It is an automatic perpetual calendar chronograph with a 96-hour power reserve. A one-step correction system via the crown allows all calendar indications to be advanced together, while two discreet dimple-style pushers at 8 and 10 o’clock enable individual adjustments. Winding is handled by a solid 18k red-gold rotor, visible through the sapphire caseback, and the movement is COSC-certified as a chronometer for unwavering precision.

It is, quite simply, the most advanced movement ever housed in a Navitimer and currently the only core-catalog automatic perpetual-calendar chronograph on the market.

ALTITUDE AS COLOR, MATERIAL, AND MOOD

The timepieces translate the Navitimer’s story in the air universe into two powerful, tangible expressions. Each model channels a different altitude. A 75-piece limited edition in full platinum features a deep blue lacquered dial inspired by the stratosphere at high cruising altitudes, where the atmosphere thins, the sky deepens, and the Earth’s curvature becomes visible. The full platinum case is paired with a black outer slide rule and a contrasting white inner scale, drawing the eye toward the dial’s celestial center. It is fitted
with a matching navy-blue alligator strap with a folding clasp.

The second execution, in stainless steel with a platinum bezel, is defined by its anthracite dial, reflecting the stillness and depth of space. It features the same high-contrast slide rule configuration and refined dial architecture and is delivered on a brown alligator strap or seven-row steel bracelet, underscoring its dramatic, cosmic tone.

Both models share a series of refined design signatures. Their dials provide depth and sheen, while raised metal rings around the subdials introduce a new three-dimensional architecture.

The moonphase disc at 12 o’clock draws the eye with its detail, and each case is finished with Breitling’s signature knurled bezel. Each dial becomes a miniature universe: technical, celestial, and instantly recognizable as a Navitimer.

AN ICON, STILL IN FLIGHT

The Navitimer was born from professional demand. With its signature slide rule, it became an essential cockpit tool during the golden age of civil aviation. Over time, its distinctive look moved beyond the flight deck, appearing on the wrists of figures as varied as Miles Davis, Serge Gainsbourg, and Formula 1 legends Graham Hill and Jim Clark, and even into space with astronaut Scott Carpenter, while remaining faithful to its original form.

With this pair of exceptional watches, Breitling unites heritage, high complication, and modern design in a way only the Navitimer can. They are shaped by civil aviation, inspired by the skies above, and engineered to measure time for generations.