OVERVIEW

The Navitimer wasn’t created as a luxury watch or a style piece, it started as a solution to a real need. In the early 1950s, pilots relied on slide rules and separate tools to perform essential flight calculations. When AOPA, the world’s largest pilots’ organization, approached Willy Breitling looking for something more practical, he saw an opportunity to put those functions directly on the wrist.

The result was a watch that felt more like an instrument than a traditional chronograph. By adapting Breitling’s existing slide-rule design for aviation use, Willy created a system that allowed pilots to calculate fuel consumption, speed, distance, climb rates, and other key information while in the cockpit. Its large case and highly legible dial were chosen with function in mind as everything was built to be read quickly and used easily when it mattered most.

The earliest examples were made solely for AOPA members and carried no Breitling signature on the dial. Only a few years later did the Navitimer reach the public, now wearing Breitling branding and beginning the journey toward becoming one of the most recognizable pilot’s watches ever made.

CONDITION NOTES

CASE: Never polished and barely worn. As sharp as a katana blade.

DIAL & HANDS: As good as any out there with excellent glossy dial, clean white bezel and perfectly patinated original lume. Original hands are perfect.

MOVEMENT: Condition is as good as the rest of the watch and will be fully serviced before shipping.