BREITLING | Chronospace

BREITLING

A fusion of 1940s military style
and the latest quartz technology

It is widely known in the watch world that the first model of the current "Chronomat," developed in 1984 for the Italian Air Force's "Frecce Tricolori" aerobatic team, was the catalyst for Breitling's revival and resurgence, particularly in mechanical chronographs.

By Yasuto Shibuya

Chronospace

However, it is unfortunately not widely known in Japan that the multi-functional quartz chronograph "Aerospace" with its large LCD display, and the "Chronospace," announced the following year in 1985, became popular models among pilots, especially amateur pilots in America who frequently used private aircraft, due to their excellent functionality and usability that remain relevant today, and significantly contributed to Breitling's revival and resurgence.

Subsequently, the Chronospace with its stainless steel case and rotating bezel equipped with a slide rule was discontinued, and only the Aerospace has steadily evolved and developed, with improvements such as a larger display and the addition of a backlight.
This now-legendary "Chronospace" has made a long-awaited comeback in 2010 with a classic design. The motif is a bomber timer with a "star-shaped bezel" that was reportedly supplied to various air forces during World War II. The mesh-type bracelet was also newly designed for this model.

While I appreciate the charm of mechanical watches, this timepiece is highly recommended for those who also want to utilize the multi-functionality unique to quartz, such as dual time display, calendar, countdown timer, alarm, and 1/100th second chronograph.

SuperQuartz, stainless steel case & bracelet, 48mm case diameter, 50m (5 ATM) water resistance, 493,500 yen, scheduled for release this autumn.