Hodinkee
Introducing: Breitling Navitimer B09 And B02 Cosmonaute 41mm Chronographs
What We Know In 1952, Breitling released the Navitimer as a tool of necessity for pilots who needed to perform advanced calculations in the cockpit. A decade later, it was adapted for space flight, and the Cosmonaute was born. For many, myself included, this watch is peak, emblematic Breitling, yet until now, the manual-wind versions closest to those originals were mostly limited editions. Now both will join the mainline collection. The Navitimer B09 Chronograph 41 and Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute both come in 41mm stainless steel cases with reverse-panda dials, a bidirectional bezel, and a circular slide rule. The B09 is available with a black or blue dial, white rehaut, and subdials, while the Cosmonaute has a black dial with white subdials. Both feature the Twin Jet logo, first introduced in 1957, set in gold, which really pops against the monochromatic dials. The hands, numerals, and indexes are filled with Super-LumiNova. Breitling is well aware of proportions here. It eschews the date window on the B09, and Breitling says that, along with the manual-wind caliber, this gives it a slimmer case profile. Both cases measure 13mm thick and 47 mm lug-to-lug, with a cambered sapphire crystal that is anti-reflective on both sides, a screwed-in sapphire caseback, a non-screw-down crown, and 30 meters of water resistance. Each watch draws on a different chapter of Navitimer history. The B09 is modeled on the 1960s Navitimer worn by Jim Clark and Graham Hill, racing d...
