Meet Breitling Navitimer 35, the new lady in town

Wrapping up the plethora of new watch releases by Breitling yesterday is the Navitimer 35. It’s about time the brand had a new ladies range of watches, and given they also have a new lady ambassador Yao Chen, the latest celebrity member of this #Squadonamission, we would say the timing is spot on.

Dedicated women’s watches are hard to come by, though this year has been promising so far with Vacheron Constantin Égérie collection. Following hot on the heels of that is this new release, that is not only seeped in the brand’s 68-year history of Navitimer watches but also manages to form an identity of its own.

500 Vac Egerie Mp Jewellery Lifestyle 1 — Courtesy Copyright © Breitling

Vac Egerie Mp Jewellery Lifestyle 4 — Courtesy Copyright © Breitling

The clincher? It’s not a quartz version of an existing watch, simply decked up in jewels.

Navitimers are perhaps Breitling’s most iconic watches. To take a piece of that legacy and package it tailored towards a whole new feminine market is a smart business move.

These new watches have launched alongside the hot Superocean Heritage ’57 Capsule collection and the updated Chronomat B01 collection.

16 Two Tone Chronomat B01 42 With A Blue Dial And Tone On Tone Chronograph Counters Highlighted By An 18 K Red Gold Bezel Crown And Pushers — Two-tone Chronomat B01 42 with a blue dial and tone-on-tone chronograph counters highlighted by an 18 k red gold bezel, crown and pushers

07 Chronomat B01 42 Bentley With A Green Dial And Black Contrasting Chronograph Counters — Two-tone Chronomat B01 42 with a blue dial and tone-on-tone chronograph counters highlighted by an 18 k red gold bezel, crown and pushers

The Context

Now empowered by both Charlize Theron and Yao Chen, Breitling was bound to do something creative for the feminine market.

Enter Navitimer 35.

Released over a number of variations spread across four versions, the new Breitling Navitimer 35 is designed for the modern women that value style and elegance.

And the new Navitimer while not incredibly unique still manages to scale down the existing Navitimers to suit women’s wrists in a very elegant and proportionate manner.

Along with the legacy of the watch and the automatic movement, the new watches also spoil with an array of colourful dials.

“With the Navitimer Automatic 35, we have created a watch that reflects what women have been telling us: They’ve asked for a stylish, smaller Navitimer that doesn’t sacrifice heritage or functionality. It needed to be recreated just for women and suitable for any occasion. With different cases and strap options, we’ve introduced exactly what modern women look for in a watch, even those who may not have previously considered wearing a Breitling.”
Breitling CEO Georges Kern

The collection is released in numerous variations

Version 1

Navitimer Automatic 35 in a stainless-steel case with a choice of a blue dial presented with a blue alligator leather strap; a copper dial with a brown alligator leather strap; or a silver dial with a burgundy alligator leather strap.

18 Navitimer Automatic 35 With A Blue Dial And A Blue Alligator Leather Strap Ref A17395161c1p1 — Navitimer Automatic 35 with a silver dial and a burgundy alligator leather strap

22 Navitimer Automatic 35 With A Copper Colored Dial And A Brown Alligator Leather Strap Ref A17395201k1p1 — Navitimer Automatic 35 with a silver dial and a burgundy alligator leather strap

Version 2

Navitimer Automatic 35 in a stainless-steel case with a white mother-of-pearl dial and diamond hour markers.

24 Navitimer Automatic 35 With A White Mother Of Pearl Dial With Diamond Hour Markers And A Burgundy Alligator Leather Strap Ref A17395211a1p1 — Navitimer Automatic 35 with a white mother-of-pearl dial with diamond hour markers and a stainless-steel Navitimer bracelet

25 Navitimer Automatic 35 With A White Mother Of Pearl Dial With Diamond Hour Markers And A Stainless Steel Navitimer Bracelet Ref A17395211a1a1 — Navitimer Automatic 35 with a white mother-of-pearl dial with diamond hour markers and a stainless-steel Navitimer bracelet

Version 3

Navitimer Automatic 35 in stainless-steel case and a luxurious 18k red gold bidirectional rotating bezel & white mother-of-pearl dial with diamond hour markers.

