Monday, April 15, 2024

BREITLING – NAVITIMER B12 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute Edition

 

BREITLINGNAVITIMER B12 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute Limited Edition 140th Anniversary 2024

 140 Years of Firsts: Navitimer 41 and Cosmonaute B12

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Breitling honors its aviation and space icons with an array of releases: the Navitimer GMT and Automatic 41, and a limited-edition self-winding Cosmonaute. Sports superstars Erling Haaland and Giannis Antetokounmpo headline the Navitimer campaign as Breitling celebrates its 140th anniversary.

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As Breitling turns 140, it’s marking the occasion with stories of its many incredible firsts, from breakthroughs in timekeeping for air, land, and sea, to milestones in sustainability. This month, the brand recognizes two of its icons. The Navitimer, the first wristwatch for pilots to combine a chronograph and a computational slide rule. And the Cosmonaute, a 24-hour take on the Navitimer that became the first Swiss wristwatch in space. 

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Breitling has just unveiled new versions of these lines: the Navitimer GMT and Automatic 41, along with a new self-winding Cosmonaute.

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“All this year, we’ll be talking about our 140 Years of Firsts,” says Georges Kern, CEO of Breitling. “And when it comes to these two watches—the Navitimer and Cosmonaute — you cannot overstate the significance they’ve had for our brand, for aviation, and for watchmaking as a whole.”

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 GROUNDED ELEGANCE:
THE SELF-WINDING COSMONAUTE B12

In 1962, Mercury Seven astronaut Scott Carpenter approached Breitling with a unique request: to modify the Navitimer’s design for space exploration. 

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Admiring its computational prowess, Carpenter asked for a 24-hour dial to distinguish day from night in orbit. Breitling met the challenge, and the customized Navitimer, later dubbed the Cosmonaute, accompanied Carpenter on his May 24, 1962, mission to become the first Swiss wristwatch in space.

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To mark Breitling’s 140th anniversary, it is releasing a limited edition of the 24-hour timepiece. This time, however, the main modification isn’t for zero-g but for everyday life: a self-winding chronograph movement, the Breitling manufacture caliber B12.

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The new release is limited to 250 pieces and only available through Breitling’s online and in-store boutiques. It features an 18 k red-gold case, beautifully complemented by its deep green dial, golden numerals, and black alligator leather strap.

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Flip the watch to see the open caseback view of the contrasting oscillating weight capping the B12 movement. The manufacture caliber provides approximately 70 hours of power and comes with a 5-year warranty. A caseback engraving states the “One of 250” limitation and reveals the watch’s incredible story: “First Swiss Wristwatch in Space/Navitimer Cosmonaute May 24,1962.

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Inspired by astronauts, adapted for life on Earth, the new Cosmonaute limited edition merges storied heritage with modern ease of wear.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

 Model : BREITLING NAVITIMER  B12 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute Edition

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 Reference: RB12302A1L1P1   - Green


MOVEMENT
Caliber:    Breitling Manufacture Caliber B12
Diameter:    30.4 millimeters
Depth:    7.33 millimeters
Winder:    self-winding mechanical, bidirectional with ball bearing
Power reserve:    approx. 70 hours
Number of components: 332
Balance frequency:    28,800 a/h or 4 hertz

Chronograph:    column-wheel, vertical clutch, 1/4th second, 30-minute and 12-hour totalizers
Display:    hour, minute, second, date window
Certification:    COSC-certified
CASE
Material:    18 k red gold
Diameter:    41
millimeters
Thickness:    13.6
millimeters
Height (upper lug tip to lower lug tip):  
  47.09 millimeters
Water resistance:    up to 3 bar (30 meters)
Glass:    cambered sapphire, glareproofed on both sides
Caseback:    screwed 18 k red gold, sapphire crystal
Crown:    non-screw-locked, two gaskets
Bezel:    bidirectional with circular slide rule
DIAL/HANDS
Green with contrasting chronograph counters
Super-LumiNova® luminescent hour and minute hand
STRAP
Black alligator leather strap with an 18 k red-gold folding buckle


 🔰Limited edition of 250 pieces

🔴 #BREITLING 🔴 #NAVITIMER🔴 #BREITLINGcosmonaute
🔴 #BREITLINGNavitimer   🔴 #BREITLINGchronograph 


