Released in 1952 and based on Breitling’s 1942 Chronomat, the Breitling Navitimer was the pilot’s watch to end all pilot’s watches. Following Breitling’s collaboration with the AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) to make the slide rule of its Chronomat even more relevant to pilots, the Navitimer was born as the ultimate pilot’s watch. Basically, a hand-held computer, the Navitimer enabled pilots to quickly figure out fuel consumption rates, average speeds, convert between various scales, and much more. Offered here we have the Navitimer Airborne hailing from the mid-1990s. Made of stainless steel and measuring 38mm in diameter and 13mm tall, it wears with a modest wrist presence that Breitling’s chronographs were not known for, particularly their models from the 1990s or 2000s. With a stunning golden tropical quad-compax dial sporting four silver subdials, the Navitimer Airborne is a unusual variant of the Navitimer that retains its pilot’s watch spirit but with a unique twist.

With its beaded slide rule bezel, information-packed dial, and signature design, the Navitimer, has become a watchmaking industry icon, and this Airborne is rich in character as an interesting Navitimer variant with its quad-compax tropical dial and smaller 38mm construction.