Navitimer

The Navitimer combines two instruments: a chronograph for measuring elapsed time and a circular slide rule for calculations. Its crowded face makes more sense once both jobs are understood. The stopwatch uses hands and counters; the calculating scales work by moving one numbered ring against another.

Breitling traces the project to a 1952 request from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Its historical collection documents early watches from 1954. The first AOPA versions were made for the association's members; Breitling's own name appeared on versions offered to the public afterward.

The slide rule adapted an idea from Breitling's earlier Chronomat to aviation calculations. Speed, distance and fuel use could be related without a separate electronic calculator. The small beads around the bezel gave the rotating scale an edge to grip.

Movements and dial arrangements changed across the family. Early watches used hand-wound mechanisms, while later automatic Navitimers added self-winding. Modern versions also vary in size and the amount of information displayed.

The 2019 Ref. 806 Re-Edition deliberately returned to a 1959 layout, including its domed acrylic cover and black counters. Its new B09 movement remained hand-wound. The old arrangement was preserved closely enough that a modern owner could still use the scales for their original kind of calculation.