Founded in 1884 by Léon Breitling in St. Imier, Switzerland, Breitling is one of the world’s leading luxury watch brands. It emphasizes aviation-themed chronographs, motorsport-inspired models, robust diving watches, and sporty all-purpose timepieces.
Breitling made its mark on the watchmaking industry early in its history by producing a range of chronographs and timers. Breitling’s pioneering role in the world of chronographs paved the way for the watchmaker to manufacture aircraft dashboard instruments and then specialized wristwatches for pilots, which remains a mainstay of the brand’s current catalog.
In 1940, Breitling patented a circular slide rule for a chronograph capable of calculating an array of math operations. The watches were called the Chronomat, combining the French words chronographe and mathematique.
The following decade, Breitling revamped the Chronomat’s logarithmic slide rule for aviation purposes, and the Navitimer was born. It even gained so much attention from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) that it became the club’s official timepiece. The Navitimer remains one of the most iconic Breitling watches for sale.
1957 saw the release of the Superocean, Breitling’s purpose-built diving watch, complete with a rotating timing bezel and 200 meters of water resistance. Today, Breitling offers modern dive watches in the Superocean collection and vintage-inspired ones in the Superocean Heritage line.
During the height of the quartz crisis in the 1980s, Breitling revived the Chronomat name. Still, in a different form — automatic mechanical chronograph watches with rider tabs on the bezels, a trio of subdials on the dial, and Rouleaux bracelets with bullet-like links. The Chronomat became one of the best-selling Breitling watches, available in an immense assortment of variations, including chronograph and non-chronograph models.
Other models quickly followed, making it easy to buy Breitling watches to suit various tastes, requirements, and budgets. There are the multifunctional Aerospace digital-analog watches, the live-saving Emergency watches equipped with an integrated emergency transmitter, the jet-ready Avenger watches, the ultra-light and sporty Endurance Pro watches, and more.
Furthermore, Breitling also revived some models from its archives, such as the dressy Premier watches, the motorsport-inspired Top Time watches, the vintage pilot-style Avi watches, and select re-issues of historically significant references.
In 1999, Breitling announced that all its watches—even quartz watches — would be certified as chronometers (COSC certified), illustrating the brand’s commitment to precision and accuracy. What’s more, the company furnishes many of its watches with in-house movements manufactured at the Breitling Chronométrie factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
Along with solid movements, Breitling watches are also known for their high-grade materials and excellent quality. Whether in steel, gold, ceramic, or proprietary alloys such as Breitlight, buying Breitling watches means investing in high-quality Swiss-made luxury watches with a long history of innovation, precision, and captivating designs.