Latest news with #Navitimer
Mint
09-05-2025
- Science
- Mint
5 legendary wristwatches that went to space
Not so long ago, the wristwatch used to be a proper tool. Used by professionals in different environments, and for a wide variety of jobs, the watch wasn't just part of someone's 'look", but also an essential item. A recreational diver (as well as a professional one) would use their dive watch, while a scientist working in a laboratory might use a watch with extra magnetic resistance. In fact, wristwatches used to be marketed as such, e.g. chronographs with a pulsometer scale on the bezel were pitched to doctors, because they would use one to calculate the pulse rate. And once recreational sports like mountaineering, diving and spelunking took off in the 1950s and 60s, purpose-built watches like the Seiko Willard, or the Rolex Explorer II were marketed as kit essentials. In fact, watches were important enough that when the 'Space Race" between the Soviet Union and the US began in the 1960s, watches became an important part of the story. So, what are the watches that went to space? Well, there are many including, in modern times, Casios and Apple Watches. But for sheer iconic status, you can't beat these five. Also Read 8 best GMT watches for your summer holidays A post shared by Galin Russev (@gallianoo) Strela Chronograph If the narrative of space exploration is too US-centric, then so is the story of watches in space. And while everyone knows that the Omega Speedmaster was the first watch on the moon in 1969, in 1965, Russian-made Strela became the first watch to be worn during a spacewalk, by Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov. Built by the Moscow Watch Factory (which had also supplied the first man in space, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, with his Sturmanskie watch). A chronograph was an indispensable tool for the space-men, since so much of their work had to be meticulously timed, from oxygen levels to timing rocket burns. A post shared by Gabriele (@isignorideltempo) Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute By the early 1960s, the Breitling Navitimer had been established as one of the most trusted aviation watches for pilots. The key factor that made the watch a hit with the pros was its circular slide rule, allowing pilots to make on-the-fly in-flight calculations. In 1961, US cosmonaut M. Scott Carpenter approached Breitling to make him a purpose-built Navitimer, this one with a 24-hour chronograph scale (instead of the standard 12-hour scale), because it's impossible to otherwise tell morning from night in space. Breitling obliged, and in 1961, the Cosmonaute became the first Swiss chronograph in space, when Carpenter flew to space on the Aurora 7 rocket. A post shared by Neyra Official (@ Omega Speedmaster Professional NASA had been tinkering with the idea of selecting an official watch—a chronograph of course—for its astronauts, and the process speeded up once Carpenter took the Navitimer to space. The space organization invited brands to participate, and received watches from Omega, Rolex and Longines. After rigorous durability tests, NASA settled on the Omega Speedmaster, a watch released in 1959 for motorsport enthusiasts and drivers. From 1965, the Speedmaster Professional became a part of the official gear issued to astronauts of the Gemini and Apollo missions. Thus, the watch featured on the wrists of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin when they touched down on the moon in 1969. A new horological icon was born. Also Read 5 horology YouTube channels you should follow A post shared by 𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚏𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 (@lowgradewatchfiend) Bulova Lunar Chronograph While the official Speedmasters issued by NASA had to be returned to the organization once astronauts returned to Earth, members of the expeditions were allowed to carry personal watches too. During the Apollo 15 mission in 1971, astronaut Dave Scott's Speedmaster's crystal popped out during an EVA (extra-vehicular activity) on the Lunar Rover. He put on his personal Bulova chronograph to help him finish the mission. Thus, it became the only other known watch to be worn on the moon's surface. A post shared by WYD (@ Seiko 6139 'Pogue" It wasn't just Swiss watches that were worn in space, but a Japanese trailblazer made it there too. In 1969, Seiko had become one of three brands to successfully release an automatic chronograph—the others were Zenith and Heuer—and it was thefirst of the three to come out that year. By the early 70s, automatic chronographs were the rage—the Speedmaster was a mechanical chronograph—and surely enough, these watches were favoured by aviators and astronauts because these didn't need to be manually wound each day. In the 1970s, NASA's focus shifted from moon landings to space stations, and the first of these was the Skylab. Astronauts would stay in these stations and conduct scientific experiments for months on end, in a testament to new space tech and human endurance. During its final crewed mission between November 1973-February 1974, William R. Pogue wore the Seiko 6139-6005, making it the first automatic chronograph in space. This funky watch, with its cushion case, brilliant gold dial and a 'Pepsi" blue-and-red