Breitling Navitimer

Breitling first started manufacturing chronographs as early as the 1930s. Perhaps the most iconic of these is the Breitling Navitimer, ref. 806. First and foremost a pilot's watch, designed for pilots and with pilots' needs in mind, it remains near the top of virtually every vintage watch collector's wish list. In classic "form follows function" style, the Navitimer was designed to be a tool watch, with a slide-rule navigation computer operated by an internally-rotatable bezel. Breitling first used this feature on the Chronomat, which debuted in the early 50s. Though the Chronomat was the first watch Breitling released with a slide rule, it was preceded by a watch designed by Mimo: the Loga. However, the Loga only ran for a short time and did not enjoy the success of the Chronomat, which in turn inspired Breitling to develop yet another watch with this feature. This would of course be the Navitimer, which would go on to inspire countless imitations and set the standard for pilot's wat