Breitling Navitimer, a gentlemen's gold-plated chronograph w...

Hammer

£2,000

Breitling Navitimer, a gentlemen's gold-plated chronograph wristwatch: the 24-hour black dial with outer chronograph dial for pilot calculation, with three subsidiary dials showing seconds, minutes and hours and signed Breitling, Geneve, Cosmonaute, Navitimer, the rear of the case stamped Stainless Steel Back, Breitling, 806, diameter 40mm. The Navitimer watch was first introduced by Breitling in 1952 following a request to allow pilots to make calculations mid-flight. Astronaut Scott Carpenter asked Breitling to fit a 24-hour dial to his Navitimer as he was unable to differentiate between day and night in space. In May 1962 Carpenter took ownership of his 24-hour dial Navitimer Cosmonaute and is seen in images wearing it on the Mercury 7 mission. Further models were then produced using the Venus 178 calibre movement.