Baselworld - Breitling | Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers

What A Show Baselworld Was!

For those of you who do not know what Baselworld is, it is the premier watch and jewelry event, held annually in Basel, Switzerland. Manufacturers and designers from the biggest luxury brands such as Breitling, Rolex and Roberto Coin host media and buyers to showcase their latest releases.

One of our favorite watches that we saw this year at Baselworld was the new and incredibly astute Breitling Navitimer Rattrapante. Housed in the Navitimer range, this model expands on Breitling’s “supreme mastery of chronographs” by adding a split-seconds chronograph complication to their new in-house B03, officially chronometer-certified by COSC, movement. This is “considered one of the hardest watchmaking mechanisms to create”. We are expecting to see this piece in June, just in time for the annual EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh.

The Breitling Navitimer Rattrapante is housed in a large but very manageable 45mm case, that gives the watch the attention it deserves. This exceptional piece comes in surgical grade 316L stainless steel or in a 250-piece limited edition red-gold case complete with a transparent case back that showcases the impeccable movement.

BREITLING:

The fact that this exceptional B03 movement is housed in a Navitimer, nods to Breitling’s authentic partnership to the world of aviation. Beginning in the 1930’s, Breitling began building onboard instruments that could withstand the incredible physical demand of a warbird. In fact, they were trusted so much, that the Royal Air Force entrusted Breitling to outfit their fighter planes during WWII!  In 1952, the Breitling Navitimer was named the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s (AOPA) preferred watch because of the circular slide rule – allowing pilots to calculate crucial midflight computations.

Continuing with its tradition of the conquest of the skies, Breitling has developed additional instruments for professionals. The models include: The Emergency (the first wristwatch with an emergency distress signal), The Cosmonaut (the first wrist chronograph to travel in space with Scott Carpenter in 1962) and The B-55 Exospace (the brand’s first connect watch that tracks block off, take off, landing and block on times). The brand has also sponsored some of the greatest aviation acts including the Breitling Orbiter (the non-stop hot air balloon to circumnavigate the Earth), the Breitling Jet Team (the world’s largest civilian aerobatic jet team) and the Breitling DC-3 World Tour (which will be stopping at the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh this year)!

As masters of chronographs, they pioneered some of the most substantial complications that have defined the modern wristwatch chronograph today. In 1915, Leon Breitling led the charge on inventing the “first independent chronograph push-piece”. In 1923, this push piece was later adapted to add the ability to add several successive times by separating the stop/start function and the reset function. According to Breitling, this was exceptionally useful for calculating flight times. In 1934, the independent reset function was added to the watch, thus completing the modern face of the chronograph.

As Wisconsin’s only authorized Breitling dealer, we would love for you to visit us at our Whitefish Bay location or call us at 1-800-965-1242. Check out Schwanke-Kasten Jeweler’s website to view Breitling’s full collection.