Breitling Celebrates Aviation's Golden Era as the TWA Edition Completes the Capsule Collection
Breitling recently launched its first capsule collection the Navitimer 1 Airline Editions celebrating the brand's important role in the golden era of aviation and some of the most emblematic airlines of that time. The collection took off with Swissair, and the second airline to join the team was Pan Am. Now these iconic carriers have been joined by TWA, whose aircraft were a familiar sight in the world's skies throughout much of the twentieth century.
Breitling's first capsule collection captures the spirit of a memorable time for commercial flight and revives the cool and evocative style of the 1960s and 1970s. The Navitimer 1 Airline Editions pay an affectionate tribute to the pioneers of civil aviation and celebrate some of the most emblematic airlines of the era. The collection was launched with the Swissair Edition, which was fol- lowed by the Pan Am Edition, and the collection is now complete with the addition of the newly released TWA Edition.
Breitling CEO Georges Kern says: "We are introducing these Airline Editions in a new capsule collection that will be produced for a limited time and consequently in a limited volume, but the watches are not numbered. With these capsule collections, Breitling aims to tell specific stories rooted in the history of its core collec- tion. This distinguishes them from our limited editions, which will retain their original intent: to be limited to a small, fixed number of watches."
Breitling's Capsule Collections: The Storytellers
Breitling's Chief Marketing Officer Tim Sayler also highlights the storytelling aspect of the capsule col- lections, adding: "We are delighted that our first cap- sule collection underscores Breitling's important role in aviation in the mid- to late twentieth century truly the golden era of commercial flight. The watches also focus on the young, cool design styles of the 1960s and 1970s, which are particularly relevant right now and have a huge influence on current design trends."
In the 1950s and 1960s, commercial aviation experi- enced an unprecedented boom. The world suddenly became smaller as the dream of flying was no longer limited to a privileged elite. Flying had become ac- cessible to a wider group of passengers, who, for the first time, could consider flying across a continent or even an ocean. Breitling played a key role in the emer- gence of commercial flight. Its onboard chronographs became standard equipment, first in propeller-driven planes and later in the jets produced by the world's leading aircraft manufacturers.
When the Breitling Navitimer wrist chronograph was launched in 1952, it became an instant favorite with aviators and notably with the dashing pilots of the late 1950s, who flew their iconic passenger aircraft, such as the Boeing 707 and the Douglas DC-8, across countries or on intercontinental flights. The Navitimer featured a circular slide rule that allowed the pilots to make any critical calculations they might need to make in the air. In these glory days of commercial aviation, the Navitimer chronographs were the original wrist- worn onboard computers and ultimately established Breitling already highly regarded for its onboard chronographs as the unrivaled official supplier to the world of aviation.
Breitling CEO Georges Kern points out: "For civil aviation history lovers and watch aficionados, the very mention of these legendary carriers calls to mind the excite- ment and adventure associated with long-haul flights. For a more fashion-oriented clientele, there's the allure of the style of a time captured in classic movie scenes of passengers enjoying the premium service provided by smiling, colorfully uniformed crew mem- bers. Breitling was the preferred supplier of more than 15 leading companies and aircraft manufacturers back in the 1960s, and, with our first capsule collec- tion, we are really excited about commemorating the most emblematic airlines of that era: TWA, Pan Am, and Swissair."
Trans World Airlines, which was based in the United States, was a familiar sight at the world's major airports throughout most of the twentieth century. Like the other editions in the capsule collection, which honor Swissair and Pan Am, it commemorates one of the airlines that played such an important role in the emergence of commercial flight in the twentieth century and which were largely responsible for introducing passenger aviation as we know it today.
Technical Specifications:
The case, in stainless steel, measures 43mm x 14.2mm. It has a domed AR-coated sapphire crystal, a sapphire display back printed with the TWA logo, and it is water resistant to 30 meters. Bidirectional rotating bezel with circular slide rule.
Movement is the Swiss automatic Breitling in-house caliber 01 with 47 jewels, 28,800 vph and a power reserve of 70 hours. Chronograph: ratchet wheel control, vertical coupling, 30-minute and 12-hour counters. Display: hour, minute, second, window date. It is COSC-certified as a chronometer.
The dial is silver with SuperLuminovahour markers and hour and minute hands. Anthracite sub-dials.
It comes on a vintage brown leather strap with steel pin buckle or on a stainless-steel mesh bracelet with folding clasp.
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