BREITLING – NAVITIMER for AOPA 70th Anniversary

 

BREITLING – NAVITIMER for AOPA 70th Anniversary

 A LEGENDARY TIMEPIECE BORN FROM A PARTNERSHIP

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2022 WILL MARK 70 YEARS SINCE BREITLING CREATED THE NAVITIMER FOR AOPA

In 1952, Willy Breitling developed a wrist-worn instrument that would allow pilots to perform all necessary flight calculations. Two years later, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) selected his design as its official timepiece. Their partnership led to the creation of one of the most recognizable watches of all time – the Navitimer – whose original iteration proudly bore the AOPA logo at 12 o’clock. Today they jointly announced a new scholarship for young pilots, the first of several upcoming collaborations to mark the watch’s 70th anniversary. 

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“Back then neither Breitling nor the AOPA could have imagined the significance of this partnership and its mark on the world,” said Breitling CEO Georges Kern. “But it has resulted in a watch that is so much bigger than a watch. It’s an icon.”

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Today the organizations announced the Breitling Aviation Scholarship, which will cover the costs for a young person in the US to complete a full pilot’s training course. The deadline to apply is February 11, 2022.

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The relationship between Breitling and the AOPA started nearly 70 years ago, when Willy Breitling developed a new chronograph concept for the association’s members. At the time, the AOPA was (and remains) the largest pilots’ club in the world, counting nearly every US aviator among its ranks.

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His design was an innovative wrist-worn instrument that would enable pilots to perform such forward-thinking flight calculations as average speed, distance traveled, fuel consumption, and rate of climb. 

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This early answer to the onboard computer was achieved by incorporating Breitling’s patented circular slide rule onto the watch’s rotating bezel. The name “Navitimer” was cleverly derived from a combination of navigation and timer. When it launched to AOPA members in 1954, the watch was an instant success. 

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This very first Navitimer, “completely designed and engineered to AOPA specifications,” did not include Breitling’s name or logo anywhere on the dial. Instead, it was the AOPA logo that featured prominently at 12 o’clock.   

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Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the Navitimer would continue to be the watch of choice for military and civilian pilots. Astronaut Scott Carpenter would even wear a specially modified Navitimer in space in 1962. 

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And it wasn’t just aviators drawn to the Navitimer’s uncompromising style and functionality. When the watch, featuring an unsigned version of the AOPA logo, hit the open market in 1955, it found fans among celebrities of the day, including Miles Davis, Serge Gainsbourg and Formula 1 champions Jim Clark and Graham Hill. 

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Today, some of the watch’s most sought-after collectors’ pieces are the vintage iterations and limited-edition tributes that showcase the association’s logo. The onetime “official watch of the AOPA” has become a cultural phenomenon, and those origins will continue to have a strong influence on the future of the Navitimer. 

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“We have quite a shared history with Breitling, going back to our original partnership on the original Navitimer in the 1950s,” said Mark Baker, president of AOPA. “I’m thrilled to keep this important and strong relationship going, setting the stage for more exciting projects together. We greatly appreciate Breitling’s commitment to AOPA and general aviation.”

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Breitling and the pilots’ association have remained close allies throughout the decades, partnering at aviation events and on programs to help aspiring pilots enter the field. The Breitling Aviation Scholarship is the first of several planned collaborations to mark the watch’s 70th anniversary in 2022.

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With that date fast approaching, stay tuned for major news on how these two historic organizations will come together once again to celebrate their shared legacy in the iconic pilots’ watch.

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ABOUT AOPA
Since 1939, AOPA has protected the freedom to fly by creating an environment that gives people
of all ages the opportunity to enjoy aviation and all it has to offer. AOPA is the world's largest
community of pilots, aircraft owners and aviation enthusiasts with representatives based in
Frederick, Md., Washington, D.C., and seven regions across the United States. The association
provides member services including advocacy at the federal, state and local levels, legal
services, flight training, and safety programs, and award-winning media. AOPA specializes in
making aviation more accessible to everyone. To learn more, visit www.aopa.org.

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Press Release - 2021
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AOPA
ERIC BLINDERMAN
Senior Director of Communications
AOPA
421 Aviation Way
Frederick, MD 21701
United States of America

Telephone: +1 301.695.2196
Mobile: +1 203.727.5005
Check our website at www.aopa.org

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ROMY HEBDEN
Head of Public Relations

BREITLING SA
Schlachthausstrasse 2
2540 Grenchen
Switzerland
Telephone: +41 32 654 54 54
Mobile: +41 79 731 90 28
E-mail: romy.hebden@breitling.com
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MONTBLANC – Star Legacy Metamorphosis Edition

MONTBLANC – Star Legacy Metamorphosis Exo Tourbillon White Gold 50 mm Limited Edition 2021

First introduced in 2010, the patented Exo Tourbillon complication is a key pillar of the Montblanc watch collection. The idea was to position the large balance wheel, beating at the traditional low frequency of 18’000 oscillations, outside of the tourbillon’s rotating cage. This offered a spectacular view of the tourbillon in motion while improving the precision of the timepiece.

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During the Watches and Wonders digital exhibition, Montblanc unveiled its Metamorphosis and patented Exo Tourbillon in a new blue colour scheme. These key innovations marked a new chapter in the Montblanc fine watchmaking universe at the time of their release, becoming key watch pillars over the years and inspiring the development of future movements used in the Maison’s core collection.

