Many manufacturers sell their watches as "aviator's," but let's agree that only a small fraction of them would attract the attention of a flight crew for navigational purposes. In most cases, they are pilot-inspired more from a design standpoint rather than a functional one. Unlike them, however, the Breitling Navitimer is a true "aviator's" watch.

Breitling has a long and successful history of relations with the aviation industry (both military and civilian). When Breitling started their business, their main goal was to create precision measuring instruments for scientific and industrial needs. It was only a matter of time before these specialized knowledge and the company's achievements led to the point where representatives of the aviation community approached them with a proposal for joint cooperation. The official "connection" between aviation and Breitling was formalized when, in 1936, the British Royal Air Force equipped their crews with Breitling watches.

Following years of collaboration, which undoubtedly reached its peak with the creation of the icon "Breitling Navitimer" in 1952. Its design and functionality have changed very little over these more than 60 years. This chronograph can be used to calculate speed, fuel consumption, descent rate, as well as convert standard miles to nautical miles, among many other things - all with the help of the "slide rule" located on the inner edge of the bezel.

The current Navitimer models include the original Navitimer, Navitimer World, Montbrillant, Montbrillant Olympus, Montbrillant Datora, and Chrono-Matic.

The Chrono-Matic is one of the brand's cult models overall - this is the model in which the brand decided for the first time to integrate the iconic for the watchmaking industry Caliber 11 - developed jointly with Heuer (for their Monaco model), Hamilton, and Dubois Deprez, which was first introduced in 1969. This mechanism is considered the first automatic chronograph ever, and thanks to this fact, the models associated with it are highly sought after and valued by collectors. The construction of the mechanism makes it impossible to place the crown on the right side of the case, and for this reason, it is placed on the left - this positioning of the crown and pushers becomes a trademark for the Chrono-Matic. At the time of the model's launch, the Navitimer plays the role of the flagship series, and for this reason, the model becomes part of it.

37 years later, in 2006, Breitling released a tribute to this iconic model, paying homage to their icon, and the result is impressive. The watch largely repeats its ancestor both in the shape of the case, the placement of the crown and pushers, as well as in the design - the subdials are again at "9 o'clock" and "3 o'clock" as with the original (both are surrounded by slightly tinted squares - again a tribute to the original), the date is at "6 o'clock," and at "12 o'clock" is the handwritten "B," which was the brand's logo at that time. All this is surrounded by the tachymetric scale, which rotates with the bezel, and it, in turn, mimics the original, giving the overall feel very balanced, measured, and finished.

The case is in the very comfortable and modern 44 mm and 13.6 mm height, which makes it very comfortable and convenient, and the fact that the crown is on the left side of the case makes the watch very convenient for use by those fans of the brand who are used to wearing watches on their right wrist. As you know, this is a rarity among Breitling models and another characteristic that makes the model rare and sought after. The other feature of the model offered today is that it has a classic black Navitimer dial (which has the reputation of being one of the most comfortable bracelets overall) - which is rare, and specimens in this combination are found more difficult, and the other advantage is that it allows all sorts of combinations of color solutions for the used straps.

The caseback is solid and shaped in the characteristic for the other cult series of Breitling - Heritage style, so-called retro vision. Under the cover "beats" Breitling Caliber 41 LC - ETA 2892 modified for left crown, COSC-certified chronometer with 38 jewels, operating at 28,800 vibrations and with a power reserve of 42 hours.