26 Two Tone Navitimer Automatic 35 With A White Mother Of Pearl Dial With Diamond Hour Markers And A Luxurious 18 K Red Gold Bezel Ref U17395211a1p1 — Two-tone Navitimer Automatic 35 with a white mother-of-pearl dial with diamond hour markers and a luxurious 18 k red gold bezel

27 Two Tone Navitimer Automatic 35 With A White Mother Of Pearl Dial With Diamond Hour Markers And A Luxurious 18 K Red Gold Bezel U17395211a1u1 — Two-tone Navitimer Automatic 35 with a white mother-of-pearl dial with diamond hour markers and a luxurious 18 k red gold bezel

Version 4

Navitimer Automatic 35 in 18k red gold with a white mother-of-pearl dial and diamond hour markers.

28 Navitimer Automatic 35 In 18 K Red Gold With A White Mother Of Pearl Dial With Diamond Hour Markers And A Brown Alligator Leather Strap R17395211a1p1 — Navitimer Automatic 35 in 18 k red gold with a white mother-of-pearl dial with diamond hour markers and an 18 k red gold Navitimer bracelet

29 Navitimer Automatic 35 In 18 K Red Gold With A White Mother Of Pearl Dial With Diamond Hour Markers And An 18 K Red Gold Bracelet Ref R17395211a1r1 — Navitimer Automatic 35 in 18 k red gold with a white mother-of-pearl dial with diamond hour markers and an 18 k red gold Navitimer bracelet

Our preference is the Version 1, sans diamonds and embellishments, just the pure beauty of a classic Navitimer watch elegantly adorning the wrists.

The Specifications

The basic specs are the same for every version barring the material or dial colour. Here we are looking at our favourite of the lot, the reference A17395201K1P1 which has a remarkable copper dial and a price tag of 5’620 AUD.

The heart used — Breitling Caliber 17 — is a COSC-certified, self-winding movement featuring a bidirectionally acting ball-bearing rotor. The 25.6.mmx4.6mm movement beats at the frequency of 4Hz (28’800 A/h) and offers an okay 38-hour power reserve.

12 Two Tone Navitimer Automatic 35 With A White Mother Of Pearl Dial With Diamond Hour Markers And A Luxurious 18 K Red Gold Bezel 1 — Two-tone Navitimer Automatic 35 with a white mother-of-pearl dial with diamond hour markers and a luxurious 18 k red gold bezel

10 Navitimer Automatic 35 With A White Mother Of Pearl Dial With Diamond Hour Markers And A Stainless Steel Navitimer Bracelet 1 — Two-tone Navitimer Automatic 35 with a white mother-of-pearl dial with diamond hour markers and a luxurious 18 k red gold bezel

It is cased inside a 35mm diameter and 9.92mm thick stainless steel case that offers an okay 30m (3 ATM) water resistance. The watch also features a bidirectional slide rule bezel.

The watch face shows the traditional functions of central hours, minutes, and seconds.

The Dial

The beautiful copper sun-ray burst dial is a pleasure to look at. The red-tipped seconds hand is a welcome addition and striking from a distance. The Super-LumiNova® luminescent indexes and hands aide in the watch’s legibility.

Watch Ya Gonna Do About It

The Navitimer Automatic 35 takes its design inspiration from the brand’s original models from 1950s when the style was first introduced.

Intended to be an all-purpose dress cum sports watch, these watches are most visually striking due to their iconic design.

09 Navitimer Automatic 35 With A White Mother Of Pearl Dial With Diamond Hour Markers And A Stainless Steel Navitimer Bracelet 1

17 Female Model Wearing The Navitimer Automatic 35 With A White Mother Of Pearl Dial With Diamond Hour Markers And A Burgundy Alligator Leather Strap 1

15 Female Model Wearing The Two Tone Navitimer Automatic 35 With A White Mother Of Pearl Dial With Diamond Hour Markers And An 18 K Red Gold Bezel 1

11 Two Tone Navitimer Automatic 35 With A White Mother Of Pearl Dial With Diamond Hour Markers And A Luxurious 18 K Red Gold Bezel 1

13 Navitimer Automatic 35 In 18 K Red Gold With A White Mother Of Pearl Dial With Diamond Hour Markers And An 18 K Red Gold Navitimer Bracelet 1

02 Navitimer Automatic 35 With A Blue Dial And A Blue Alligator Leather Strap 1

Sans a date window that featured on the (outgoing) 38mm versions, these models feature the striking, sophisticated beaded bezel from the Navitimer Ref. 806.

Breitling enthusiasts will appreciate that without the date window what we have is a three-hand dial that is exceptionally clean.

Add to the mix the stunning copper colour and the red-tipped seconds hand and we have a new boss lady in town.

For more information on this watch and other Breitling watches, head to their website here.