The Best of Innovation

The brand has been insistent in bettering creations throughout the decades. After releasing a chronograph with a pusher at 2 o’clock in 1915, the Manufacture unveiled another one with two pushers (at 2 and 4 o’clock), a unique attempt for the time, in 1933. Take the Navitimer for instance, which ventured into the space in 1962. A 1,000-piece limited edition version in an allblack series called Navitimer Cosmonaute ‘Blacksteel’ was released in 2013. Girardin explains, “Not only is the black steel case, created using a highly resistant carbon-based coating, aesthetically appealing but it also provides an extremely tough and wear-resistant covering to the case.”

Breitling beat its own record when it unveiled Breitling Emergency, the world’s first wristwatch with a built-in emergency micro transmitter, in 1995. The watch is designed for constant wear and operates on the 121.5 MHz international air distress frequency, and enables accurate location of pilots or passengers following a plane crash.