Breitling Navitimer Automatic 36
Power, Grace, and Balance: The Dance of the Breitling Navitimer 36 & 32
An iconic pilot watch and ballet? Seems an unlikely combination? Read on.
By Watchonista
With its beaded bezel and highly technical gauging, the Breitling Navitimer is not only the watchmaker’s most recognizable timepiece, it is also arguably its most “macho.” But that’s only if you’re not really looking.
While the Navitimer has ridden on the wrists of combat pilots and even astronauts for decades, Breitling chose to tell the story of its new 36mm and 32mm Navitimers through the lens of two of its brand ambassadors at an artful event last night held at the Manhattan Classic Car Club: Misty Copeland, the first black woman to be promoted to principal dancer of ABT – the American Ballet Theater – and Charlize Theron, the Oscar-winning actress who also has more than a little background in dance.
With the dazzling accompaniment of performances by dancers in the ABT, attendees were treated to an exercise in precision worthy of high horology.
Navigating Style
As far back as 2020, when the world differentiated between men’s and ladies watches more than now, Breitling identified the cross-gender appeal of the Navitimer. And, in keeping with this, these new 32mm and 36mm timepieces are not only for smaller wrists, but are also notably thinner and more color- and material-dynamic than many other Navitimers.
Expect 18K red traceable gold, radiant mother-of-pearl, responsible lab-grown diamonds, and other flourishes to accompany the timepiece’s innate technicality.
The 36mm versions are offered in a trio of metallic dial colors – mint green, silver and anthracite – on steel bracelets and contrasting leather straps, along with a white mother-of-pearl dial set with diamonds on a bi-color bracelet or bold red alligator strap.
There are also bi-color and full red gold versions of the 36mm watches with the mother-of-pearl, diamond-set dial approach. Powered by the COSC-certified Breitling Caliber 17, it delivers a dual dose of eye-appeal and legitimate technical prowess.
Sartorial Punch
In the 32mm versions, the signature pilot slide rule gauging is left out for a more simplified design, given the smaller dial real estate. But that omission is more than made up for in sartorial punch: Mother-of-pearl dials in soft pink and light blue – Breitling’s first application of those materials – lead the pack, completed by a traditional white dial execution.
Again, steel-link bracelets or richly hued leather straps are offered as options. Bi-color and full red gold executions come in in this size, as well. The Breitling Caliber 77 SuperQuartz movement drives these beauties.
Pricing & Availability
Your ticket to the dance will vary depending on materials and case size: The 32mm versions start at $4,300 going up to $22,000 for the full-gold execution. For the 36mm size, pricing starts at $5,000 reaching $33,000 for the full-gold.
Find out more at the Breitling website.
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