It has now been a few days since Baselworld 2019 finished and with it being the first ‘NaviFriday’ since the end of the show it is probably the perfect opportunity to take a closer look at what was for me the stand out piece from all the new releases (no vintage Breitling bias, honest)…

The 1959 Navitimer 806 Limited Edition is without doubt one of the most exciting pieces I have seen from Breitling for a long time and there was a well deserved buzz around the brand the whole time we were there.

This new Navitimer has for me been a long time coming and is a result of the re-invigoration Georges Kern has brought to Breitling combined with the influence of WatchFred helping the company to remember its heritage. The last year or so has seen pieces introduced that pay tribute to past models from Breitling’s rich history, notably the Aviator 8 and Premier lines.

The 1959 Navitimer Re-Issue though is in my opinion a huge leap forward and has absolutely nailed what most of us have been longing for. More than just a ‘Re-Issue’ or ‘Tribute’ it is a truly faithful recreation of the original Navitimer 806 from the late 1950’s.

An original All Black 806 Navitimer (owned by TheRustyWatchGuy) next to the new Re-Edition

When compared side by side with an original you really begin to see the phenomenal attention to detail on the Re-edition. We were lucky to be joined by TheRustyWatchGuy on the Breitling stand as we had both brought along some vintage original 806 Navitimers for our meeting with Nicolas from Breitlings Heritage Department and WatchFred. This gave us a great opportunity to compare the details on the new release.
Whilst discussing the finer points of the watch with Fred you really begin to understand the passion that has gone into making sure this Navitimer is as correct as possible, from the same number of beads - 94 - on the bezel to the hand applied lume on the dial.
There is a nice creamy tone to the lume, not to be mistaken for ‘fauxtina’ or artificial aging. As Fred rightly points out, the original tritium that was applied to Breitlings in the 1950’s and 60s left the factory with a light yellowish creamy colouration and was never white. This has carefully been recreated and is a subtle feature unlike some of the pumpkin ‘fautxina’ we see on other re-issue watches.

Other key correct features to the dial include the famous Gold Applied wings logo this time laser cut from foil for the 2019 edition. Those of us with vintage Navitimer collections will note that the late 1950s and early 60s saw many variations to the logos with AOPA Gold wings only and cursive B signatures as well as the simple Breitling text above plain wings as seen on the Re-Issue.
The slide rule and dial fonts have also been painstakingly recreated with apparently many prototypes of the dial not passing Fred’s scrutiny. We also see the iconic syringe hands remaining as faithful as possible to the original.

My rare 1963 Transitional 806 with AOPA signed Gold Applied logo and the first of the Reverse Panda dials

The detailing continues on the case with the same 40mm diameter and 22mm lug width. The depth is still 12.86mm as with the original but we see a slightly thinner edge to the bezel (when viewed from the side). This is to counter the slightly thicker case middle due to the new B09 movement being deeper than the original Venus 178. Not overly noticeable unless you are comparing next to an original and the overall depth is still correct.
I should note for the keen eyed out there that these were pre-production examples we were handling and the finishing on the final watches will be more akin to the original.
The new case is now water resistant to 30m.

1959 Re-Edition side profile

Then there is the back… Unlike some vintage re-issue watches that favour big modern logos and large Limited Edition lettering the new Navitimer features a case back that is again faithful to the original with only a small number engraving for the Limited Edition out of 1959 pieces and a tiny modern reference number on the outer bevel.

Inside the 1959 Navitimer is something equally as important as the watch itself!… The new manually wound B09 Chronograph movement.
The first variant of Breitling’s in house B01 calibre, the B09 is chronometer certified with 70 hour power reserve and features a vertical clutch with column wheel.
The new movement puts the chronograph pusher position very slightly out of place versus the original but again this is barely noticeable.
The B09 is so important for the future of Breitling and proves very exciting for some vintage enthusiasts and collectors as it opens up the possibilities for what could be other Re-Issues of Breitlings amazing back catalogue of watches that we all know and love that featured the Venus 178.
Congratulations to Breitling for taking the time to produce this necessary variant to the automatic B01.

Next to my 1962 Cosmonaute 809 ‘Scott Carpenter’ a worthy contender for Re-Issue

Final thoughts…
Even though the buzz of Basel has now calmed I remain excited by the new 1959 Navitimer Limited Edition and all that it means for Breitling. Whilst it is evident the passion and exacting standards Fred has put into the creation of this watch there is also a whole team behind Georges Kern that have put an unbelievable amount of time and effort into producing something from scratch and doing it right. Congratulations everyone!
I have obviously put my name down to own one of these beautiful timepieces and getting the chance to speak to Fred and Nicolas about the intricacies of what went into making this watch only enthuses me further. As a huge fan and collector of Vintage 806 Navitimers I feel the new Navitimer Re-Issue is an amazing watch in its on right and only adds to the allure of the originals.
I look forward to May / June when it is hoped they will land at a price of £6,520.

For further info and specs visit the Breitling website.

This was clearly a hugely successful Basel 2019 for Breitling and I am grateful to have been able to experience it first hand.

All the Best
S