Breitling Navitimer

The Breitling Reference 806 Navitimer is easily the most iconic model the brand ever produced, and remains near the top of virtually every vintage watch collector's wish list.  Initially developed in the early 1950s, the Navitimer was designed from the ground up to be a function-first tool watch, offering a slide-rule navigation computer function operated by an internally-rotatable bezel.  This incredible feature allows pilots to perform essential calculations on their wrist, long before mobile electronics were available.  While the true functionality of the Navitimer is lost on most of us, there is no question that serious  pilots (and astronauts) depended on their Navitimers as serious navigation tool.  It has been said that the 806 spawned an entirely new category of timepieces - wrist instruments - and it would be hard to deny that. While they were produced in large quantities since the early 1950s, the vast majority of 806s on the market today are in a sad state of affairs.