My Spotlight: Breitling Cosmonaute vs Navitimer B01

This is our first edition of My Spotlight, similar to our feature Spotlight articles but penned with our readers! For this article, Tom England looks at the stories behind two of his favourite pieces in his collection – a Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute from 1967 and his 2015 B01 calibre Navitimer. Tom has worked in the watch industry for a number of years, and with this article he provides us a great insight into the history of these two great pieces – you can follow Tom on Instagram @theadvertemporium

Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute vs Breitling Navitimer B01 – by Tom England

Willy Breitling took over at Breitling from his father at the age of 19. He had ideas of grandeur and indeed wanted to create the best chronograph in the world. Before this dream could become realised, he needed something different. Yes, he had invented the double pusher chronograph and supplied clocks to the RAF in WWII but that wasn’t world beating. The Chronomat was born and introduced the slide rule calculator, allowing for calculation of such things as distance over time and fuel consumption. Breitling wearers of today are more likely to use the slide rule calculator working out a tip at a restaurant. With some pressure from the AOPA, the Breitling Navitimer was launched in 1952, with the specific intention of allowing pilots to calculate mid flight without the need for the vast computers that where available at the time. The word Navitimer itself is a combination of Navigation and Timing, Clever right? In this article we will explore two models; The Navitimer Cosmonaute 809 from 1967 and the Navitimer B01 in the larger 46mm variant that was purchased in 2015.

Breitling needed the Navitimer to bring success to the brand and although it wasn’t foreseen by Willy Breitling in 1952 it certainly did this. The Navitimer from the 60’s was known as the reference 806 Navitimer, this was powered by a Venus 178 caliber. Scott Carpenter requested a 24 hour dial be fitted to his Navitimer, because he struggled to tell difference between day and night in space. Brietling agreed and this was done using the same Venus 178 cal but gearing it for a 24 hour running speed as well as the 24 hour dial. On 21st of May 1962 Carpenter received his own 24 hour dial Navitimer Cosmonaute and was seen wearing it over his space suit on the Mercury 7 mission.

The B01, launched in 2009 was the first Breitling to have the in house movement, a huge nod to the significance of this model. This movement was released after 5 years of development by Breitling and the building of the Coronometrie 2 facility in La Chaux-de-Fonds that is used specifically for the production of the B01 movement. In terms of technicality, the movement provides a 70 hour power reserve with a frequency of 4Hz and the chronograph operates within an accuracy of 1/4 of a second. A column wheel and vertical clutch system, allowing the timing function to be set at any time without affecting the pointer, all the time being COSC certified guaranteeing timekeeping and quality control. This movement in turn raised the warranty from the industry recognisable 2 years to 5, and is the base movement used in the Chronomat 01 and the Transocean Chronograph. The introduction of the 46mm dial size, was not available when the watch was initially released in 2009 but came subsequently at Baselworld 2014.

I was introduced into the wild world of watch collecting at 14 with my step father and his obsessive watch buying at that period. There was a spate of Tag Heuers, Omegas and Breitlings that were purchased in our small market town AD and from the very first purchase I was intrigued, and this later led to full on addiction.  I was gifted a Tag Heuer Formula 1 on my 16th birthday in my favourite dial colour of orange, a watch that still has a place in my rotation. However when my 21st rolled around I was in the depths of a watch brand fascination. Breitling and their unapologetically large watches appealed to my minute wrists for a reason unbeknownst to me, all I knew was that I wanted one.

The Navitimer family was an easy choice. Although in theory the Chronomat was the brands flagship range, the Navitimer was the one rocking the wrists of the David Beckham and the Breitling Wings Pilots in the advertising of the time. Having worked in the watch industry for the best part of 5 years at this point, I recognised the provenance of an in house caliber so the B01 Navitimer was the one to go for.

For me this generation Navitimer bracelet, known as the pilot is the one to get. The next generation after Georges Kern takeover went lighter and redesigned, some say to accommodate for the Asian market. For me the bracelet on a Breitling needs to be large and heavy to match the rest of the heaviness and the size of the 46mm case. The watch is finished extremely well with a sapphire crystal case back to show off the BO1 movement, alongside contrasting polished and satin bezel.

The movement in itself is another reason I like this watch, it has the provenance of being in house whilst also being finished to a high standard. For me the Navitimer is imposing and unabashedly bling without being gold or diamond set which is ideal for me as I’m not 60 nor a rapper. You can also see the clear family history between the B01 and the Cosmonaute from the arrow on the chronograph seconds hand, to the sweeping lines of the case. It is like looking at Nicholas G Hayek and Nick Hayek Jr; Same family features just with a slight change.

