Breitling’s Latest Tool Watch Puts an Actual Piece of Aviation History on Your Wrist
This watch is more well-traveled than you are.
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On March 21, 1999, an event occurred that had never happened before in the history of the world. The Breitling Orbiter 3 balloon, piloted by balloonists Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones, touched down in an Egyptian desert, thus completing the first-ever nonstop balloon trip around the globe.
The remarkable feat of adventure was sponsored by Breitling from the start, as the brand behind such revolutionary pilot’s watches as the Navitimer and Emergency is no stranger to making aviation history. This year, Breitling is celebrating its 140th anniversary by highlighting some of its achievements over the last 14 decades, and it’s marking the 25th anniversary of the Orbiter 3’s record-breaking journey with a very unique special edition Aerospace watch.
The Balloon Seen ‘Round the World
You don’t hear a ton about balloon travel today, and even in the ’90s, it wasn’t exactly the most cutting-edge way to take to the skies. But for those who feel compelled to seek out adventure for adventure’s sake, the idea of traveling around the world nonstop in a balloon remained one of the most elusive feats during the twilight of the twentieth century.
11 teams had made 21 attempts at the journey in the years leading up to the Orbiter 3, and none were successful. When the Orbiter 3 completed its remarkable journey, the Breitling balloon had traversed 45,633km (28,355 miles) over the course of 19 days, 21 hours and 47 minutes. The balloon was piloted at an elevation of 30,000 feet, relying on jetstreams to travel in excess of 100mph.
“It was not only about flying around the world; it was about showing that we can achieve much more than we think,” co-pilot Piccard said in a statement.
The Breitling Aerospace B70 Orbiter: What We Think
Breitling has no shortage of adventure watches it could have chosen as the vessel for honoring the Orbiter3 , but the brand ultimately went with the Aerospace: an anachronistic, ana-digi leftover from the days when quartz was king. And you know what? It totally works.
Alongside Grand Seiko and Omega, Breitling is one of the few luxury brands that still puts effort into its quartz movements. The Aerospace B70 Orbiter is powered by the newly-developed, in-house “SuperQuartz” Calibre B70 movement that’s COSC-certified as a chronometer, thermocompensated against temperature changes and is ten times as precise as a typical quartz engine. It features a 1/100th second split-second, flyback chronograph, a perpetual calendar, dual alarms and a number of other functions on its analog-digital display.
The watch’s dial is a bright orange, matching the color of the original capsule attached to the balloon of the Orbiter 3. The mission logo also appears on the dial, while a callout to the Orbiter 3’s achievement appears on the caseback. Speaking of the caseback, that’s also where you’ll find the most interesting piece of this watch.
Visible through a sapphire caseback is an actual piece of the Orbiter 3 balloon itself, meaning owners of this watch will own a direct connection to this trip around the world on their wrist. Is a watch containing a piece of a world-traveling balloon gimmicky? Yes. Is it also awesome? Hell yes. This is exactly the type of thing I love about watches: The romantic link to adventure, the tangible connection to history, the little details that reward closer inspection. If you can fit a piece of a vehicle responsible for one of aviation’s landmark achievements inside a watch, you might as well do it.
I’m also glad Breitling went with the Aerospace for the watch, as it’s one of the brand’s more affordable models and helps keeps the price reasonable for what is obviously a limited release. (There’s only so much balloon to go around, after all, but Breitling hasn’t announced how many will ultimately be made.) It also seems likely that, in the ’90s, people like Piccard and Jones would have been wearing quartz watches during their daring escapades, as it was still considered superior technology.
The titanium watch on a rubber strap retails for $4,700, while the version on the full titanium bracelet goes for $4,900. It’s available as of March 21, the exact 25th anniversary of the Breitling Orbiter 3’s landing.
BreitlingBreitling Aerospace B70 Orbiter
Specs
| Case Size | 43mm |
| Movement | Breitling Cal. B70 quartz choronograph alarm perpetual calendar |
| Water Resistance | 100m |
Pros
- Contains an actual piece of aviation history
- One of the most impressive quartz movements on the market
Cons
- Only a certain number will be made
- Wears large at 43mm
