Breitling’s Newest Navitimer is the Most Advanced Ever

Jeremy Freed March 4, 2025

Constant improvement is the cornerstone of every successful business, and this is especially true of watchmakers. If you were looking for a case study of this principle in action, you won’t do much better than the new Breitling Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual Calendar, a classic pilot’s watch that combines a 43mm stainless steel case with one of the most sophisticated complications in watchmaking. Breitling has a well-earned reputation as a maker of some of the world’s favourite pilot’s watches, and the Navitimer has been a pillar of its collection for decades. This week, however, Breitling brings its most complicated version into full production for the first time.

“It takes a lot for us to use the word icon, but the Navitimer has earned it.”

Breitling CEO Georges Kern

The Navitimer, a chronograph pilot’s watch with a distinctively notched slide rule bezel, was designed in 1952 for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). In addition to earning renown as the first wristwatch flight computer (in the pre-digital era, a slide rule was an essential piece of navigational equipment) it also earned a following among celebrities and tastemakers from Miles Davis and Serge Gainsbourg to Jerry Seinfeld and Brad Pitt. The new Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual Calendar is a faithful example of the family, complete with its slide rule, “mushroom” shaped pushers, and a meaty winding crown. Thanks to a perpetual calendar moon phase movement that’s promised to be accurate for 100 years, an “ice blue” dial, and a platinum bezel, however, this is among the rarefied timepieces ever to wear the Navitimer name.

*Breitling Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual Calendar.*

“It takes a lot for us to use the word icon, but the Navitimer has earned it,” says Breitling CEO Georges Kern, who has overseen a renaissance at Breitling since joining the brand in 2017. “Combined with the perpetual calendar chronograph movement, the B19 is a tour de force, never missing a beat for a full century. It’s a watch that will keep time for generations.”

Devoted Breitling fans will recognize the new Breitling Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual Calendar as the follow-up to a trio of Breitling perpetual calendars revealed last summer to mark the watchmaker’s 140th anniversary. Consisting of a Premier, Navitimer, and Chronomat, each rendered in 18k red gold and limited to 140 pieces, the trio was powered by the new caliber B19, Breitling’s first in-house perpetual calendar movement. Creating a perpetual calendar chronograph movement with a moon phase is a big deal for any watch brand due to the sheer complexity of the task. Creating one with a 96-hour power reserve and chronometer certification from COSC, however, puts Breitling in the very highest echelon of Swiss watchmakers.