Breitling is celebrating its 140th anniversary this year. The brand will mark the occasion with the launch of timepieces that recall the stories of its incredible firsts, from breakthroughs in timekeeping for air, land, and sea, to milestones in sustainability. Breitling kicks off the festivities with the Aerospace B70 Orbiter, a watch that not only recognizes the Breitling Orbiter 3’s first nonstop balloon flight around the world, but also contains a piece of the original balloon.
“Since the birth of aviation, Breitling has been there for all those who looked to the sky and dared to dream,” says Breitling CEO Georges Kern. “As we honor the pioneering spirit of the Orbiter 3 mission, we reaffirm our commitment to being at the forefront of aviation’s future. The skies have no limit, and neither do we.”
On March 21, 1999, balloonists Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones completed a daring voyage, landing the Breitling Orbiter 3 in the Egyptian desert. They shattered records and defied expectations, becoming the first to circumnavigate the globe nonstop in a balloon.
It was considered the final great flight challenge of the 20th century. In total, 11 teams of prominent personalities made 21 attempts. Bertrand Piccard himself tried twice in 1997 and 1998 before succeeding on the third attempt with Brian Jones. The balloonists touched down in Egypt after travelling 45,633 km in 19 days, 21 hours, and 47 minutes, achieving the longest flight, both for distance and duration.
“Twenty-five years is a generation, but those 20 days were so intense, I remember every aspect of the flight like it was yesterday,” says Bertrand Piccard, who had worn a series of Breitling Professional watches on his missions, including the distress-beacon-equipped Emergency and multifunctional Aerospace.
“It was not only about flying around the world; it was about showing that we can achieve much more than we think. Now, as then, we need to be able to dream big. To get out of our comfort zone. To be disruptive. When you apply this thinking to any topic, you can change the world.”
The Aerospace B70 Orbiter 25th anniversary edition – with its bright-orange dial the colour of the Orbiter 3 capsule – contains its very own piece of history: a segment of the original Breitling Orbiter 3 balloon visible through the transparent caseback. The caseback also features the Breitling Orbiter 3 mission logo around its perimeter and the inscription “First non-stop flight around the world 25th anniversary.”
Presented on a titanium bracelet or a black rubber strap with a folding clasp, the watch features the Breitling Orbiter 3 mission logo on the dial at 3 o’clock. Its numerals, indexes, and hands are coated with luminescent Super-LumiNova, making them legible even in low light. Both the case and optional bracelet have been crafted in titanium, a metal with the highest strength-to-weight ratio. It is also nonmagnetic, hypoallergenic, and highly resistant to corrosion.
The watch is powered by the newly designed COSC-certified Breitling Manufacture Caliber B70: a thermo-compensated SuperQuartz analogue and digital display movement that delivers 10 times the accuracy of a standard quartz watch. This engine powers the watch’s array of functions, including a 1/100th of a second chronograph with split-time and flyback functions, a countdown timer, a second timezone, two alarms, a lap function, and a perpetual calendar.
The Aerospace B70 Orbiter was launched on March 21 – exactly 25 years to the day that the Breitling Orbiter 3 made its historic landing.
