The Navitimer has been the quintessential Breitling watch going on seven decades. Indeed, a cult model among pilots and aviation devotees since 1952, the Navitimer has been flying high as the face of the independent Manufacture largely unchanged for over sixty years…until now.
Adding another model to its growing collection of all-black, stealth watches, Breitling has clothed its signature timepiece entirely in black and has renamed it the Navitimer 46 Blacksteel. From its satin-brushed steel case coated with an ultra-resistant carbon-based treatment to the famous circular slide rule designed to handle all operations relating to airborne navigation, the Navitimer 46 Blacksteel is a Navitimer refitted for new stealth missions.
Indeed, one of the larger Navitimer models, the Navitimer 46 is water-resistant to 3 bars, and not only gets an aesthetic makeover but gets a plethora of added features as well. First off, the previously silvered three-counter layout of the classic 1952 original has given way to two counters in a monochromatic tone-on-tone color scheme. The small seconds now sits at 9 o’clock while the chronograph 30-minute totalizer finds its home at 3 o’clock. And then there’s the dial itself: made to look like it was cobbled directly from an actual cockpit instrument panel, the dial was created using the “par épargne” technique on a sterling silver base. It is enhanced by red accents punctuated by small counter pointers and is dominated by a large red central sweep-seconds hand.
Propelling this new all-black model is the Manufacture Breitling Calibre 01 high-performance movement, which, drives a 1/4th of a second chronograph; and like all Breitling calibres has been chronometer-certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute or COSC. This self-winding movement oscillates at 28,800 vibrations per hour, is endowed with over 70-hours worth of autonomy, and is enhanced by a black oscillating weight which can be seen through the transparent caseback.
The Final element that sets the Navitimer 46 Blacksteel apart from its predecessors is an all-new black rubber strap which bears an aircraft tire-tread pattern. Best of all, this strap will now be an option on all Breitling Navitimer models.
Another case of evolution rather than revolution, the legend lives on as the new Breitling Navitimer 46 Blacksteel, which carries over all the elements that made the original Navitimer such a cult favorite in the first place, but now enjoys an added stealthy element of being all-black.
