Breitling Navitimer Guide: Master of the Skies
Designed for flight, the Breitling Navitimer is a true icon of the skies, carrying a rich heritage of technical innovation. Created as a practical pilot’s watch for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), it quickly became a staple in cockpits around the world – and is still trusted by aviators today, with Breitling remaining the official timekeeper for SWISS International Air Lines and maintaining its partnership with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) for more than 70 years.
Its popularity soared thanks to the ingenious integration of a rotating slide rule – an essential tool that allowed pilots to perform vital calculations during early transatlantic flights – into the bezel of the watch.
First conceived as a practical instrument for professionals, the Breitling Navitimer inevitably transcended its purpose, becoming a cultural symbol worn by legends such as musician Miles Davis and Formula 1 driver Graham Hill. The distinctive slide rule of the Navitimer not only served an important function but captured the public’s imagination, a charm that continues today.
Join Michael Spiers as we explore the enduring popularity of the Breitling Navitimer. Whether you are a seasoned collector or discovering this iconic watch for the first time, we take a closer look at everything from its functional aviation origins to the myriad mathematical functions possible with its logarithmic slide rule.
Frequently Asked Questions
What movement does the Breitling Navitimer use?
The movement depends on the model. All Navitimer chronographs are powered by the Manufacture Calibre B01, Breitling's in-house automatic movement, developed over five years and launched in 2009. It features a column-wheel and vertical clutch for smooth chronograph operation, a 70-hour power reserve, and COSC chronometer certification. Variants include the hand-wound Calibre B02 (used in the Cosmonaute) and the Calibre B09 (used in the Ref. 806 Re-Edition).
Non-chronograph Navitimers use different movements: the Navitimer Automatic 41 uses the Breitling Calibre 17, the Navitimer GMT 41 uses the Calibre 32, and the Navitimer 32 uses a SuperQuartz Calibre 77.
Is the Breitling Navitimer waterproof?
The Navitimer has a water resistance of 30 metres (3 ATM), which protects against splashes and brief immersion but is not suitable for swimming or diving. This is intentional; the Navitimer was designed for the cockpit, not the ocean, and its rotating slide rule bezel and non-screw-down crown reflect its aviation origins. If you need a Breitling for water activities, the Superocean and Superocean Heritage collections offer water resistance up to 300 metres.
Is the Breitling Navitimer a sports watch or a dress watch?
The Navitimer sits comfortably between the two as a versatile tool watch that can dress up or down depending on the configuration. On the seven-row steel bracelet with a black or blue dial, it leans sporty and casual. On an alligator leather strap with a silver or copper dial, it pairs effortlessly with tailored clothing.
The 41mm size is particularly versatile for formal settings, while the 46mm makes a bolder, more casual statement. Its heritage as a professional pilot's instrument gives it substance that pure dress watches often lack.
What size Breitling Navitimer should I get?
The current collection offers five case sizes: 32mm, 36mm, 41mm, 43mm, and 46mm. As a general guide, the 32mm and 36mm suit slimmer wrists or those preferring a subtle presence; the 41mm is the most versatile, working well on most wrist sizes and in both casual and formal settings; the 43mm is the classic chronograph size with strong wrist presence; and the 46mm is best suited to larger wrists or those who favour a bold, statement piece.
If possible, try multiple sizes in person – our showroom in Plymouth has a selection available to view.
Can you still use the slide rule on a Navitimer?
Yes, the slide rule on every Navitimer is fully functional, not decorative. You can perform multiplication, division, unit conversions (miles to kilometres, gallons to litres, Celsius to Fahrenheit), and aviation-specific calculations such as fuel consumption, ground speed, and flight time. While pilots today rely on digital avionics, the slide rule remains a satisfying analogue tool, and learning to use it connects you directly to the watch's original purpose.
What is the Breitling Navitimer known for?
The Navitimer is famous for its origins as a practical aviation tool, developed by the Breitling founder, Willy Breitling, at the AOPA's request to create a new chronograph for its members. His answer – the Navitimer – was a feat of technical innovation.
The ingenious design of the Breitling Navitimer enabled pilots to perform all necessary flight calculations, including average speed, distance travelled, fuel consumption, rate of climb or descent, and conversion of miles to kilometres or nautical miles.
