Breitling

In 1952, Willy Breitling was approached by the renowned US Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and asked to create a new chronograph for its members. Breitling decided to develop an innovative wrist-worn instrument that would enable pilots to perform all necessary flight calculations, including average speed, distance traveled, fuel consumption, rate of climb or descent, and conversion of miles to kilometers or nautical miles. At that time, calculations required a logarithmic slide rule. Willy Breitling therefore adapted the original logarithmic slide rule of the 1940s Chronomat for aviation purposes and integrated it into a rotating bezel, surrounded by small beads to make it easier to manipulate. Thus, the Navitimer was born, and why early Navitimers also feature the AOPA wing logo on the dial. In 1956, wishing to capitalize on the Navitimer’s success within the aviation community, Breitling released what was now called the reference 806. They have constantly upgraded and updated its Navitimer over the years, resulting in many different aesthetic and technical variations. Early Navitimers had all-black dials with a beaded texture on the bezel, but in the 1960s, Breitling released a "reverse-panda" dial with white sub-dials and a white bezel on the edge of the dial. The texture around the bezel was also updated to a more serrated execution. Additionally, Breitling changed the logo on the dial to the "Twin Jet" style, which is what you see on this timepiece. Offered in very good condition, this is a beautiful timepiece with a rich history.