Year: 2024
PRICE -Excl. Sales Tax  USD 22,000.00

 Warranty Duration (Years): 5
+3 years Mechanical Manufacture Breitling Movements 


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Press Release - 2024
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Press contact ROMY HEBDEN 
Head of Public Relations
E-mail: romy.hebden@breitling.com
BREITLING SA
Schlachthausstrasse 2
2540 Grenchen
Switzerland
Telephone: +41 32 654 54 54
Mobile: +41 79 731 90 28
E-mail: media@breitling.com

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Friday, April 12, 2024

Jaeger-LeCoultre – DUOMETRE Chronograph Moon Gold / Platinum


Jaeger-LeCoultreDUOMETRE Chronograph Moon Gold / Platinume 42.5 mm Opaline Dial - 2024

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 JAEGER-LECOULTRE PRESENTS THE DUOMETRE CHRONOGRAPH MOON

Key Facts: 

  • The new Calibre 391 unites a highly complex chronograph with a moon phase display
  • The patented Duometre mechanism ensures remarkable precision
  • A new case and dials express contemporary elegance in distinctive style
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In 2007 Jaeger-LeCoultre launched the ground-breaking Duometre mechanism in the form of a chronograph – the complication that epitomises the concept of precision. In 2024, the Maison applies the Duometre concept in an entirely new timepiece, marrying the high precision of a chronograph with the charm of a celestial complication. 

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Powered by the new Calibre 391, the Duometre Chronograph Moon presents an intriguing contrast between the lightning-fast operation of the chronograph – which can time intervals as small as 1/6th of a second – and the slow rhythm of the moon as it passes through its cycle in 29.53 days, complemented by a Night and Day display.

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At Watches and Wonders 2024, Jaeger-LeCoultre presents the Duometre Chronograph Moon in two variations: a platinum case contrasting with a copper-coloured dial, and a pink gold case offset by the discreet elegance of a silver dial. Both models are enhanced by a hand-stitched alligator strap with small-scale alligator lining.

Solving the Conundrum of Complications

The fundamental problem of complex mechanical watches is that, for any complication to operate, it naturally draws on some of the power provided by the barrel. This disrupts the perfectly regular and constant supply that is required by the meticulously adjusted escapement to fulfil its timekeeping function as precisely as possible.

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The search for a solution to this problem at Jaeger-LeCoultre during the early 2000s eventually led to the invention of the Duometre mechanism. Introduced in 2007 and patented by Jaeger-LeCoultre, it features two separate barrels and two independent gear trains – one to drive the escapement (for timekeeping) and one to power the complications – both integrated into a single calibre and linked to a single escapement. For the first time, it was possible to guarantee that the movement’s isochronism (the regularity of its ‘heartbeat’) is not compromised by the operation of any complication.

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While the Duometre is revolutionary in modern watchmaking, the underlying principle had, in fact, been explored by the Manufacture more than 120 years earlier; the LeCoultre Calibre 19/20RMSMI was equipped with two barrels and fitted into a pocket watch in 1881. Because that calibre had only one gear train, it did not solve the fundamental problem; nevertheless, it provided a theoretical ‘trigger’ for the Duometre concept.

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Jaeger-LeCoultre’s engineers and watchmakers chose the chronograph for the first application of the Duometre concept in 2007 as it represented the greatest challenge to accurate timekeeping posed by any complication because its operation requires short bursts of very high power. Since then, the Duometre mechanism has been associated with several other complications, including moon phases, travel time and a tourbillon.

An Entirely New Calibre

For Calibre 391, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s engineers started from the ground up to develop a fully integrated movement that combines a manually wound mono-pusher chronograph with moon phase and night-day complications, as well as two power reserve indicators and a seconde foudroyante (flying second) display.

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When the chronograph mechanism is activated, the
foudroyante hand begins its whirling dance, making a complete rotation in one second, during which it beats six times – stopping instantaneously when the chronograph timer is stopped and thus providing a reading accurate to 1/6th of a second.

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On the dial side of the Duometre Chronograph Moon, two open-worked sections offer intriguing glimpses of the mechanism, hinting at the mechanical beauty of the calibre. On the reverse side, fully revealed beneath the transparent crystal case-back, much of the movement is open-worked and an array of bridges seems almost to be floating above the levers and wheels, drawing the eye deep into the mechanism. Creating visual unity across the entire expanse of the movement, the bridges are decorated with sunrayed Geneva stripes. It’s a challenging technique that demands absolute precision because the components must be decorated one-by-one, and yet radiate from the centre of the regulating organ to the edge of the calibre in perfect alignment once the movement is assembled.

