Breitling Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute Limited Edition

On the 60th anniversary of its journey aboard the Aurora 7 spacecraft, the mythic watch with the 24-hour dial is set to lift off once again in a new release that pays tribute to the historic mission. To mark the occasion, Breitling offered the first-ever public viewing of the original Cosmonaute since 1962—and revealed the watch’s incredible story.

In the 1960s, Breitling’s Navitimer was the undisputed pilot’s watch. But the world’s attention was rapidly advancing beyond air travel and into space exploration, and that meant a different kind of Space Race was quietly underway. This time, between watchmakers vying to be the first on astronauts’ wrists.

Breitling’s expertise in aviation watches shot the brand to the head of the pack. On May 24, 1962, Breitling officially claimed the title “first Swiss wristwatch in space” after astronaut Scott Carpenter orbited the Earth three times while wearing the Navitimer Cosmonaute during his Mercury-Atlas 7 mission. The watch had been Carpenter’s personal request, a variation on the iconic aviator’s watch he’d encountered in his flight days, but with a 24-hour dial to tell day from night in space.