Taking inspiration from the original 1953 Ref 765 AVI Co-Pilot and four legendary fighter planes, Breitling has unveiled five new 42mm Classic AVI Chronographs timepieces. Furthermore, the 46mm Super AVI assortment gets renewed with the introduction of the black ceramic Mosquito Night Fighter. The brand also released a limited re-edition of a 1964 execution of the AVI Co-Pilot. Let’s delve into them

Classic AVI Chronograph 42

Classic AVI Chronograph 42 Curtiss Warhawk Ref. A233801A1C1A1

Classic AVI Chronograph 42 tribute to Vought F4U Corsair Ref. A233801A1C1A1

Classic AVI Chronograph 42 Mosquito Ref. Y233801A1B1A1

Classic AVI Chronograph 42 P-51 Mustang Ref. A233803A1B1A1

Classic AVI Chronograph 42 P-51 Mustang Ref. R233801A1B1R1

Breitling shares a deep history with aviation. In 1930, Breitling’s Huit Aviation department invented cockpit clocks and two decades later the brand introduced the pioneering pilot’s watch, the Ref 765 AVI that had a rotating hour bezel for recording flight times. The new Classic AVI takes many cues from the 46mm Super AVI that is directly inspired by the Ref 765, but in a reduced and simpler format of 42mm, resulting in easy wearing that works for most wrists. 

The Classic AVI Chronograph 42 timepieces honour the original AVI Co-pilot Ref. 765 and four iconic aircrafts that the Super AVI also drew from. Ref. A233802A1L1X1 is a khaki dial with a brown strap inspired by the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, while the blue dial with black strap, Ref. A233801A1C1A1, takes its inspiration from Vought F4U Corsair. The black dial and gold brown leather strap Ref. A233803A1B1X1 is inspired by the North American Aviation P-51 Mustang, while the black dial with black ceramic bezel on brown strap references the de Havilland Mosquito plane. 

The watch features Arabic numerals on the dial and the bi-directional knurled bezel. The 42mm Classic AVI features hours, minutes and small seconds counters at 6, 3, and 9 o’clock respectively. The numerals, indexes, and hands are coated with Super-LumiNova. The casebacks have planes’ engraved silhouettes in stainless steel for all models, with an additional 18K red gold version of the Mustang. The watch comes with calfskin leather strap or five-row metal bracelet, and is water resistant up to 100m. The series is powered by the automatic Calibre Breitling 23. 

Also Read: BREITLING HONOURS THE BOEING 747 WITH A NEW NAVITIMER

Super AVI B04 Chronograph GMT46 Mosquito Night Fighter

The new Super AVI B04 Chronograph GMT 46 Mosquito Night Fighter Ref. SB04451A1B1X1 is inspired by the plane’s dark livery. It has a black ceramic case, black leather strap, and black dial with anthracite subdials. Its striking features include a satin-brushed black ceramic bezel and a date window within the 12 hours counter, along with a GMT functionality. The timepiece is COSC-certified and is water resistant up to 100 m. A black military calfskin leather strap with titanium folding clasp flanks the case. Breitling’s popular Caliber B04 powers the watch. 

AVI Ref. 765 1964 Re-Edition

The last of the new watches launched is a re, edition of the Co-pilot, the AVI Ref. 765, which was released first in 1964. The 1964 piece was a simplified version of the original 1953 watch, with a black bezel and reverse-panda dial. It also ended up becoming popular amongst celebrities and sports stars like French skier Jean-Claude Killy. Now the brand has released a re-edition of this iconic 1964 watch, the AVI Ref. 765 1964 Re-Edition (Ref. AB0920131B1X1). In a limited edition of 164 pieces, the watch has been reproduced with the same design. The timepiece includes a true to a hesalite crystal, the baton indexes and the Super-LumiNova coated pencil hands. The 41mm re-edition features modern improvements like ADLC coated bidirectional engraved rotating bezel with Arabic numerals on it. The black dial features 12-hours, 15-minutes, and small seconds counters at 9, 3, and 6 o’clock. The strap is black calfskin leather, and the watch is water resistant up to 30 m. The COSC-certified timepiece has a Calibre Breitling B09 beating inside.