Hands-On: The Breitling Navitimer Perpetual Calendar 140th Anniversary
Today, we’ll examine the Breitling Navitimer Perpetual Calendar 140th Anniversary limited edition. This is the third hands-on review of these special celebration models. The Navitimer is arguably the most famous Breitling chronograph, meaning this piece had better be good!
Thus far, we’ve gone hands-on with the Super Chronomat and Premier Datora Perpetual Calendar 140th Anniversary editions. The third and final watch is a Navitimer Perpetual Calendar, and it’s cosmetically very different from the others. The Super Chronomat is the sportiest of the trio and features a large 44mm case with an open-worked dial. Contrastingly, the 42mm Premier is the smallest and the most formal-looking with a glossy black dial. How will the Navitimer differ?
The Navitimer Perpetual Calendar 140th Anniversary
I’ll lead off by saying I’m impressed with all the 140th Anniversary models. They’re beautifully detailed and look stunning on the wrist. Each is intended for a different purpose, but all house the same movement. For reasons that likely have to do with my penchant for vintage watches, the Navitimer Perpetual Calendar is the piece I like most.
In this application, the Navitimer Perpetual Calendar uses a 43mm by 49mm 18K red gold case. It has a 15.6mm thickness, which includes the cambered sapphire crystal and screw-in display case back. For reference, this is the same thickness as the Premier. The watch uses traditional pump pushers and has a large, signed winding crown. It comes on a black alligator strap with a red gold folding buckle.
How the Navitimer differs from the others
The biggest difference between the Navitimer Perpetual Calendar and the other anniversary models is the dial. Whereas the other pieces have black dials, the Navitimer beams with its golden sunburst dial. Naturally, this is a big change, and it’s one for the better. We’re used to seeing the latest Navitimer with bold dial colors, including icy blue, dark green, and mint green. Therefore, a lighter dial works.
It’s not a case of looking like a massive, circular wheatfield, though. The outer slide rule comes in black and helps reduce the dial’s visual size. Additionally, hints of instrument-like red provide a welcome contrast. Like the other 140th Anniversary pieces, Breitling has chosen 18K red gold for the applied hour indices and hands.
Larger yet comfortable
The Navitimer Perpetual Calendar has a larger diameter than the Premier, but the shorter 49mm lug-to-lug makes a difference. Plus, the thinner, sloping lugs help the case conform to the wrist. If you’ve never tried a Navitimer, they’re interesting pieces. The ridged, bidirectional bezels are thin, resulting in watches dominated by their dials.
It’s a unique look that shouldn’t work, but the case design, domed crystal, and dark scale of the slide rule all contribute to one of the most lasting designs on the market. A Navitimer will never be seen as simple, yet even more dial complexity in this case looks fantastic and luxurious.
The B19 perpetual calendar
Like the other anniversary models, the Navitimer Perpetual Calendar also uses the manufacture B19 chronometer-certified automatic movement. Once again, it displays a 22K gold rotor with the original Montbrillant Manufactory in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. This movement offers 96 hours of power reserve and functions at a 28,800vph frequency. Besides the time, it powers a moonphase complication, a chronograph with a 30-minute totalizer, and a full perpetual calendar with a leap-year indicator.
Availability
The Navitimer Perpetual Calendar is also available as a limited edition of 140 pieces. It is priced at €55,000 / £48,000 / US$59,000, which are figures consistent with the other two models. As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, these 140th Anniversary editions are expensive but special. In my opinion, due to its brighter dial tone, the Navitimer Perpetual Calendar 140th Anniversary is the most distinct of all.
What do you think of this watch and the three-piece 140th Anniversary series overall? Do you have a favorite model? Let us know in the comments.
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