For the better part of a decade, Breitling has treated its coolest Navitimers more like museum loans than anything. The hand-wound stuff surfaced only when an anniversary rolled around or a 500-piece run needed selling, and then they vanished just like that. It looks like Breitling felt our pain, and is taking a different approach to their newest release.
The brand has decided to move two manually wound throwbacks into the permanent Navitimer lineup: the Navitimer B09 Chronograph 41 and the Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute.
The Watch Scott Carpenter Took to Orbit
The Cosmonaute exists because an astronaut asked for it. Ahead of his Mercury-Atlas 7 flight in May of 1962, Scott Carpenter requested a Navitimer with a 24-hour dial, since a sunrise every 90 minutes makes “AM or PM” a legitimate question in orbit.
Willy Breitling obliged, and the resulting watch became the first Swiss wristwatch in space, and it’s a milestone the brand has been minting anniversary editions off of ever since. The new production version keeps that wonderfully weird 24-hour display, hides a color-matched date in the 6 o’clock subdial, and runs the hand-wound, COSC-certified Caliber B02, a column-wheel chronograph Breitling uses in nothing else.
One for the Racing Drivers
The B09 Chronograph 41 is the simpler sell here. It channels the 1960s Navitimers worn by Jim Clark and Graham Hill, pairing a no-date, reverse-panda dial in black or blue with a white rehaut. And it even has the gold Twin Jet logo that first hit Navitimer dials in 1965.
Its Caliber B09 shares the B02’s architecture minus the 24-hour gearing, and losing the rotor and date keeps the 41mm steel case at a trim 13mm. Both watches carry the slide-rule bezel, a 70-hour power reserve, and a sapphire caseback. And water resistance sits at a token 30 meters.
Permanent, and Somehow Cheaper
Now, here’s the twist: the everyday versions cost less than the hype did. The core B09 runs a full $1,000 under September’s 500-piece Miles Davis edition with the same caliber ticking inside. And the new Cosmonaute starts below what the 362-piece, platinum-bezel 2022 anniversary model asked at launch.
Spec Sheet
Model: Navitimer B09 Chronograph 41 / Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute
Case Size: 41mm
Case Thickness: 13mm
Lug-to-Lug: 47.09mm
Case Material: Stainless steel
Movement: Breitling Manufacture Caliber B09 (B09) / Caliber B02 (Cosmonaute), hand-wound, COSC-certified
Power Reserve: Approximately 70 hours
Water Resistance: 30m
Dial: Black or blue reverse panda (B09) / Black 24-hour display (Cosmonaute)
Band: Gradient calf leather strap or seven-row stainless steel bracelet
Limited Edition?: No
Pricing & Availability
Both models are available now through Breitling and its retailers, with the Navitimer B09 Chronograph 41 priced at $7,900 on leather or $8,400 on the bracelet, and the Cosmonaute at $10,600 and $11,000, respectively. Head over to Breitling’s website to check them out.
Recap
Breitling Navitimer B09 Chronograph 41 & B02 Cosmonaute
Breitling moves its hand-wound B09 chronograph and the space-flown 24-hour Cosmonaute into the permanent Navitimer lineup, no limited edition required.
