Wednesday, 18 March 2026
Breitling introduces two new perpetual-calendar chronographs that represent the Navitimer at its highest expression. The Navitimer B19 duo is inspired by the extreme altitudes the iconic pilot’s chronograph has mastered.
For over 70 years, the Navitimer has taken on many roles, from essential pilots’ tool to cultural icon. This year, Navitimer Stories will bring these chapters to light across aviation, lifestyle, and technical savoir faire, showing why this remarkable timepiece remains as relevant today as ever.
Created in 1952 for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the Navitimer united a chronograph with Breitling’s patented circular slide rule, allowing aviators to perform flight calculations directly from their wrist. The quintessential pilots’ watch, it soon proved itself across every altitude—worn by supersonic pilots at the edge of space and by astronauts from the earliest days of human spaceflight.
Now presented in its highest expression of complexity and materials, Breitling introduces the Navitimer B19 as two exceptional timepieces powered by the brand’s manufacture B19 perpetual-calendar chronograph movement. Rendered in steel and platinum or full platinum and finished in altitude-inspired colorways, they celebrate the vertical journey of Breitling’s icon.
“At Breitling, we have always pushed limits, not only through our iconic designs, but also by engineering exceptional movements that power our watches.” says Georges Kern, CEO of Breitling. “The Navitimer B19 delivers on both sides.”
A century in motion: the Caliber B19
At the heart of this high-altitude duo is the Breitling Manufacture Caliber B19, first introduced in 2024 to mark the brand’s 140th anniversary. It represents a major technical milestone, combining Breitling’s chronograph expertise with a true perpetual calendar, one that automatically accounts for leap years and varying month lengths, and will not require a major manual correction for a century. The moonphase adds a final celestial link, reinforcing the Navitimer’s original purpose as an instrument made for the sky.
Technically, the Navitimer B19 has set a new benchmark for Breitling, a feat that earned it a 2025 Temporis Award. It is an automatic perpetual calendar chronograph with a 96-hour power reserve. A one-step correction system via the crown allows all calendar indications to be advanced together, while two discreet dimple-style pushers at 8 and 10 o’clock enable individual adjustments. Winding is handled by a solid 18k red-gold rotor, visible through the sapphire caseback, and the movement is COSC-certified as a chronometer for unwavering precision.
It is, quite simply, the most advanced movement ever housed in a Navitimer and currently the only core-catalog automatic perpetual-calendar chronograph on the market.
Altitude as color, material, and mood
The timepieces translate the Navitimer’s story in the air universe into two powerful, tangible expressions. Each model channels a different altitude.
A 75-piece limited edition in full platinum features a deep blue lacquered dial inspired by the stratosphere at high cruising altitudes, where the atmosphere thins, the sky deepens, and the Earth’s curvature becomes visible. The full platinum case is paired with a black outer slide rule and a contrasting white inner scale, drawing the eye toward the dial’s celestial center. It is fitted with a matching navy-blue alligator strap with a folding clasp.
The second execution, in stainless steel with a platinum bezel, is defined by its anthracite dial, reflecting the stillness and depth of space. It features the same high-contrast slide rule configuration and refined dial architecture and is delivered on a brown alligator strap or seven-row steel bracelet, underscoring its dramatic, cosmic tone.
Both models share a series of refined design signatures. Their dials provide depth and sheen, while raised metal rings around the subdials introduce a new three-dimensional architecture. The moonphase disc at 12 o’clock draws the eye with its detail, and each case is finished with Breitling’s signature knurled bezel. Each dial becomes a miniature universe: technical, celestial, and instantly recognizable as a Navitimer.
An icon, still in flight
The Navitimer was born from professional demand. With its signature slide rule, it became an essential cockpit tool during the golden age of civil aviation. Over time, its distinctive look moved beyond the flight deck, appearing on the wrists of figures as varied as Miles Davis, Serge Gainsbourg, and Formula 1 legends Graham Hill and Jim Clark, and even into space with astronaut Scott Carpenter, while remaining faithful to its original form.