At the time, these calculations required a logarithmic slide rule, a mechanical computer used for the sorts of rapid calculations conducted by pilots during flight. To integrate it into a wristwatch, Willy Breitling adapted the original logarithmic slide rule of the 1940s Chronomat and incorporated it into a rotating bezel, surrounded by small beads to make it easier to manipulate. Every design choice made for the Breitling Navitimer was in pursuit of practicality; the 41mm case, unusually large for the time, ensured maximum legibility, and oversized Arabic numerals coated with luminescent radium provided excellent contrast against the black dial.
As a functional pilot’s tool, the original version of the Navitimer bore no Breitling branding on the dial and was exclusively distributed to AOPA membership, comprised of aviation experts and professionals who would make immediate use of the watch’s ingenious functionality. In late 1955, however, the Breitling Navitimer was released to the public, this time featuring the Breitling name and a stylised winged logo distinct from the AOPA version.
What is a logarithmic slide rule on a watch?
A logarithmic slide rule is a hand-operated mechanical calculator that conducts a variety of mathematical operations using sliding rulers, hence the name ‘slide rule’.
Before electronic calculators arrived in the 1970s, the slide rule was the essential tool for anyone who needed to perform quick calculations – engineers, scientists, navigators, and pilots all relied on them daily. The principle is elegantly simple: logarithmic scales convert multiplication and division into addition and subtraction, meaning that by sliding one scale against another, you can solve complex equations almost instantly without any mental arithmetic.
In aviation, the slide rule became indispensable. Pilots adopted the circular slide rule – most famously the E6B 'whizz wheel', introduced in the 1930s – as a compact flight computer that could be used in the cockpit. With it, they could calculate:
Ground speed
Fuel consumption
Estimated time of arrival
Rate of climb or descent
Conversions between units such as statute miles, nautical miles, and kilometres
During the golden age of transatlantic flight in the 1950s and 60s, when navigation relied on dead reckoning and radio beacons rather than GPS, these calculations were essential for a crew’s safe passage.
It was this circular slide rule that Willy miniaturised and integrated into a watch bezel in 1952, creating the Breitling Navitimer: a fully functional flight “computer” worn on the wrist.
How does the slide rule bezel on the Breitling Navitimer work?
The Breitling Navitimer slide rule operates as a circular flight computer, using an outer, rotating bezel and a fixed inner scale to perform logarithmic functions such as multiplication, division, and conversion on the wrist. To properly make use of the Navitimer’s sliding scale, we must first understand the basics of how this scale works.
The numbers on both the inner and outer bezels are organised on a logarithmic, rather than linear, scale; this means that the distance between two numbers is not standard – e.g. the distance between 20 and 21 inches is the same as the distance between 1 and 2 inches on a regular ruler – but instead changes as you move up the scale.
Thanks to this logarithmic progression, the numbers can also be thought of as increasing infinitely as you move around the dial, meaning that 20 can mean 20 but also 200, 2,000, etc. This means that the bigger the numbers get, the harder it is to accurately read both input and output – reading off 25 is easy, but reading off 254 is more difficult as the hash marks (the symbols representing the values between integers) become more crowded.
It is important, therefore, to be able to ‘interpolate the hash marks’ – estimating the value between the marks, e.g., 25.25, 25.55, 25.75, and so on, as you may need to tell the difference between 255 (25.5) and 258 (25.8). As a slide rule does not account for decimal places or powers of 10, the number you select for your calculations will be the same whether you are starting with 2.5, 25, 250, or 2,500; for this reason, it is useful to have a vague idea of what your answer may be, or at least how many zeros it should have.
There are some special markers on the inner and outer bezels of the Navitimer designed to help with both general and specific calculations:
The red 10 on the inner scale at roughly 2:30, which is the unit index used for multiplication and division operations.
The MPH pointer at 12:00 on the inner scale, which is used for calculations involving speed.
STAT (statute) and NAUT (nautical) indexes on the inner scale, which are used for measurements involving and conversions between statute and nautical miles.
KM index on the inner scale to the right of the MPH marker.
How to multiply on the Breitling Navitimer using the slide rule
To multiply on the Breitling Navitimer using the logarithmic slide rule, you will need the number you want to multiply – the multiplier – and the number by which you want to multiply it – the multiplicand. To find your answer, you follow these steps:
Line up your multiplier on the outer bezel with the unit index
Find your multiplicand on the inner scale
Read the product off the outer bezel
For example, 18 x 20. 18 is your multiplier and 20 is your multiplicand, so rotate the outer bezel until 18 is aligned with the unit index. You then find your multiplicand, 20, on the inner scale and read off the number next to it on the outer bezel, which is 360.
