The origin of Breitling’s Navitimer was the brainchild conceived in 1952 under the request from the renowned US Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). To answer this challenge, Willy Breitling pioneered the purpose-built model to be the ultimate wrist-worn calculation instrument for aviation of the 50s era.

Early Navitimers bares all black registers and luminescent filled Arabic numerals, and can be differentiated by small design nuance on the signed dial and iconic beaded bezel. The very first batch made in 1954 until 1955, known as the “Pre-806” prized by collectors, was made for the sole use of AOPA members, and were blessed with the gilt winged shield logo, signed “AOPA” beneath the 12’ o’ clock marker with the absence of any Breitling association on the dial. Prized by immense success within the aviation community, in 1956 Breitling released the official ref. 806 model to the market. These include the AOPA signed wings of the early 806, a configuration only meant for the American market, unsigned wings and the Breitling logo, and a Breitling – Genève – wings combination. The actual Breitling signature only became present on the dial in the late 1950s, so early iterations of the reference 806 do not display the manufacture.

With its beaded bezel providing better grip, pilots were able to perform intricate in-flight calculations like average speed, flight distance and fuel consumptions with ease. In the early 1950s, the small beads surrounding the bezel consist of as many as 125 beads, whereas approaching towards the 1960s, the design gradually evolved to as few as 93 beads likely to increase friction grip, a rather small detail, but to the discern collectors can use this to date an early Navitimer.

The present specimen from 1959 bares the ‘AOPA’ signed gilt pair of wings and is consequently stamped on the movement with the import code, ‘WOG’ for the Wakmann Watch Co., the American arm of Breitling. Highly sought after by vintage aficionados and aviation enthusiasts, the present specimen in an excellent well-preserved condition retaining its original unpolished crisp edges and bevels is certainly a gem. Furthermore, it is complete with its hardly ever seen original presentation box and accessories.