With this pair of exceptional watches, Breitling unites heritage, high complication, and modern design in a way only the Navitimer can. They are shaped by civil aviation, inspired by the skies above, and engineered to measure time for generations.
BREITLING
Founded in 1884, Breitling is a leading Swiss watchmaker. The innovative company invented the modern chronograph and pioneered the navigational tool watch. Today, it continues to break new ground as a casual, approachable, and sustainable luxury brand, with more than 280 industrial loft-inspired retail locations around the world. Breitling’s collections center around air, land, and sea pursuits, all captured in the brand’s unmistakable modern-retro style. The exceptional quality of every watch movement is confirmed by its status as a COSC-certified chronometer, and the brand remains one of only a handful of independent watchmakers to produce its own manufacture calibers. Today, Breitling is on a mission to do better by creating beautiful products and experiences with better materials, better manufacturing, better packaging, and end-to-end traceability. Combining classic watchmaking with the latest and most sustainable innovations, Breitling is both a company with history and one that is ahead of its time.
FACTS ABOUT THE WATCH:
NAVITIMER B19 CHRONOGRAPH 43 PERPETUAL CALENDAR
Reference: PB1921251B1P1, PB1921251B1A1
WATCH MOVEMENT
Caliber: Breitling Manufacture Caliber B19
Diameter: 30 millimeters
Thickness: 8.73 millimeters
Winder: self-winding mechanical, bidirectional with ball bearing
Power reserve: approximately 96 hours
Number of components: 374
Balance frequency: 28,800 a/h or 4 hertz
Chronograph: column-wheel, vertical clutch, 1/4th second, 30-minute
Display: hour, minute, second, perpetual calendar
Certification: COSC-certified
CASE
Material: Platinum and stainless steel
Diameter: 43 millimeters
Thickness: 15.14 millimeters
Height (upper lug tip to lower lug tip): 49.07 millimeters
Water resistance: up to 3 bars (30 meters)
Glass: cambered sapphire, glareproofed on both sides
Case back: stainless steel, screwed in, sapphire crystal
Crown: stainless steel, non screw-locked, two gaskets
Bezel: platinum, bidirectional with circular slide rule
DIAL/HANDS
Slate Grey
Super-LumiNova® luminescent indexes, hour and minute hand
STRAP
Brown alligator leather strap with a stainless steel folding buckle or stainless steel 7-row bracelet with folding clasp
Size (lug/buckle): 22/18 mm
FACTS ABOUT THE WATCH:
NAVITIMER B19 CHRONOGRAPH 43 PERPETUAL CALENDAR
Reference: LB19211A1C1P1
WATCH MOVEMENT
Caliber: Breitling Manufacture Caliber B19
Diameter: 30 millimeters
Thickness: 8.73 millimeters
Winder: self-winding mechanical, bidirectional with ball bearing
Power reserve: approximately 96 hours
Number of components: 374
Balance frequency: 28,800 a/h or 4 hertz
Chronograph: column-wheel, vertical clutch, 1/4th second, 30-minute
Display: hour, minute, second, perpetual calendar
Certification: COSC-certified
CASE
Material: Platinum
Diameter: 43 millimeters
Thickness: 15.14 millimeters
Height (upper lug tip to lower lug tip): 49.07 millimeters
Water resistance: up to 3 bars (30 meters)
Glass: cambered sapphire, glareproofed on both sides
Case back: platinum, screwed in, sapphire crystal
Crown: platinum, non screw-locked, two gaskets
Bezel: platinum, bidirectional with circular slide rule
DIAL/HANDS
Marine Blue dial
Super-LumiNova® luminescent indexes, hour and minute hand
STRAP
Blue alligator leather strap with a white gold folding buckle
Size (lug/buckle): 22/18 mm