History of Breitling

Breitling was founded by Louis Breitling in 1884 in St Imier with the specific purpose to develop chronographs and counters for scientific and industrial applications. The late 19th century witnessed a number of unique industrial developments such as the automobile and the aeroplane. Breitling recognised that these new machines would need timing instruments and soon became a manufacturer of high quality timing instruments. Rapid expansion led to a move to the Swiss town of La-Chaux-de-Fonds in 1892 to accommodate growth.

In 1915 Breitling developed their first wristwatch chronograph and went on to make several significant developments in this area. In 1923 they were the first watch manufacturer to introduce an independent push piece for the chronograph, enabling the start and return-to-zero function (previously performed by the winding-crown). Then in 1934 Breitling added a second push piece to the chronograph enabling either cumulative or incremental time recording. These developments made the Breitling watch a favourite amongst pilots.

In 1936 Breitling was chosen to supply the Royal Air Force with time keeping equipment. In the 40’s Breitling became the US Air Force official pilots watch whilst also supplying the American armed forces. By the 50’s Breitling had cemented their position in the aviation industry and was supplying cockpit clocks for most of the international airlines.

Over the years, Breitling launched a number of classic watches. 1942 saw the launch of the Chronomat, the first chronograph to be fitted with a circular slide rule. In 1952, the Navitimer was launched, a wrist watch equipped with a so called “navigation computer” that allowed pilots to calculate flight plans. This watch became an instant favourite amongst pilots. In 1962, the Cosmonaute was released providing a 24 hour chronograph. This watch was worn by Scott Carpenter when he flew America’s second ever manned orbital flight in the Aurora 7. In 1969, Breitling was part of a consortium of watch manufacturers that developed the first automatic chronograph, a major break through at the time.

In 1979 saw the end of an era for Breitling, with the death of Will Breitling. The company was subsequently bought by Ernest Schneider launching a new era for Breitling. Schneider introduced watch lines for other professions such as yachting and diving, whilst continuing to focus on building high quality, high precision watches for the aviation industry. A number of now classic watches were introduced under Schneider’s leadership such as the new Chronomat (1984), the Aerospace (1985), the Emergency (1995) and the B-1 (1998).

Today Breitling is one of the leaders in the Swiss watch industry for product development, continually launching innovative new high precision models.