Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute 809 "AOPA"

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The Navitimer story started when Breitling and AOPA (Aircraft  Owners and Pilots Association) worked together in the early 50’s to develop a watch that helped pilots to navigate. The watch therefore contains a ‘slide rule bezel’ to help pilots calculating distance, remaining fuel and remaining time to get home for dinner. This particular Navitimer is executed as a Cosmonaute. A variation on the Navitimer with a 24-hour instead of 12-hour time scale. This was originally invented to help astronauts seeing the difference between day and night without any light in space.This specific piece dates back to 1966, is made out of stainless steel and has the, in our eyes, perfect tool watch case size of 40 millimeters. The watch runs on the Venus calibre 178 and is fitted on a ‘cognac brown’ leather strap. Beneath the slightly domed plexi glass we find a black ‘Cosmonaute’ dial configuration but instead of the Breitling name, logo and ‘Cosmonaute’ text you’ll find the gold applied ‘AOPA’ logo.If you’re in the market for a vintage pilot watch, this is definitely a piece to take a look at. So feel free to pick up this stunner. Little note: Don’t come back asking us for a lesson on the bi-directional turning slide rule because we’re definitely no scholar mathematicians.

Introduction

Breitling NavitimerA historical important piece ever associated with aviation. The first Navitimer, ref. 806, was released in the early 50s and was the second slide-rule chronograph they brought to the market. (after the success of the Chronomat). The name is taken from the words ‘Navigation’ and ‘timer’. Pilots were highly respected in the early years of aviation and Breitling looked forward to link this new model to them, they even used the AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots association) logo on their first models. Their marketing strategy paid off and resulted in them to become the official supplier of on-board measuring instruments for all notable aircraft companies.Over the years this model has been adapted to meet the current demands of the watch market and came in many variations. It is still the watch of choice for pilots from all over the world. Many Air-Forces even use it as regular equipment for their pilots. John Travolta, pilot and owner of 2 airplanes, is one of the wearers and ambassadors for the brand. However do not worry if you are not John Travolta or don’t own any planes, with this piece of history on your wrist the awesome look and utility is unbeatable.CosmonauteSure the Omega Speedmaster was the first watch on the moon, but the first in space? In 1962 Scott Carpenter went into space aboard the Aurora 7 capsule. On his wrist: a Breitling chronograph, similar to the Navitimer, however with one big difference: 24 hour graduation. A vital necessity to distinguish day from night when you’re all the way up there.

Specifications

Shipping

Packages are generally dispatched within 2 days after receipt of payment and are shipped within the Netherlands by Registered Mail through the Dutch carrier PostNL and for other countries by Fedex. Consult us if you prefer another method of shipping. For most destinations tracking is available.