Given Breitling’s aeronautical and military heritage, it’s not surprising that James Bond used a Breitling watch to help him discover two nuclear warheads in 1965’s Thunderball. The watch worn in the film was rediscovered at a car boot sale for just £25, and went on to be sold at Christie’s for an astronomical £100,000. Breitling has always been connected with military operations. The iconic Navimeter watch was originally geared towards aviation, with a practical large face, an automatic winding mechanism and a circular slide rule. It was Scott Carpenter’s idea to add a 24 hour clock to the watch, which would help astronauts differentiate between day and night in space. Scott Carpenter’s pioneering work as an astronaut in the 1960s sums up Breitling’s ethos, which is one of exploration and invention. The practical functions of the Cosmonaute Navitimer meant that it was often bought in bulk for pilots and flight navigators. Although it would appear that the aviation functions have been made obsolete by advances in technology, models such as the Breitling Emergency watch are still necessities for pilots. The transmitter in the emergency watch helped to locate Squadron Leader Steve Brooks and Flight Lieutenant Hugh Quentin-Smith from the Antarctic when they crashed their helicopter in 2003. The impressive history of Breitling, coupled with their partnership with Bentley, makes their watches the ideal accessory for any secret agent.
Image credits:
https://www.breitling.com/gb-en/
https://www.1stdibs.co.uk/jewellery/watches/wrist-watches/breitling-navitimer-world-gmt-stainless-steel-a2432212-c651/id-j_6138271/
