Registration for the Montbrilliant logo 1899 (Image source)
Breitling, founded in 1884 by Leon Breitling (1860-1914) in St. Imier, Switzerland. In 1892 they moved to larger premises in La Chaux-de-Fonds named Montbrillant (meaning "shining mountain"). The company has an extensive history of making chronograph timepieces for use in science, sports and industry.
Leon Breitling (1860-1914)
Sadly, Breitling's founder Leon Breitling died in 1914 at the young age of 54. His life was short, but his legacy was enormous. He managed to build a strong foundation for the Breitling brand. Most of what would be launched in the next few years were technically complete and ready for production by the time he died. While it usually takes years and many prototypes to develop and test a chronograph movement, it took his son Gaston less than a year after he took over the company to introduce the Breitling chronograph movement that changed everything and would define how wrist chronographs are made until this day.
In 1915, Breitling introduced a wristwatch featuring a chronograph complication. Gaston Breitling (son of Léon Breitling) suggested the idea of adding a pusher at 2 o'clock, which allowed the user to reset, stop, and start the chronograph functions.
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Breitling Transocean Chronograph (1915)
In 1923, the start/stop functions were separated from the reset function on a chronograph watch. The crown incorporated the reset function, allowing users to time successive events by repeatedly pressing the start/stop button without resetting their watches.
Willy Breitling (grandson of Léon Breitling) added a second push-piece at 4 o'clock to reset the stopwatch function. This design was subsequently copied by many watch brands and remained the standard for modern-day chronographs.
Breitling watches are known for their aviation-themed timepieces, including cockpit clocks and pilots' watches. The company's most famous model is the Navitimer, first introduced in 1952 and worn by pilots today.
Today, Breitling continues to manufacture its Navitimer line. The Aerospace model includes both analogue hands and digital displays. Another popular version of the chronograph from 1947 is the Chronomat (the first watch with a circular slide rule bezel).
The company's reputation soared when, in 1962, astronaut Scott Carpenter wore his Breitling chronograph on a space mission. In honour of this event, Breitling renamed the model the "Cosmonaute."
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The first Swiss wristwatch in space (Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute) worn by Scott Carpenter on his MA 7 mission in 1962.
Like many Swiss companies, Breitling suffered greatly during the quartz era. However, Ernest Schneider bought the company in 1979, guiding the firm into recovery. Breitling continues to manufacture and sell complicated watches, including solid chronographs. Breitling watches tend to have long-lasting value. The company currently offers 2 lines of watches:
The Breitling Emergency, which can send out a radio signal if its owner is lost
The Superocean collection, which is waterproof to 100 ATM and COSC-rated.
Incidentally, Breitling's mechanical and quartz models are certified chronometers. This means each watch is tested independently by COSC, the official Swiss institute for watch certification.
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