9 Breitling Timepieces That Watch Collectors Should Own

Breitling’s history of precision chronographs began in 1915, and today the company is perhaps best known for its chronographs. Léon Breitling founded Breitling in 1884 as a young watchmaker. When Léon launched the company, he was just 24 years old. Leon moved from a small factory with a handful of employees to a larger one without waiting for a decade. Breitling has endured two severe economic downturns and has emerged unscathed.  Breitling has survived both the Great Depression of the 1930s and the Quartz crisis of the late 1970s. 

If you’re a watch collector, you’ll want to know about  Breitling chronomat watches, Breitling’s premier Mulliner, and many other models.  When you learn that Breitling invented the chronograph, you understand why the brand is so well-known for its timepieces. Here is a list of Breitling watches that you should own as a collector to keep the brand’s greatness alive.

• Breitling Superocean II 

Breitling’s initial entry into the world of diving watches came in 1957 with the introduction of the Breitling Superocean. This watch is available in a range of sizes, from 36 to 44 mm, and with a selection of bracelets. Breitling reintroduced the Superocean in 2015, this time with more contemporary features. It had a thinner case, luminous Arabic numerals or baton markers, and an inner circle of 24-hour indexes that no other Superocean watch had.

• Breitling SuperOcean Heritage ’57 Steel

To better serve the needs of scuba divers, the first model did away with the second’s chronograph in favor of an hourly one. Today’s SuperOcean is still primarily a diver’s watch (note the lack of a date window), but it now has a more useful seconds counter. A retro concave bezel completes the design of this one-of-a-kind daily-wear timepiece. As a bonus, the Limited Edition model with rainbow-colored hour markings makes the watch even more interesting.

• Breitling Avenger Automatic Seawolf Night Mission

Breitling relaunched the Avenger collection at the end of 2019, and this Avenger Automatic 45 Seawolf Night Mission was part of that relaunch. Redesigned Avenger features a ratcheted unidirectional bezel with rider tabs. This Breitling timepiece list includes the Night Mission edition due to its black titanium case, black dial, and black leather straps. This watch is ideal for pilots due to its rider tabs and pusher buttons, but divers can also use it due to its 3,000-meter water resistance.

• Breitling Navitimer 8

The Navitimer is probably the most well-known Breitling timepiece, past and present. So when Georges Kern’s first new release as CEO of Breitling had the ‘Navitimer 8’ label but did not include its iconic surround, there was a fair amount of uncertainty. With a slide rule bezel, this pilot’s watch serves as a mid-flight analog flight computer for calculations. The mechanical heart of this timepiece is Breitling’s own B01 chronograph movement, which features a vertical clutch and a 70-hour power reserve.

In addition to controlling the second hand, it also controls the 30-minute and 12-hour counters. This 43mm diameter pilot’s watch is no exception, featuring clean, clear dials and visible indices. All variants are incredibly adaptable, but they all have a certain air of formality. The new Breitling Aviator 8 B01 Chronograph is a beautiful watch that combines a classic look with the unique feature of an in-house engine.

• Breitling Aerospace EVO

The Breitling Aerospace EVO is a sleeper pick for multiple reasons. It represents the pinnacle of analog-to-digital transitions in quartz watches: On the otherwise analog dial, the crown enables additional digital functions like a second time zone, alarm, chronograph, and countdown timer. After some practice, the user interface is fairly straightforward. In addition to the standard backlighting of the analog parts, the digital parts have a blueish light behind them.

• Breitling Top Time

Without a doubt, the Top Time is a stylish watch. Breitling originally introduced this model in the 1960s to attract younger men to the brand, aided by a more affordable price point, which remains the same today. In the 1960s, Breitling’s Top Time typically featured a Panda dial, but Breitling has opted for the more eye-catching Zorro design for the new iteration. It is limited to 2,000 pieces, so it may be challenging to locate one, but if you do, we advise you to get it immediately.

• Breitling Avenger Automatic GMT 43

The 24-hour hand of the Avenger Automatic GMT 43 keeps track of a second time zone. The elapsed time may be measured using the unidirectional steel bezel, which features rider tabs and radial brushing on both sides. Being able to do both is what makes this watch a “GMT-Diver.” (A 24-hour scale appears on the chapter ring for easy use.) The grenade-grip screw-down crown and the red tip on the sweep seconds hand are just two examples of the luxury tool watch’s attention to detail.

• Breitling Aviator 8 Automatic Unitime 

A world time watch, or Unitime in Breitling’s instance, is another timepiece that is so often beneficial to travelers around the world. This Aviator 8’s dial can show the time in all 24 world time zones at a glance, so you’ll always know when to make that crucial conference call to Singapore, for example. This model is our favorite because of its easy-to-read Arabic numerals and black dial with a blue 12-hour zone.

• Breitling Premier B09 Chronograph 40

The Breitling B09 Chronograph 40 has lovely dimensions that many should find both desirable and wearable. The watch’s visual appeal lies in its light green dial, which Breitling has appropriately named Pistachio. The absence of an automatic winding mechanism on the B09 keeps the chronograph at 13mm in height, allowing it to fit beneath the sleeve of a dress shirt. The in-house, manually wound B09 movement has a chronograph feature and a modern 70-hour power reserve. It maintains the dial’s balance and provides space with the bicompax design of the subdials.

Conclusion

Breitling, one of the world’s best watchmakers, is known for its high-quality and precise clocks. Your collection will benefit greatly from having this brand in it. This brand exemplifies more than a century of experience and timeless fashion. Breitling timepieces, in particular, are unmatched in their quality by any other brand. This brand has a wide variety of timepieces, including those listed above.