Breitling Ice Blue Stunner

The Caliber B19, Breitling's first in-house perpetual calendar chronograph movement, which was featured in the limited edition model celebrating the 140th anniversary of its founding, released in 2024, has now been installed in the regular Navitimer model. The stainless steel case and ice blue dial create a refreshing look. We delve deeper into its appeal, including comments from the company's head of development.

A perpetual calendar chronograph is finally available in a regular model

　Breitling, the prestigious chronograph manufacturer, celebrates its 140th anniversary in 2024. To commemorate this, they have released limited edition models in 18K red gold cases from three collections: Navitimer, Super Chronomat, and Premier. All of these models feature the brand's first in-house perpetual calendar chronograph movement, the Cal. B19, which has caused a stir and quickly sold out in Japan.

　Many watch enthusiasts had hoped that the B19 would be featured in a regular model in the future, and that dream has already come true. The first model chosen was the Navitimer with a stainless steel case. As you can see, it has an extremely beautiful finish.

　Design highlights include the ice blue dial color, reminiscent of a clear sky, and the moon phase display set at the 12 o'clock position, depicting an intricate moon. Since its launch in 1952 as the world's first chronograph with a rotating slide rule for aviation, the Navitimer has been loved by many pilots and eventually spawned a derivative model with a 24-hour hand (the Cosmonaut), worn by NASA astronaut Scott Carpenter. The notched rotating bezel, a signature detail of the collection, is crafted from platinum, evoking a sense of luxury. Ivan Gregic, Head of Product Development at the company, said:

"In order to optimize the user experience, the B19 allows as many adjustments as possible to be made with the crown. This has allowed us to minimize the number of calendar correctors (adjustment devices) on the side of the case, which we believe also contributes to maintaining the refined aesthetics of the Navitimer. The two correctors on the left side are positioned in perfect balance with the crown and pushers on the right side. We are confident that our passion for such details will appeal to those with discerning tastes."

　So when did development of the B19 begin? To recap, it was released in 2009 as Breitling's first fully in-house developed and manufactured automatic chronograph. It incorporates an instantaneous date-advance perpetual calendar mechanism based on the Cal. 01 movement, which has remained Breitling's flagship movement ever since.

"Development began in 21. Initially, the Cal. 01 design did not include the idea of ​​incorporating a perpetual calendar. After repeated improvements, we decided that it was finally a movement suitable as the foundation for integrating a complex mechanism."

　As a side note, the current 01 is the third generation. The original 01 boasted a power reserve of approximately 70 hours, a vertical clutch that prevented the hands from skipping, a compact yet highly efficient bidirectional winding mechanism, and a modular design that made maintenance easy. It was a watch worthy of Breitling's boast that it was "the world's best chronograph." However, Breitling continued to improve the watch, and in the third generation, most of the parts, including the vertical clutch, reset hammer, regulator, and automatic winding mechanism, have been changed.

　The base movement of the B19 is actually an evolution of the latest 01. The power reserve has been significantly extended to approximately 96 hours, and the balance wheel is a free-sprung type that is resistant to shocks, rather than a regulator.

Complete set of balance parts for Cal.B19.

The reverser, or switching wheel, has been redesigned to be more compact, and three planetary gears are used inside to reduce friction caused by the automatic winding mechanism.

"The perpetual calendar, which automatically corrects for leap years and months with 28, 30 or 31 days, and has continued to function accurately for nearly a century without any major adjustments, is one of the most sophisticated and prestigious complications in the history of watchmaking. Our goal was to house this in an extremely robust and reliable movement that could be used not only in limited editions but also in our flagship line. I am proud to say that we have achieved this goal."

　Of course, fans of the brand will also find it appealing that the B19's perpetual calendar module was designed from scratch by Breitling, rather than by its partner Dubois-Dépraz, and that several of its mechanisms, including the ability to fast-forward everything with a simple turn of the crown, are patented.

　It's surprising that the new model is priced so low despite being equipped with such a highly sought-after high-complication movement. "The release of this new Navitimer is part of our strategic journey. Before our management change in 2017, Breitling was known as a prestigious aviation watch manufacturer, but today we have evolved into a more sophisticated brand, embodying a unique modern-retro worldview. We hope to continue being a leader in 'neo-luxury,' proposing a more casual, inclusive, and sustainable approach to luxury. We believe this model will help us to raise awareness of the new Breitling to a wider audience and further enhance the value of our brand."

　The B19 will likely be installed in regular models of the Premier and Chronomat in the future. With the introduction of an in-house perpetual calendar chronograph, Breitling will continue to soar to new heights in the watch world.