Breitling

The year 1952 marked the debut of an unprecedented watch prototype that remains an icon to this day: the Breitling Navitimer. The project started after Willy Breitling was approached by the US Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) to create a new chronograph wristwatch.

The watch would be a true flight instrument, able to calculate the average speed, distance and even fuel consumption, and to convert kilometers to miles and nautical miles. As the piece could provide many different kinds of information in addition to simply telling the time, the layout of the dial and the case diameter had to be adapted for maximum readability, even in flight conditions.

The result was one of the most famous watches in the world. The Navitimer is considered design perfection in its field and has hardly seen any change over its 70 years of production. Its name is a portmanteau of the words "navigation" and "timer," clearly expressing the purpose of this watch.