Breitling celebrates the 60th anniversary of the journey of the mythic watch with the 24-hour dial aboard the Aurora 7 spacecraft with the new Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute. This new timepiece pays tribute to the historic mission with a modern edition that is limited to just 362 pieces. This special-edition piece celebrates the spacecraft’s circumnavigations of the Earth and the year the mission made history, marking a crucial step in manned spaceflight. 

Additionally, Breitling also marks the occasion by offering the first-ever public viewing of the original Cosmonaute from 1962, showcasing the watch’s incredible story. During the 1960s. Breitling’s Navitimer was the preferred pilot’s watch across the globe. However, the attention of the world was slowly moving towards space exploration. This meant that there was fierce competition within the watch industry to come on top of the Space Race, albeit quietly. 

With Breitling’s expertise in aviation watches, the brand officially claimed the title “first Swiss wristwatch in space” on May 24th, 1962 when astronaut Scott Carpenter orbited the Earth three times while wearing the Navitimer Cosmonaute during his Mercury-Atlas  7 mission. The watch was personally requested by Carpenter and included a customisation of featuring a 24-hour dial in the iconic Navitimer to help tell day from night in space. 

This special timepiece celebrates it 60th anniversary with a 2022 version of the watch unveiled by Breitling. Georges Kern, CEO of Breitling, said, “When we introduced the redesigned Navitimer earlier this year, a question on everybody’s lips was, ‘What about the Cosmonaute?’ Today, I’m thrilled to finally announce two Cosmonaute reveals: the first-ever public viewing of the watch Scott Carpenter wore into space, and a 60th-anniversary limited-edition timepiece that pays tribute to its history-making forerunner.”

About the 2022 Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute

The commemorative timepiece released this year features all the hallmarks of Breitling’s iconic aviation watch, the Navitimer. From the circular slide rule to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association ‘wings’ logo, and the trio of chronograph subdials, every signature element of the Navitimer is available in this watch. However, what separates the Cosmonaute from the rest of its family is its ability to tell 24-hour time. Powered by their in-house Caliber B02 movement, this manufacture movement has been specially designed to offer this particular function. 

In terms of the aesthetics of the watch, the new Cosmonaute features similar design codes like the original. It comes in the timeless all-black dial strapped to a black alligator strap or a seven-row stainless-steel bracelet. Some contemporary additions made to the watch is the platinum bezel set on a 41mm stainless steel and platinum case and an open sapphire crystal caseback with the engraving ‘Carpenter,’ ‘Aurora 7,’ and ‘3 orbits around the Earth’. Additionally, the name of the original group of seven astronauts chosen for NASA’s first human-crewed spaceflights, Mercury 7 is mentioned here. 

For more information, visit the Breitling website here. 

Image Courtesy: Breitling