Breitling has been making instrument watches since 1884, and the current ownership has quietly turned it into one of the more interesting value plays in the market.
The Navitimer is one of the most recognizable watch designs ever made. A circular slide rule on the bezel, built to help pilots calculate flight data without a calculator. That's a genuine tool watch with a documented history of professional use going back to the 1950s. I'll admit that I'm not a pilot, don't use the slide rule, but still wear one 😀.
What's changed under Georges Kern is the movement story. Breitling has been bringing production in-house, cleaning up the case proportions on key references, and repositioning the brand away from the oversized era that defined it through the 2000s. The Chronomat and Superocean have both benefited from that reset.
On the secondary market, Breitling sits in an interesting spot. Strong enough brand recognition to move pieces reliably, priced accessibly enough relative to Rolex and AP that the buyer pool is broad. The vintage Navitimer market in particular has been building momentum with a collector base that knows exactly what it's looking at.
If you haven't looked at Breitling recently, it's worth a second look. The brand coming out of the boom years is meaningfully different from the one that went in.
Where does Breitling sit in your collection priorities? Is there a model that we can help add to your collection?
WRITTEN BY JOHN MARCHIANDO — JUST WIND IT, NORTON SHORES, MICHIGAN