Breitling Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Replica Watches

This year, many brands are celebrating their nth anniversary. Breitling is no exception. This is a special year for the Cosmonaut, a derivative of the Madame Navitimer. This year marks the 100th birthday of Malcolm Scott Carpenter (1925-2013), who has a deep connection with the Cosmonaut.

Cosmonaut has been with Scott Carpenter since its birth. In 1957, the year the space race began in earnest, NASA, shocked by the Soviet Union’s first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, announced the Mercury Project, a manned space program, the following year. Later, in 1959, NASA selected seven people for manned space flight and called them the Mercury Seven. Scott Carpenter, the main character of this edition, was also a member of the Mercury Seven. At the time, Scott Carpenter was looking for a watch because NASA did not have an official watch, and he saw the Navitimer worn by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in Perth at the beginning of the Mercury Project. He chose the Navitimer as his watch. Carpenter asked replica Breitling to change it to a 24-hour dial, just like the watches mounted on the spacecraft panels, remove the innermost scale unnecessary for space flight, and make the bezel slightly larger so that it could be turned comfortably even when wearing gloves. And six days before Mercury-Atlas 7 was launched into space, Breitling delivered Carpenter a watch with an elastic bracelet designed to fit comfortably over his spacesuit. This was the beginning of the Cosmonauts.
The Cosmonaut, which earned the title of the first Swiss wristwatch to go into space, later joined the regular lineup and became a variation of the Navitimer. The most recent Cosmonaut was released in 2022 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Cosmonaut and was equipped with Breitling’s proud in-house caliber. It was a model that coexisted with the sophisticated case of the next-generation Navitimer that was released in the same year while retaining all the features of the original Cosmonaut, such as the 24-hour clock and AOPA logo. However, the small quantity of 362 pieces left some regrets for enthusiasts. After that, a limited edition Cosmonaut in red gold was released last year, and this year, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Scott Carpenter’s birth, a platinum version was released with even more luxurious materials.
The overall design is similar to the Cosmonaut released in 2022. The AOPA logo, 24-hour index, date window at 6 o’clock, and even the slide rule, which is the symbol of the Navitimer, are the same. However, the dial color is new. It is a deep blue dial with a sunbrushed finish. You may wonder what Scott Carpenter has to do with the blue dial, but it is said that it expresses the Earth as seen from space by Scott Carpenter. In fact, Scott Carpenter was so excited to see the Earth from space that he even turned the ship to admire it. Since he was so impressed by the appearance of the Earth, it is natural that the dial of the Scott Carpenter Edition is blue, which accounts for 70% of the Earth’s surface. There are also differences in addition to the dial color. The Cosmonaut released in 2022 used vintage-style Super Luminova for both the index and hands. Since then, the red gold version used vintage-style Super Luminova only for the index, but this platinum version is decorated entirely with white Super Luminova. Accordingly, the AOPA logo has also been changed to silver. The hands of the sub-counter are painted in blue, the same as the Cosmonaut Scott Carpenter Limited Edition released in 1996. The case is 41mm in diameter, 47.09mm lug to lug, and 13mm thick. It is the same case as the existing one, but it is differentiated with platinum material as a special edition. The water resistance specification is the same 30m.
The movement is a manual in-house chronograph caliber B02 (frequency 4Hz, power reserve approx. 70 hours). It is a version where the rotor of the heart of the Navitimer, B01, is removed and the hour hand is changed to move in 24-hour units. As a variation of the B01, it still has the modern configuration of the vertical clutch and column wheel and the COSC certification. On the bridges with a radial pattern extending from the balance wheel, you can find markings exclusive to the Cosmonaut collection. On the right bridge, there is a phrase related to Mercury-Atlas 7, and in the center, the logo of Aurora 7, which Carpenter boarded, and Carpenter’s name are engraved. In addition, the edge of the caseback is engraved with the proud phrase ‘FIRST SWISS WRISTWATCH IN SPACE’, along with a phrase commemorating the 100th anniversary of Scott Carpenter’s birth, and a phrase about the replica watches.

Unlike the existing steel version that was available with a bracelet or strap version, the new product is only available with a blue alligator strap with a white gold folding buckle. The Breitling Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaut Scott Carpenter 100th Anniversary (Ref. LB0240211C1P1) is limited to a total of 50 pieces. The domestic release price is 62.21 million won.