Breitling Navitimer 8

In early 2018, Swiss luxury watch manufacturer Breitling announced the Navitimer 8 collection with six models. The automatic in-house B01 caliber with a chronograph function ticks away inside the line's top models. Frequent travelers will enjoy the Unitimer variants with world time functions. The Navitimer 8 Chronograph represents a more affordable alternative to watches with in-house movements. Its power comes from the B13 caliber, a modified Valjoux 7750. Entry-level models in this collection include the Navitimer 8 Automatic 41 with a date display and the Navitimer 8 Day & Date with day and date displays. Both models use calibers based on ETA movements.

The "8" in the watch's name comes from the Huit Aviation department founded by Willy Breitling in the late 1930s. The French word "huit" means "eight" in English and refers to the eight-day power reserve of the on-board clocks produced by the department. Navitimer 8 models with an in-house caliber have a 70-hour power reserve. This means these watches can run for almost 3 days without needing to be wound.

In terms of design, the manufacturer chose to forgo the typical Navitimer slide rule bezel for making calculations important to aviation. Instead, the Navitimer 8 has a bidirectional bezel that you can use to measure periods of time thanks to its triangular markers. The railroad minute track and Arabic numerals also have their roots in historical on-board clocks. Models with a black DLC coating look particularly sporty and modern, while the chronograph in rose gold is quite elegant. No matter which timepiece you choose, it will be water-resistant to 100 m (10 bar, 328 ft).

A stainless steel Navitimer 8 B01 Chronograph 43 with a leather strap and in-house caliber costs about 6,100 USD in mint condition. The variant on a stainless steel bracelet sells for a few hundred dollars more. You can choose between models with a black, blue, or silver dial. The silver version is only available on a brown leather strap. If you're interested in a Navitimer 8 B01 with a rose gold case, be sure to have around 15,500 USD on hand. Breitling outfits this watch with a bronze dial and brown leather strap.

Breitling developed and now produces the caliber B01 entirely in house. Fully wound, this movement boasts a 70-hour power reserve. It comes with a 30-minute counter at 3, a 12-hour counter at 6, and a quarter-second counter at 9 o'clock. The Navitimer 8 also features a date display between 4 and 5 o'clock.

is typical of the Valjoux 7750. Prices for these timepieces sit around 4,600 USD. Breitling also gives fans of black chronographs a reason to celebrate, as they produce a version of this watch with a black DLC coating. This model bears the reference number M13314101B1X1 and demands the same prices as its counterparts in polished stainless steel.

The stainless steel Breitling Navitimer 8 Automatic Unitime 43 comes with your choice of a black or silver dial. Like the chronographs, the dial features applied Arabic numerals. The real highlight of this watch is its world time function. Thanks to the display on the dial's outer edge and the independently adjustable hour hand, it's remarkably easy to tell the time anywhere in the world.

The automatic Breitling in-house B35 caliber ticks away inside the Unitime's case. This movement has a 70-hour power reserve. Breitling mounts the watch on a crocodile leather strap or stainless steel bracelet. You can call this timepiece your own for about 6,700 USD.

The Navitimer 8 Day & Date 41 and Navitimer 8 Automatic 41 lack a world time function and, thus, are much tidier. This is especially true of the latter watch, which only features three hands and a date display at 6 o'clock. Both timepieces have stainless steel cases measuring 41 mm in diameter. The dials are available in black or blue. Breitling also offers the Navitimer 8 Automatic 41 with a black DLC coating under the reference number M17314101B1X1.

These watches get their power from the calibers B17 (Automatic) and B45 (Day & Date), both of which are based on ETA movements and have a 40-hour power reserve. These calibers also boast certification from the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC).

Prices for these models sit around 3,300 USD, making the Automatic 41 and the Day & Date the most affordable options in the Navitimer 8 collection.

The Navitimer has been Breitling's most famous and successful model for many years. No other watch is as closely linked to its brand as this pilot's watch is to Breitling. Its characteristic slide rule bezel is known to nearly every watch fan out there. This iconic pilot's watch has come with Breitling's B01 chronograph caliber for several years now. In mint condition, this stainless steel timepiece costs roughly 7,100 USD. If you can do without an in-house caliber, you may enjoy the so-called "Old Navitimer." This wristwatch gets its power from the time-tested Valjoux 7750 caliber. Prices for never-worn models sit around 4,200 USD. Pre-owned versions cost a few hundred dollars less.