A Bomber Drops at Basel: Breitling’s WWII-Inspired Navitimer Super 8 (Updated With Live Photos)
As most of us now know, Breitling’s release of its streamlined, vintage-influenced, and arguably more elegant Navitimer 8 collection earlier this year represented a new direction for the Swiss brand. But for all of those Breitling purists who may have fretted that Breitling was backing off from the big, hyper-masculine aviation timepieces that made its modern reputation (despite Breitling CEO Georges Kern’s assurances to the contrary), the release of the new Navitimer Super 8 at Baselworld 2018 this week should set their minds at ease ? and, perhaps, set their hearts racing.
The Breitling Navitimer Super 8 in titanium case with military green dial
The watch takes its historical design cues from Breitling’s Reference 637, a stopwatch produced in the 1930s and 1940s that bomber pilots and their crews would strap to their thighs during missions during World War II ? a placement that ensured optimal readability. Reference 637 (pictured below) featured a large, left-handed crown that was big enough for a gloved hand to operate ? while the timepiece was strapped to the aviator’s leg, the crown was ideally accessible at the “top” of the case ? and a pusher that activated the count-up and count-down functions used to execute their wartime missions. Like the watches that inspired the new Navitimer 8 models, Reference 637 was a product of Breitling’s Huit Aviation Department (more on which here), which was established in 1938 by company found...
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