The Breitling Avenger Collection: Inspired By Our Pioneering Aviation Heritage, Created For Contemporary Aerial Adventurers
Press Release
The Breitling Avenger Collection: Inspired By Our Pioneering Aviation Heritage, Created For Contemporary Aerial Adventurers
Breitling has redesigned the Avenger – a collection as bold and robust as its name suggests. It joins two other collections – the Aviator 8 and the iconic Navitimer – in Breitling’s Air universe and marks an evolution of the brand’s pilot’s watches, once again confirming its status as the world’s leading manufacturer of aviation-related watches. Like the Navitimer and Aviator 8 collections, the Avenger has its own personality. It was created as a reliable companion for aerial adventurers who want to achieve something outstanding and unexpected. It’s com- pletely at home on the wrist of a drone specialist mastering the skies from the ground, a pilot in the cockpit of a supersonic jet, or an aviation pioneer who has long been committed to challenging the conventional boundaries of flight.
No watch brand in the world has a more impressive and enduring link to aviation than Breitling. The brand provided onboard clocks and other key pieces of equip ment for airplanes in the 1930s and 1940s, an era that in spired the modern retro design of the Aviator 8 collection. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Navitimer became the ul timate watch for pilots and remains an important part of Breitling’s collection today. Even in the golden age of commercial flight in the 1960s and 1970s, some of the most prestigious international airlines relied on Breitling’s onboard clocks while their crews counted on their Breitling watches. Breitling was even there at the dawn of manned space travel: on May 24, 1962, US astronaut Scott Carpenter wore a Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute, made at his own request, on his Mercury space flight, making it the very first Swiss wrist chro nograph in space.
The Avenger originally debuted in 2001, and with the relaunch, Breitling has updated the collection and positioned it in a proud and unique place in its Air brand universe. The new collection represents nothing less than the transition of one of Breitling’s boldest collec tions into the era of modern aviation.
The Avenger has clearly staked out its own territory at Breitling. It introduces the modern performance inspired pilot’s watch with pure Breitling DNA to the next generation of men and women of action, purpose, and style. These committed individuals, from pioneering pilots and commercial aviation leaders to influencers and styledrivers, appreciate strikingly fresh watches that still respect the brand’s design codes. Every day, they challenge the ordinary with their exploits in the air, from space travel to precision aerial performance and the newage challenge of drone competitions.
The Breitling Aviation Pioneers Squad: Lessons in Accomplishment
For the launch of the new Avenger collection, Breitling has assembled a new Aviation Pioneers Squad as part of its #squadonamission campaign, made up of three remarkable individuals who represent different airborne disciplines but all define an incredible new age of adventure in the air: Scott Kelly, Rocío González Torres, and Luke Bannister. These accomplished aerial spe cialists represent different generations and bring incredibly varied experiences to the Squad. They are all worthy of the designation Aviation Pioneer and Breitling is proud to partner with such an exceptionally talented trio. Scott Kelly spent a year of his life looking down at the Earth from the International Space Station (ISS). Commandant Rocío González Torres has logged more than 1000 hours of flight time in a fighter jet and is proud to be a role model for girls and young women determined to conquer the skies. Finally, Luke Bannister excels in a whole new aviation discipline; he won his first World Drone Championship at the age of 15, and has been on a winning course ever since.
Scott Kelly
Astronaut Scott Kelly spent an astonishing 520 days in space during his four flights, and commanded the ISS on three of them. In March 2015, he started the ISS yearlong mission (expeditions 43, 44, 45, and 46), returning to Earth in March 2016. Scott released his memoirs, Endurance: A Year in Space, a Lifetime of Discovery, in 2017. A bit closer to Earth, he has flown over 8000 hours in more than 40 different aircraft and landed on aircraft carriers more than 250 times.
Rocío González Torres
Rocío González Torres, a commandant in the Spanish Air Force, was the first Spanish woman to log 1000 hours at the controls of an F18 fighter jet. She has also achieved a number of other impressive milestones. Rocío finished at the top of her class in her initial mil itary pilot training and also at the fighter and attack pilot academy, becoming the first woman to reach the number one spot in that challenging discipline. In credibly, while she was maintaining her busy schedule in the Spanish Air Force, she also completed an MA in Aviation and Airport Management and even found time for hobbies, including motorcycling, piano, and sport. In fact, she has been crowned national champion in fencing and the aeronautical pentathlon on several occasions. Rocío was drawn to the skies at an early age and a career as a jet pilot appealed to her. She was attracted by the qualities of the profession: “I love the fact that it’s sporty, risky, adventurous, serious, and disciplined. And I hope that girls and young women will be inspired and encouraged to follow their dreams and take unexplored paths.”
Luke Bannister
The Aviation Pioneers Squad is rounded out by Luke Bannister, who represents a new kind of aviator as a world champion drone pilot with XBlades Racing. He at tracted international attention when, at the tender age of 15, he won first prize in the World Drone Prix in Dubai and ent on to win three consecutive DCL Championships from 2016 to 2018. Luke is excited to have the chance to spread the word about his sport, which could become “as big as Formula 1” according to The Sunday Times. Speaking about his sport, Luke said: “With firstperson view (FPV) drone racing, there are no boundaries – the sky is limitless and my horizons are constantly expand ing! Racing is adrenalinepumping excitement. There’s always the challenge of learning new maneuvers, tricks in freestyle, and perfecting piloting skills. I love the freedom to explore – different locations, dramatic scen ery, aerial views, and the sensation of soaring like a bird with my wings. It’s a futuristic sport akin to scifi: it’s dramatic and virtual yet it’s reality – a surreal mix!”
It makes perfect sense that the members of the Breitling Aviation Pioneers Squad wear watches from the Avenger collection, which reinforces Breitling’s unparalleled pioneering status as the world’s leading maker of aviationrelated and pilot’s watches. The Avenger collection is an uncompromisingly modern expression of Breitling’s Air DNA and perfectly comple ments the impressive aerial careers of the three Squad members.
The Breitling Avenger watches are bold and extremely robust, while the distinctive rider tabs on their unidi rectional ratcheted bezels make them instantly recognizable. These tabs offer not only standout design but also allow for optimal manipulation of the bezel, even for aviators (or anyone else) wearing gloves, ensuring unrivaled safety and ease of use.
The watches in the Breitling Avenger collection are im pressively varied, with case sizes ranging from 43 mm to 48 mm. The choice of dial colors will appeal to any aviation fan, as will the broad selection of straps and bracelets. As you would expect from the Avenger col lection, the watches are available in chronograph, threehand “time only” models, or with a 24hour GMT hand.