Watch Stories Collection – serie

Navitimer. A mysterious name at first glance. It is in fact a contraction of two words, which correspond to the two major functions of a revolutionary watch: NAVIgation and TIMER. A chronograph designed for airborne navigation. But much more than that, an exceptional destiny, shaped by extraordinary and visionary actors. From the very beginning of its existence, in 1884, Breitling specialised in time measurement, namely the design of timers and chronographs. It was in the 1930s that the foundations of a close relationship with the world of aviation and aeronautics were laid, under the aegis of Willy Breitling. These ties have remained unbroken ever since. In 1952, in collaboration with the AOPA, the largest aeronautical association of the time, Breitling launched the development of the Navitimer, which offered what no other watch manufacturer had ever proposed: a chronograph combined with a slide rule for aircraft pilots. The Navitimer was available only to AOPA members in 1954, and then marketed to the general public in 1955. For 70 years now, the Navitimer has enjoyed glory, flown into space and weathered crises, integrating numerous evolutions without ever losing its original DNA. It has appealed to several generations of professionals, celebrities and lovers of exceptional watches, undoubtedly earning its status as an icon of watchmaking history.This second book in the Watch Stories series, dedicated to the history of emblematic timepieces, traces its heroic and unique destiny from its creation to the current models.

One small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind and an extraordinary destiny for the watch that accompanied Man’s first steps on the Moon, thereby becoming the greatest icon in watchmaking history: the Omega Speedmaster “Moonwatch”.Introduced to the public by Omega in 1957, the Speedmaster was designed for mainly sporting purposes, such as in motor racing. However, its fate took a completely different turn in the early 1960s. Astronauts going to space, some of whom wore a Speedmaster for private use, wanted to be officially equipped with a reliable, accurate and resistant watch. For this reason, NASA undertook a series of rigorous tests in extreme conditions in 1964 to select the best chronograph to accompany them on their space missions. The Omega Speedmaster won these tests and was officially certified (“Flight Qualified for All Manned Space Missions”) by NASA on March 1, 1965 for the Gemini project. It was in July 1969 that it truly made history, serving the astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission (Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins) for man’s first steps on the Moon. This book retraces an extraordinary epic and the evolution of a unique and timeless watch which, from its beginnings in 1957 through to the current models, has remained endlessly fascinating. Updated and expanded to include the latest Omega models.