I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to buy the Cosmonaute when working as a watch buyer in an independent family jewellers. A couple bought in a watch that was previously owned by the lady’s father. She said she couldn’t read the time on it and therefore, in her eyes had no real use and produced a small box and the original Breitling booklet.

She opened the box and I immediately fell for the super sharp case, the untouched lume and the overall vintage feel of it. I took it to the workshop and removed the casebook to see a Venus 178 caliber shining back at me in excellent condition, a small play with the chronograph pushers and a wind of the crown confirmed this. It was at this point I knew it had to come home with me. A short time later a deal on a new Tag Heuer and some cash had been brokered and they were on their way and I had started the journey with the one watch of mine I will never sell.

With a 1145 serial number, the Cosmonaute is dated at 1967. The straight cut bezel, rather than beaded allows for a more tool watch look. The case is super sharp with little to no signs of polishing, either on the case or the lugs.The dial and handset are original and the amount of luminescent material still present is ridiculous, sure this could have been re-lumed but I find that highly doubtful. The Luminescent material itself is a stark creamy colour contrasting with the black dial, this is something to look for as a blackened tritium can indicate water entry.

The movement used was the Venus 178 calibre in pretty much all instances. There was a rare Navitimer 809 that had the Valjoux 7786 calibre denoted by a -36 after the 809 on the case back. This caliber was slightly adjusted to enable use of 24 hour dial by using the same movement in the Navimiter of that era, but gearing it so that it ran at half the speed.

The Cosmonaute is part of history, it was made for a purpose and for a specific reason rather than just supply and demand. The rarity of the watch, due to the factor of human carelessness and natural deterioration of materials these Cosmonautes are becoming rarer by the year. It is also thought they were produced at a rate of 1 in 10 in comparison with the Navitimer of the time. More and more people are damaging them or having parts replaced as servicing has to be carried out over time, resulting in the watch losing its originality.

The wonkiness of ‘Breitling’ on the case back and the box around it is neither straight, evenly spaced or uniform in its design, showing it was done at a time where laser aided engraving hadn’t come on the scene yet. In my opinion this adds a huge amount of individuality and character to the piece.  Its been cared for for 63 years, someone has treasured this watch and now it is in my possession to do the same with.

There are some hugely influential former wearers of the Navitimer in the same period that the Cosmonaute was produced, starting with Scott Carpenter. Carpenter was an American astronaut who was the second American to Orbit the earth. He also flew a Lockheed P2 Neptune as a Naval Aviator in the US Navy in the Korean and Cold wars. Carpenter wasn’t finished with his career after landing from space as he became an Aquanaut in the US Navy and spent 28 days living on the ocean floor off of California.

Another notable Navitimer fan is Jim Clark. Clark was killed tragically young at the age of 32, the Silent Champion  was crowned the greatest F1 racing driver of all time by The Times in 2009. It is not only his impressive record of wins and his two world championships that he is known for. He also had a small but well rounded collection of chronographs, including a Breitling Navitimer 806. This was one of the watches Clark depended on to time laps and make calculations with the slide rule tachymeter all while driving a 1960’s Lotus F1 car at 180mph. Clark was such an influence at the time that the Navitimer ref 806 from that period is also commonly referred to as the Jim Clark after the watch he wore in the late 60s.

The antithesis of Clark’s quiet and reserved manner was that of Miles Davis. A self proclaimed drug addict and pimp, Davis was known to be hawkish and unstable throughout the majority of his career. There was one item that was with him that stayed; his Breitling Navitimer 806. Perhaps the most famous image of the musician, holding his trumpet vertically whilst playing eyes closed in full concentration mode, also heavily features his Navitimer teamed with a rather brave choice in a Bund Strap.

In conclusion; these are two hugely significant models in the history of the Breitling Navitimer. One allowed accurate timekeeping when in space and graced the wrists of some of the coolest men to walk the earth. The other provided the most important part of Breitling’s recent history with  the introduction go the companies first in house calibre; a movement that will be built upon for many years to come.

So different watches for different situations? If you were to wear the B01 to dinner you will get the admiring glances, not all down to the size but the shine of the watch as well as its hugely recognisable dial. Wear the Cosmonaute to the same dinner and you will still get looks of horological desire, but they will be from those who are in the know from the watch world who see the smaller more understated watch for the piece of history that it is.

A massive thank you to Tom for taking the time to write this article for Watch Affinity – hopefully you have enjoyed reading about his Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute and B01 as much as we did! If you’re interested in getting involved with a My Spotlight guest article, please get in touch via our Contact page, or via our Instagram.

Don’t forget to follow Tom on Instagram @theadvertemporium

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