Breitling Navitimer Super 8 with elapsed time measurement

For Baselworld 2018, Breitling finds muse in Reference 637, a stopwatch that pilots in the 1930s and 1940s wore strapped to their thighs; its modern incarnation takes the form of a retro-tastic new Breitling Baselworld novelty dubbed the 50mm Navitimer Super 8. The Baselworld 2018 Breitling Navitimer Super 8 expresses the distinctive, practical design elements of the Reference 637 including elapsed time measurement rather than the original stopwatch.

The new Navitimer Super 8, an outsized, leftie or “destro” watch that takes inspiration from a stopwatches strapped to WWII bomber pilots’ thighs, which allowed optimal readability and ease of use.

Baselworld 2018: Breitling Navitimer Super 8 with elapsed time measurement

The crown was located on the left side of the case, but it was not made intentionally for the left handed (or “destro”), its prominent size and positioning was designed so that an aviator’s hand – even gloved – could easily manipulate it, when the Ref. 637 is strapped to the pilot’s thigh, the crown will then be ideally oriented at the top of the case, in easy reach of the military aviator. The pusher was used to activate the count-up and count-down functions that allowed the combat pilots to execute their missions (usually bombing runs and occasionally reconnaissance over-flights) with precision.

Breitling Reference 637. (PPR/Breitling)

The Reference 637 was created by Breitling’s Huit Aviation Department, which you might recall, was the namesake for Breitling’s new, recently launched, Navitimer 8 collection. It is here that the new Baselworld 2018 Breitling Navitimer Super 8 makes its home as part of the series. The Department’s name – the French word for “eight” – was chosen to reflect the eight days of power reserve offered by onboard clocks and other dashboard instruments.

Unlike the vintage Ref. 637, the new Baselworld 2018 Navitimer Super 8 is time-only and not a stopwatch. That said, an inner bi-directional rotating bezel can be found on the contemporary edition measure elapsed time. The original vintage stopwatch was also designed to be magnetism resistant but there’s no indication that a Faraday cage protects this new Breitling baselworld novelty from magnetic effects. The irony deepens when you consider that the shared in-house calibre B20, based on the joint Tudor calibre MT5612 first introduced in the Pelagos is actually outfitted with a anti-magnetic silicon hairspring but the B20 does not.

The new Breitling Navitimer Super 8 is available in two iterations: stainless steel with a black dial, and titanium paired with a green dial.

The calibre B20 driving the new Baselworld 2018 Breitling Navitimer Super 8 is a modified version of Tudor’s caliber MT5612.

Instead, it is a more beautifully decorated (from a traditional watchmaking perspective) with Geneva striping and other aesthetic finishes along with a free-sprung, adjustable mass balance – and, of course, a 70 hour power reserve. The new Breitling Navitimer Super 8 is available in two iterations: stainless steel with a black dial, and titanium paired with a green dial.

New Breitling Navitimer Super 8 Price and Specs

Movement Automatic Manufacture Caliber B20 with 70 hours power reserve
Case 46mm stainless steel or titanium case, 50mm including knurled bezel with 30 meters water resistance
Strap NATO leather strap with pin buckle
Price TBA