Breitling

Founded by Léon Breitling in Saint-Imier; developed the wrist chronograph and the Navitimer pilot’s watch of 1952, with a slide rule on the bezel.

Léon Breitling set up his workshop in Saint-Imier and specialised in chronographs and timers. His son Gaston Breitling made a wrist chronograph with a separate pusher in 1915, and his grandson Willy Breitling developed it with two pushers.

Breitling became aviation's watchmaker and made instruments for aircraft cockpits. The Navitimer, with its slide rule on the bezel, became a favourite of pilots. After the quartz crisis the brand was rescued by Ernest Schneider, who moved it to Grenchen.

Reference and serial numbers on the caseback; the Navitimer’s logarithmic scale on the bezel.

• Clocks and watches
• Breitling Chronomat
• Breitling Navitimer
• Breitling Superocean
• Breitling Top Time