Breitling
History
1884
- In St. Imier, in the Jura mountains of Switzerland, Leon Breitling
opens a workshop specialising in making chronographs and precision
counters for scientific and industrial purposes. In 1914 Leon
Breitling dies and the company is passed over to his son
Gaston, a year later Gaston creates the first wristwatch chronograph
and subsequently provides pilots with the first wrist instruments.
By 1923 Breitling had developed the first ever independent
chronograph pushpiece.
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Breitling
Men's Chronomat Evolution Watch
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Gastons
son, Willy Breitling takes over control of the company
in 1932 and in 1936 Breitling becomes the official supplier
to the Royal Air Force. The Chronomat is introduced in
1942 - the first chronograph to be fitted with a circular slide
rule. The company also widens its professional clientele to include
the American armed forces. 1954 saw the creation of the Navitimer,
a wrist instrument equipped with the famous navigation computer.
This super chronograph becomes a firm favourite among the pilots
across the globe. By this stage, Breitling is already supplying
the major international airlines with cockpit clocks. In 1962,
Astronaut Scott Carpenter wears the Cosmonaught chronograph
during his orbital fligh aboard the Aurora 7 space capsule.
1969 saw Breitling introduce the first ever self winding
chronograph. This technical feat represents a major breakthrough
for the entire swiss watch industry. 1979 saw the takeover of
Breitling from the founders grandson Willy. Ernest Schneider
takes the helm. in 1984 The Chronomat is launched and marks the
return of the chronograph. It becomes the best selling line in
the Breitling collection, a position it has held ever since.
Soon afterwards in 1985, the Breitling Aerospace is launched.
Today, all Breitling watches are manufactured in Switzerland and
are made from Swiss components. Raw movements are obtained from
ETA and Valjoux and are modified in the Breitling Chronometrie
Workshops before undergoing extreme COSC certification.
Breitling
is still operates in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the town where Leon Breitling
opened his first chronograph factory 110 years earlier.
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Breitling
Watches
Reviews, Profiles & Articles
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