It has been more than 85 years since Breitling introduced the first modern chronograph, whose influence on watch design is incalculable. With the new Navitimer B03 Chronograph Rattrapante 45, featuring its interpretation of one of the grandest complications in watchmaking, the brand has shown they’re staying at the forefront of innovation. The Navitimer B03 Chronograph Rattrapante 45 is cased in 18 ct red gold and is equipped with Breitling’s Manufacture Caliber B03, a special split-second movement protected by two patents. Its innovative construction ensures maximum precision, robustness and reliability.
The Rattrapante is probably the most advanced complications in all watchmaking. Simply put, with its two central chronograph hands superimposed, it can concurrently measure two elapsed times. The rattrapante feature on the new Breitling Navitimer B03 Rattrapante 45 Chronograph is very special certainly, and there are a few added details that make this watch an instant classic.
The Navitimer B03 Chronograph Rattrapante 45 is both aesthetically pleasing and technically sophisticated. Housed in a hefty 45 mm 18 ct red gold case, this watch is distinguished from a Stratos Gray dial. The hour markers and hour and minute hands are coated with Super-LumiNova®, which ensures legibility in all lighting conditions. This watch has the bidirectional rotating bezel with circular slide ruler that has long been related to Navitimers Breitling.
The Navitimer B03 Chronograph Rattrapante 45 offers another charming detail. Typically, the Breitling Navitimer contains a stylized “B” logo with an anchor symbol adorning the base of the chronograph hands. But here’s a subtle refinement, with the logo split between the hands. The B is on the red chronograph hand, while the anchor sits on the split-second hand. As a result, the two logo elements separate when the second hand for a split second is stopped and reform when the second hand aligns with each other.
A split second pusher, located on the crown at 3 o’clock, functions to stop and restart the split second hand as often as desired during timing operations, allowing the user to measure fractions of time or compare the results of multiple competitors.
Breitling Manufacture Caliber B03 is manufactured by the brand at the Chronométrie facility in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The COSC-certified chronometer, whose performance can be seen through the watch’s transparent sapphire caseback, offers a power reserve of about 70 hours and is covered by a five-year warranty. The watch, with a striking 18 ct red gold case, is presented on a black alligator leather strap with a pin buckle.
Navitimer and Legacy of the Breitling Chronograph
Since its development in 1952, the Breitling Navitimer has become one of the world’s most admired chronographs, and, with several new additions to the family, Breitling has introduced this watchmaking legend to a complete new generation of enthusiasts worldwide.
Navitimer is arguably the most iconic of all Breitling watches. This twentieth-century classic remains popular in the twenty-first century, more than 65 years after it was first launched to meet the needs of the growing commercial and leisure aviation market. Thanks to the circular sliding rule capable of performing numerous aviation-relevant calculations, the Navitimer was adopted by pilots and particularly favored by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Instantly recognizable, the timeless chronograph design is as compelling today as it was when it was first introduced.
Behind Navitimer lie more than a century of horological breakthroughs. Breitling developed the first independent 2 o’clock movement in 1915 and the second independent movement in 1934, establishing the modern chronograph in both form and function. The brand introduced the self-winding chronograph – one of the world’s first – in 1969, and all true watch fans love the classic 1944 Duograph, whose split-second chronograph movement was developed partly by Breitling.
Breitling has long been considered a leader in mechanical chronograph movements, and the new Navitimer B03 Chronograph Rattrapante 45 in 18 ct red gold elevates the status of the brand, demonstrating just how thrilling a mechanical watch can be.