bezel, attained iconic status. Fittingly, fans call it the 'Pogue". Once, wristwatches were more than accessories—they were essential tools built to withstand the harshest environments imaginable. Nowhere was this truer than in space, where extreme temperatures, zero gravity, and relentless radiation demanded unwavering precision and resilience. These timepieces weren't worn for style; they were mission-critical instruments, used to measure experiments, time rocket burns, and track day and night in a place where such markers vanish. In the golden age of space exploration, watches were engineered as tools for human endeavour—purposeful, reliable, and tough. Their presence in space serves as a powerful reminder of when function, not fashion, defined what we wore on our wrists. Handwound is a monthly column on watches and watchmaking. Also Read From oyster to jubilee: The importance of watch bracelets
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Breitling Announces the Ultimate Navitimer Watch
Want more watch coverage? Get Esquire's newsletter, free into your inbox every Sunday. There's few things the luxury watch world enjoys more than celebrating a birthday. Any date in the diary will do, no matter how quietly the occasion may have shook the world. Forty-five years since the development of a particular movement. Sixty years of a partnership with some fictional character or other. Seventy-five years since someone climbed a mountain or dived an ocean or completed in some road race latterly associated with the brand. Last year, Breitling, the Swiss watchmaker known for its precision chronographs, sturdy craftsmanship and strong ties to aviation, had legitimate reason to get out the bunting – the occasion of the 140th anniversary of its founding. Yet you'd be forgiven for missing it. Where other brands would have taken the opportunity to create a year's worth of noisy "moments", Breitling's celebrations were curiously muted. Perhaps to underline a new emphasis on its serious watchmaking credibility – the wider company has announced it will bring back dormant watch geek brand Universal Genève in 2026; more recent rumours suggest the purchase of a third brand, Gallet – Breitling chose to celebrate the milestone by announcing a new movement. The calibre B19 was the brand's first perpetual calendar, the complication that tracks day, date, month and moonphase, and self-corrects for leap years, as well as months of 28, 30, and 31 days. This was the latest in a line of movements Breitling has been developing in-house, a series that began in 2009 with the calibre B01, an automatic chronograph, and has since been followed by a GMT, a split-seconds, and others. Perpetual calendars are among the most prized complications in any watchmakers' catalogue – typically the preserve of high-end haute horology brands, and with prices to match. Breitling chose to double-down on this idea for its anniversary by releasing birthday perpetual calendars across three of its watch models, the Premier, the Navitimer and the Chronomat, and positioning them at the top end of its catalogue. Each one was a limited edition (of 140, natch), made from 18ct gold and cost an eye-watering £48,000. That surely ruled out most passing Breitling fans. Still, movements cost a lot of time and money to produce – Brietling says the B19 underwent a 16-year aging simulation that included 100,000 crown winds, 3,456,000 weight turns and 60,000 shocks at 500G, 'among other extreme challenges' – and no one is going to go through all that faff for just three watches. A broader roll out of the B19 was surely on the cards. So, today the watchmaker has announced the arrival of the perpetual calendar movement in a more attainable stainless steel version of its flagship watch, the Navitimer. It also comes in one of the most attractive dial colours, ice blue. The rest of the specs for the Breitling Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual Calendar are: a 43mm case, a 96-hour power reserve, Super-Luminova luminescence on the indexes and the hour and minute hand, and water resistance to 30 meters. The watch comes on either a stainless steel seven-row bracelet, or a black alligator leather strap. As per the trio of gold models, it also comes COSC-certified, meaning it has been tested and certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute, a mark of accuracy and quality that ensures it will keep within a daily rate of -4 to +6 seconds. For Navitimer fans, of which there are many, the perpetual calendar, with its ability to track days and months virtually uninterrupted, may represent the ultimate expression of timekeeping. Most compelling may be the price – a little over £25,000, for the leather strap version. It's hardly pocket money prices. But it's not mad for a perpetual calendar, either. And it's one announcement following on from last year's 140th anniversary that Breitling fans may feel like celebrating. Breitling Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual Calendar, on a stainless steel bracelet, £25,400.00. Breitling Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual Calendar, on a black leather Strap, £25,150.00. You Might Also Like The Best Men's Sunglasses For Summer '19 There's A Smartwatch For Every Sort Of Guy What You Should Buy For Your Groomsmen (And What They Really Want)
