Imagen: Breitling, web oficial
The storyWhy this reference matters
The Navitimer arrived in 1952 as a flight computer with hands. Before GPS, a pilot worked out fuel burn, ground speed, nautical miles to kilometres and rate of climb by hand, in the air, in a noisy cockpit. The circular slide rule on the bezel — two logarithmic scales, one fixed, one turning — did all of it with a twist of a ring. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association adopted it as their official instrument and their winged badge went on the dial. A niche watch for a few thousand American pilots became the signature of the house.
Seventy years on, in 2022, Breitling rebuilt the whole collection: fourteen models across 41, 43 and 46 mm. None of the changes were shouted about in the press release, and all of them show on the wrist. The sapphire went domed, the slide rule went flat, and the watch now reads lower than it measures. The rotor was slimmed down so you can actually see the calibre through the back. And the AOPA wings came back under twelve, missing since Breitling redrew its dials in 2017.
The 43 got the widest spread of that batch: six models, four of them in steel and one in red gold. And dials the Navitimer had never worn before — mint green, salmon, ice blue, copper — alongside the usual panda and reverse panda. Inside sits the Calibre 01, Breitling's own chronograph: column wheel, vertical clutch, 346 parts, seventy hours of reserve and a COSC certificate. It is the engine under half the catalogue — Chronomat, Premier, Top Time and this one.
SpecificationsThe numbers, in one table
| Brand | Breitling |
|---|---|
| Family | Navitimer |
| Reference | AB0138241 |
| Years made | desde 2022 |
| Calibre | Breitling 01 (manufactura) |
| Movement | Automatico |
| Frequency | 28.800 alt/h (4 Hz) |
| Power reserve | Aprox. 70 horas |
| Jewels | 47 |
| Complications | Cronógrafo (1/4 s, 30 min, 12 h) · Fecha · Regla de cálculo circular |
| Diameter | 43 mm |
| Thickness | 13.69 mm |
| Lug width | 22 mm |
| Case | Acero inoxidable |
| Crystal | Zafiro abombado con tratamiento antirreflejos en ambas caras |
| Water resistance | 3 bar (30 m) |
IdentificationHow to tell it apart
The first thing that separates this AB0138241 from any earlier Navitimer is the profile. Look at it side on: on the previous generations the slide rule stood proud like a step and the crystal was nearly flat, while here the rule sits down into the bezel and the sapphire rises in a dome. The second thing is the dial. Under twelve there should be a winged AOPA badge. If all you find is the brand name and the stylised B, you have a Navitimer 1 B01 from somewhere between 2018 and 2021, not a 2022.
Between the sizes, the measurements do the work. The 43 is 43 mm across and 13.69 mm tall on a 22 mm strap; the 41 and the 46 share none of those figures. Turn it over for a screwed sapphire case back, the Calibre 01 in plain view and a rotor noticeably narrower than the one on the last generation. Three registers on the dial, date at six.
The long suffix is what pins down dial and strap: C1P1 is the ice blue on black alligator, while G1P1, K1P1 and L1P1 shuffle one colour or the other. The AB0138241 stem is common to all of them. And one check that saves a lot of grief later — the rated water resistance is 3 bar. Thirty metres. If a seller tells you this one is fine for swimming, you have learned something useful about the seller.
CollectingWhat collectors check
Put your fingers on the bezel first. On a Navitimer the slide rule gets turned constantly, and it is the part that takes the punishment: it should run both ways with even resistance, no tight spots, no side-to-side play, and the printed scales should stay crisp all the way down to the small figures. A bezel that slips, or one with the printing worn thin, knocks money off the watch — and a replacement is not always sitting on a shelf when you need one.
Then the paperwork. The Calibre 01 leaves the factory COSC-certified, and a full set with the certificate is worth real money when you come to sell. Ask to look through the sapphire back: a scratched rotor or dust inside means somebody has had the watch open and was not careful about it. And the thirty metres are unforgiving — condensation under the crystal or stained hour markers means a gasket has given up and, almost certainly, that the dial has paid for it.
On variants: the odd dials from that collection — mint, salmon, ice blue — shift faster than the classic black and grey, and they are also the ones buyers argue about hardest. The alligator strap is a consumable, so a tired one is not a serious fault, but the steel deployant should shut with a snap. Work the pushers too. On a column-wheel chronograph a soft, mushy action is the mechanism asking for a service.
Common questionsWhat people ask us about this reference
What is the Navitimer's slide rule for?
It is a circular slide rule: two logarithmic scales, one printed on the dial flange and one on the turning bezel. Line them up and you can multiply and divide, which in a cockpit means fuel burn, ground speed and conversions between nautical miles, statute miles and kilometres. The same maths as a paper slide rule, wrapped into a circle.
Is the Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 too big?
It is 43 mm across and 13.69 mm thick, so nobody is going to call it discreet. The flattened slide rule and domed crystal of the 2022 version make it read lower than earlier generations, but it still wants a decent wrist.
Can you get a Navitimer wet?
Not really. It is rated to 3 bar, thirty metres, which covers rain and splashes and stops there. No swimming, no showering. The crown does not screw down, and the turning bezel adds seals for water to find.
What is the difference between the 2022 Navitimer and the earlier Navitimer 1?
Three things you can see: the flattened slide rule, the domed sapphire and the AOPA wings back under twelve. Inside it is the same Calibre 01, though the rotor was slimmed so there is more of the movement to look at.
Keep readingWhere to go from here
Close relativesThe ones it gets confused with
Confidence: alta — this page was checked against the sources below. If a detail looks wrong to you, write to us and we will fix it.