Together with the precise reproduction of the original Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph, Audemars Piguet presented three new Offshore Chronograph models at SIHH 2018 featuring the use of ceramic components, all of which are Carefully handcrafted.
Adding to the buzz is the bold camouflage chronograph (ref. 26400SO.OO.A052CA.01), a new 44mm stainless steel model with a khaki ceramic bezel, a stainless steel guard and screw for the first time. Buttons – locking crown and camouflage strap options.
Protected by an anti-glare sapphire crystal, the beige dial with the “Grande Tapisserie” pattern has brown counters, brown outer area, beige inner bezel and white gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands.
An additional khaki green rubber strap is included with this model.
The new 42 stainless steel model with a blue indigo dial (ref. 26470ST.OO.A030CA.01) marks the first commercial appearance of blue ceramic for the pushers and screw-down crown.
The dial features the iconic “Méga Tapisserie” pattern with blue counters, Arabic numerals with luminous coating, blue inner bezel and white gold Royal Oak hands with luminous coating.
The blue is also a rubber strap secured by a stainless steel pin buckle.
Audemars Piguet also presents a monochromatic version in titanium (ref. 26470IO.OO.A006CA.01), enhanced by a bezel, pushers and screw-down crown made of elegant grey ceramic.
The slate grey dial with the “Méga Tapisserie” motif features silver counters, Arabic numerals with luminous coating, silver inner bezel and white gold Royal Oak hands with luminous coating.
The two-tone strap is light grey rubber on the top and dark grey rubber on the sides and bottom, with a titanium pin buckle.
All models are water-resistant to 100 meters/330 feet and powered by the Manufacture Calibre 3126/3840, a 365-part self-winding movement that beats at 3 Hz (21,600 vibrations per hour) , the power reserve is 50 hours.
In 2022, Breitling redesigned its iconic Navitimer chronograph, which for decades was a staple of high-end tool timepieces designed for commercial airline pilots in the early 1950s. The Navitimer has gone through numerous iterations over the years and is one of the most recognized luxury sports watches in the world. However, under the current leadership of Georges Kern, Breitling has not undergone a recent makeover. Officially known as the Navitimer B01 Chronograph, the updated Breitling Navitimer for 2022 is available in three case sizes and a number of different dial options, many of which have never been offered in an aviation chronograph before. The aBlogtoWatch team got their hands on the all-new Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph, and here’s our take on this modern version of this timeless classic.
For me, Navitimer has always been a staple of the tool table because of its focus on computing utility. Its core design element is a slide rule bezel that once allowed pilots to make all kinds of necessary calculations, such as time to destination or fuel consumption rate. The rotating slide rule bezel mixed with the chronograph offers a small range of functions. Only the smartest and most competent pilots wear this wrist instrument, and the legacy of the learned aviation professional lives on in this Breitling-branded replica watches for sale. According to many watch enthusiasts, with a design DNA that has long been perfected, what can Breitling be able to do with a modern aviation chronograph like never before?
When Breitling designed the new Navitimer, it was important to mention some useful background. First and foremost, the brand’s goal was to make the Navitimer look and feel as pleasing as possible, while incorporating contemporary trends in luxury timepieces. This means that watches also need to be diverse and able to appeal to multiple audience sizes and color preferences. While the slide rule feature is indeed iconic, few know that Navitimer customers have actually used the feature, which means the feature needs to exist, but Breitling doesn’t really talk about it. In fact, Breitling has a series of prototypes of aeronautical chronographs with higher water resistance (which is difficult to achieve with the bezel working properly). None of these made it to the market because the resulting case didn’t look “Navimer enough”. So, Breitling’s main goals for the redesign of the chronograph were two: to create a commercially successful luxury watch that matched Breitling’s “easy luxury lifestyle” brand personality, and to offer a hobby that looked and felt like a chronograph. A favorite classic product. Note, to keep the dial a little cleaner, this generation of the Navitimer dial doesn’t have a tachymeter scale, I don’t think one would really miss it.