Star Legacy Metamorphosis Limited Edition 8

The Montblanc Star Legacy Metamorphosis Limited Edition 8 in a sparkling blue colour literally transforms itself by revealing two different faces. It boasts a number of fine watchmaking complications, driven by the hand-crafted Manufacture calibre MB M67.60.

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The new Montblanc Star Legacy Metamorphosis Limited Edition 8 in blue combines the patented Exo Tourbillon, held in place by a sapphire crystal bridge, together with a new three-dimensional realistic moon display. This innovative timepiece is comprised of 718 components and was developed and produced entirely by Montblanc’s engineers and master watchmakers, and literally transforms itself by revealing two different faces.

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The globe is surrounded by a 24-hour scale and a day/night indication. At 12 o‘clock, the dial reveals the beauty of Montblanc‘s patented one-minute Exo Tourbillon, representing the sun at 12 o‘clock in the Northern Hemisphere. At six o‘clock, there is an astronomical moonphase complication showing the Moon’s exact position in the sky as viewed from Earth.

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The transformation between the two faces is highly complex and involves more than 320 individual components, all of them meticulously crafted by hand, and which move at the same time. In addition to this, the Exo Tourbillon construction contains over 100 components alone and the whole timepiece is composed of no less than 718 components, all traditionally hand-crafted at the Montblanc Manufacture in Villeret.

The mechanism is activated by a sliding lever on the side of the case (similar to that of a minute repeater mechanism) that is connected to a dial. It is comprised of a fixed part and moveable shutters, which can be opened and closed depending on the desired face.

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When the shutters are closed, the watch’s face displays a worldtime function at six o’clock in the form of a turning, domed Northern-Hemisphere globe surrounded by a 24-hour scale and a day/night indication. At 12 o’clock, the rhodium-coated balance wheel with blued hairspring and 18 screws, beats at the traditional frequency of 18,000 oscillations per hour.

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When its shutters are opened, the dial reveals the beauty of Montblanc’s patented one-minute Exo Tourbillon, held in place by a sapphire crystal bridge, and representing the sun at 12 o’clock. This was feasible thanks to the construction of the complication, which allows the balance wheel to be positioned outside of the cage and below the shutters.

A jumping date disc appears around the Exo Tourbillon. At six o’clock, a realistic, three-dimensional moon with its exact position in the sky, as viewed from Earth, turns constantly around the globe in a gyroscopic way, exactly as it would make its journey around the Earth. The moon is presented against a backdrop of aventurine that shimmers like a starry night sky. The astronomical moonphase complication is highly precise and only needs to be adjusted by one day every 122 years.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTOIn addition, all the functions powered by the high-end mechanism continue working irrespective of the chosen face. The hours, minutes, seconds, worldtime and moon phases remain active independently of the watch face.

The Montblanc  Star Legacy Metamorphosis Limited Edition 8 is water resistant to 30 metres and is certified by the Montblanc Laboratory Test 500. It is fitted with a new matching blue Sfumato alligator leather strap coming from the Montblanc Pelletteria in Florence, Italy and equipped with a triple folding clasp.

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TECHINCAL SPECIFICATIONS

MONTBLANC – Star Legacy Metamorphosis Limited Edition 8

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 Ident. 117861

Movement:

Montblanc Manufacture Calibre MB M67.60

Mechanical movement with manual winding mechanism, patented one-minute Exo Tourbillon, worldtime and realistic moonphase indication
Diameter = 45 mm; height = 12.87 mm
Number of components: 718
Number of rubies: 61
Power Reserve: Approx. 50 hours
Balance: Balance wheel, diameter = 14.5 mm; moment of inertia = 59 mgcm²
Frequency: 18,800 A/h (2.5 Hz)
Hairspring: Blued, with Phillips terminal curve
Plate: Rhodium-coated with circular graining
Bridges: Rhodium-coated with “Côtes de Genève”
Going train: Special toothing for more efficient power transmission

Displays:

Off-centre hour- and minute-hands, small seconds at 12 o’clock,
Closed face: worldtime with Northern Hemisphere globe surrounded by a 24-hour scale and day/night indication
Open face: one-minute patented Exo Tourbillon, Northern Hemisphere globe surrounded by the sky on an aventurine disc showing the stars and the realistic moon phases, date display at 12 o’clock

Habillage

Case

18 K white gold, polished case

Crystal: Scratch-resistant, domed sapphire crystal with antireflective coating

Back: 18 K white gold with inset pane of sapphire crystal

Dimensions: Diameter = 50 mm ; Height = 18.90 mm

Crown: 18 K white gold with mother-of-pearl Montblanc emblem

Watertightness: 3 bar (30 m)

Dial:

Blue base with hand-made “grain d’orge” guilloché pattern in places, rhodium-coated Arabic numerals,
18 K white gold hour- and minute-hands, stainless steel second hand, filet sauté guilloché around the dial,
hand-engraved and hand-painted three-dimensional northern hemisphere globe showing the continents and oceans, aventurine disc representing the sky with the moon and stars

Wristband:

Blue Sfumato alligator leather coming from the Montblanc Pelletteria in Florence with 18 K white gold triple folding clasp

Edition - Only of ✅ 8 pieces

Certified by the Montblanc Performance Test 500
(* SuperLuminova® is not a trademark owned by Montblanc)

Retail price  250’000 Euros

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Press release - 2021
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