How to divide on the Breitling Navitimer using the slide rule
To divide on the Breitling Navitimer using the logarithmic slide rule, you will reverse the method you used for multiplication. You will need a dividend – the number you want to divide – and the divisor, the number by which you want to divide. To find your answer, you:
Line up your dividend on the outer bezel with your divisor on the inner bezel
Find the unit index on the inner scale
Read the product opposite the unit index on the outer bezel
For example, 360 divided by 20. You line up your dividend (360) on the outer bezel with your divisor (20) on the inner scale and read off the number on the outer bezel opposite the unit index, which is 18.
How to convert miles to kilometres on the Breitling Navitimer
To convert miles to kilometres using the slide rule on the Breitling Navitimer, take your number for miles that you would like to convert and set it next to either the NAUT or STAT mark, depending on whether you are using nautical or statute miles. Find the KM on the inner scale and read the number opposite on the outer bezel, which is your converted figure in kilometres.
This can be used in reverse to convert kilometres into nautical or statute miles.
How to calculate ground speed on the Breitling Navitimer
This calculation is an essential one for aviation, as ground speed tells you the speed of an aircraft measured against the ground, as opposed to airspeed, which factors in windage. To calculate ground speed using the slide rule on the Breitling Navitimer, you will first need to know the time it takes to travel a certain distance – if you want to know the ground speed of an aircraft over 300 miles, you will need to know how long this takes.
Find the distance travelled as a number on the outer bezel and line it up with the time travelled on the inner scale. Your ground speed is then read off at MPH, at 12:00 on the dial. For example, if you have travelled 300 miles in 45 minutes, you will align 30 on the outer bezel with 45 on the inner scale – remember, numbers can represent much larger integers, so 30 becomes 300. The number above the MPH mark at 12:00 reads 40, which means the ground speed is 400 mph (not 40 mph, which would be remarkably slow for an aircraft!).
How to calculate flight time on the Breitling Navitimer
To calculate your flight time using the slide scale on a Breitling Navitimer, you will need to know your speed and the distance between two set points. You will:
Align the speed on the outer bezel with the MPH index on the inner scale
Find the known distance from A to B on the outer bezel
Read off travel time in minutes on the inner scale
For example, you are travelling 580 miles from London to Berlin and travelling at 400 mph. Set the speed to 40 (the same as 400) on the outer bezel next to MPH, and locate the distance – 580 – on the outer bezel as well. Read the number on the inner scale opposite this distance, which will be 8.7, becoming 87 – meaning the flight will take 87 minutes, or 1 hour 27 minutes.
How to calculate fuel consumption on the Breitling Navitimer
To calculate the fuel consumption of an aircraft using the slide scale on a Breitling Navitimer, you will first need to know your average rate of fuel consumption and the total time you intend to travel. To calculate this, you will:
Set the figure for known gallons per hour on the outer bezel against the MPH index on the inner scale
Find known minutes of flight time on the inner scale
Read off the fuel consumption in total gallons needed on the outer bezel
Let us say that our aircraft consumes 60 gallons of fuel per hour – in our previous example, we have calculated that our journey from London to Berlin will take 87 minutes. By setting 60 on the outer bezel against the MPH index and finding 87 (8.7) on the inner scale, we can find the total amount of fuel needed to complete the trip by reading the number opposite on the outer bezel, which is 87.
Conquer the skies with the Breitling Navitimer
Although they may seem complex at first glance, these calculations can become second nature through frequent practice – and they only scratch the surface of the full capabilities of the Breitling Navitimer. Its applications are endless, from unit conversions such as Celsius to Fahrenheit, gallons to litres, and pounds to kilograms, to calculating wind impact, rate and distance of climb or descent, currency exchange, and more.
Few watches can lay claim to the title of a truly functional timepiece like the Breitling Navitimer, from its origin as a marvel of technical innovation that helped revolutionise flight to its iconic status today amongst collectors and enthusiasts.
To explore the Navitimer and our wider Breitling collection, browse online or book an appointment at our showroom in Plymouth, where our specialist James will be happy to assist in selecting your perfect timepiece.