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The open-working of Calibre 391 serves two purposes: not only does it greatly enhance the aesthetics, it also serves a technical purpose, enabling the watchmakers to more easily assemble some parts of this highly complex calibre. This is a fine example of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s philosophy of marrying mechanics and aesthetics in such a way that each serves the other. Being a manually wound calibre, there is no winding rotor to conceal the chronograph levers.

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Traditional Haute Horlogerie finishes abound: crisply bevelled and polished angles define the edges of the bridges; brushed surfaces contrasts with polished metal; perlage on the main plate reflects light back up through the mechanism; and blue screws provide a pleasing contrast to the silvery tones of the metal.

A Fascinating Display and Refined Details

The dial is both elegant and intuitive to read, featuring the distinctive three-counter layout and long, thin hands that make the Duometre so recognisable. 

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Echoing the aesthetic of traditional sector dials, the main dial surface and the centre of each sub-dial has the fine, almost powdery texture achieved by the opaline finish; in contrast, the broad ring encircling each sub-dial is decorated with azuré (ultra-fine engraving in perfectly regular, concentric circles). Adding to the visual appeal, the sub-dials are slightly sunken below the main surface, while the edge of the dial is subtly curved, closely following the contours of the glass box crystal.

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Enhancing the symmetry of the layout, the moon phase display is integrated into the chronograph hours and minutes sub-dial, which is set at 3 o’clock. Its blue background is visually balanced by that of the Night and Day display, which is integrated into the time sub-dial at 9 o’clock. Elapsed time is displayed up to 12 hours, 60 minutes and 60 seconds, accurate to 1/6th of a second and a tachymeter scale marked around the periphery of the dial enables the wearer to measure speed based on the time taken to travel a fixed distance, or to calculate distance based on speed.

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The seconde foudroyante is displayed in a sub-dial at 6 o’clock, flanked by the two open-worked areas that reveal parts of the mechanism. The two power reserves (50 hours for each barrel and gear train) are displayed on an arc-shaped bridge on each side of the sub-dial. Both barrels are wound by a single crown – forwards for the barrel that provides power for the timekeeping function and backwards for the second barrel, which provides power for the complications.

A New Duometre Case: Contemporary Elegance Inspired by Tradition

Marking the launch of three new Duometre models in 2024, Jaeger-LeCoultre has designed an entirely new case for the collection. A contemporary interpretation of the savonette pocket watches created by the Maison in the 19th-century, its rounded contours are highly tactile as well as visually appealing. 

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(The French word savonette literally means a small disc of soap with rounded contours that can be cradled in the palm of a hand.) With its convex crystal and gracefully rounded bezel, the new Duometre case expresses this literal definition very well. The crown, too, has been redesigned, with deep and rounded notches that make it a joy to handle. Indeed, the highly polished edges of the lugs are the only sharp lines to be found.

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A comfortable 42.5 mm in diameter, the case is a complex structure of 34 separate parts and the lugs are screwed rather than integrated to enable the use of multiple finishing techniques. A mixture of polished, brushed and micro-blasted surfaces creates a fascinating play of light with every movement of the wrist.

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With an entirely new calibre, dial and case, the Duometre Chronograph Moon is an eloquent expression of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s relentlessly creative spirit. It embodies the Maison’s philosophy of combining beauty with technical sophistication, and a deep respect for the traditions of Haute Horlogerie with constant innovation – always with precision at the heart of the matter.
 
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TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Model:  DUOMETRE Chronograph Moon 

  •  Reference: Pink Gold: Q622252J – Silvered grey, Opaline
  • Reference: Platinum: Q622656J – Copper, Opaline
Case
Pink Gold 750/1000 (18 carats) or 950 platinum
Dimensions: 42.5 mm diameter x 14.2 mm thick 
Case-back: Open
Water resistance: 5 bar
Movement
Calibre: Manually wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 391
Functions:
Hours, minutes, seconds; Chronograph with 12-hour counter, 60-minute counter, 
1/6th-second counter and central chronograph seconds; Moon phases, 
Night & Day, two Power Reserve indicators
Power Reserve: 50hours for each barrel
Front dial: Silver opaline (in pink gold case); Copper-coloured opaline (in platinum case)
Strap
Alligator with small scale alligator lining

🔴 Price Reference: Pink Gold: Q622252J $ 70,100 /   77.500 / Platinum: Q622656J $ 86,800 /  95.500💰

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Press releases - 2024
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