Equally important, Breitling was able to take its superb in-house caliber B01 automatic chronograph movement while making the Navitimer case thinner. Older Navitimer watches were thinner, but they were also hand-wound (as opposed to self-winding). The 2022 Navitimer luxury replica watch is approximately 1.5mm thinner than the previous generation model and also features an exhibition caseback. The thickness of the cases (they are both around 13.6-14mm thick, depending on the version) is due to a redesign of the slide rule bezel system, which is now flat instead of sloping like the previous model. However, the dial doesn’t look flat due to the recessed sub-dials. Many people will not notice the different structure of the aviation chronograph dial at first glance,
Breitling decided to make the dial very commercial in terms of color and finish. It’s a business decision that might make sense, but purists might still prefer some of the more historically recent Navitimer watches that have a more “tool watch” look. Various metallic colours and rich reflective surfaces are well tested among luxury seekers, but compared to the classic models, the new Navitimer B01 Chronograph is quite “shiny”. Adding to the look are new colors, including two different greens (one is a fun mint), two blues, and various shades of gray, white, and black mixed together. In addition to the main steel case version, there’s even an 18k red gold case option for a more premium feel. The dial is nice,
For me, the most astounding aspect of the new Navitimer B01 Chronograph case design is the polish. While not always the case, recent Navitimer watches have had fully polished cases—very beautiful polished cases. For 2022, Breitling is taking a different route, keeping the core style of the chronograph case but offering polished and brushed finishes on the case and available bracelet. This adds a lot of visual interest to the case and bracelet, but the double polish of the 2022 Navitimer really sets them apart from other modern versions of the watch and may help them stand out from customers who have used a previous generation of Navitimers Model.Jacob & Co. Astronomia Sky
On the dial, we see a return to the AOPA Breitling “wings” logo, which has been used on some vintage remakes, but not a standard collectible until now. Breitling CEO Georges Kern hosted the Navitimer B01 Chronograph launch and explained some very interesting things about the brand’s logo. The problem is that none of the current logos work on all watches. Some logos look better on modern watches, but not classic watches. Some watches only have a Breitling “B”, while others only have a graphic logo. It’s nice that Breitling has so much history to make this possible, but it’s interesting that the brand’s current logo doesn’t actually work on all watches.
In order to meet the needs of different customers, including women, Breitling made the right decision to offer essentially the same watch in three different case sizes. Granted, some dial colour configurations are only available in certain sizes, but for the most part Breitling has ensured that the 41, 43 and 46 mm wide Navitimer B01 Chronographs are more or less identical in style and appearance. Three Worn in all sizes, I personally prefer the 43mm wide version, but I’d love to wear either. The cases are water-resistant to 30 meters and have thicknesses of 13.6, 13.69 and 13.95 mm. Watch size is a matter of taste, not correctness. So the size that’s right for you depends on your anatomy and, to some extent, your preferred dial color.replica Grand Seiko Elegance
Breitling’s B01 automatic chronograph movement powers every watch, and for the first time in an aviation chronograph, you can see a very beautiful movement through the exhibition caseback. This was designed by former Rolex engineers who worked on the chronograph movement inside the Daytona and it is very accurate. Each is a COSC-certified chronometer with an operating frequency of 4Hz and a power reserve of 70 hours. The watch has time and date (integrated in the lower sub-dial) and a 12-hour chronograph. All watches come with a brown or black alligator leather strap, or a matching seven-link metal bracelet (steel or gold, depending on the version). The bracelet option (steel) is only $400 more and also features a new butterfly deployment clasp, a major upgrade over the previous folding deployment clasp.
The new 2022 Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph coincides with the 70th anniversary of the original 1952 Navitimer. The collection is as dazzling and handsome as ever, and Breitling hopes the vibrant new colors and shapes will help the thinking man’s tool watch appeal to a more general luxury audience.buy replica watches
