Breitling

The first Breitling Navitimer was designed for the AOPA, or Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for which the present all-black dial is signed. Only watches signed AOPA were distributed amongst the American association. Unsigned winged logos were commercially available through Breitling in Europe with an additional B to the dial. The earliest productions were notably without a reference number. In fact, the Navitimer did not have the formal reference number, 806, until later in 1955, making the present lot one of the last unmarked pieces manufactured.

Of special note are the 'beads of rice' to the bezel which varied from as many as 125 in the early 1950s to as few as 93 by 1960. The present lot is with over 120 beads which further confirms the early date of manufacture in 1955.

The present lot was manufactured in January 1955 and retains all of the exceptionally rare features of an early unmarked Navitimer. Indeed, the property was acquired from from a retired AOPA pilot. The watch was a coveted gift and rarely worn, leaving it in near impeccable condition with no previous polish in our view. Furthermore, inspection of the case inside and out strongly suggests that the watch was never serviced. 

In 1952, Willy Breitling was approached to create a performance watch especially for pilots to perform necessary flight calculations such as average speed, fuel consumption, measurement conversations and distance travelled. Breitling adopted the logarithmic slide rule from their 1940's Chronomat wristwatches, and integrated a rotating bezel. Along with the Chronomat, the Breitling Navitimer remains one of the firm's most important models, offered through the decades in varying evolutions. 

We are grateful to Mr Mark C. Heist for their kind assistance in compiling this lot.