Breitling is famous for its pilots’ watches, which include not just mechanical models but multifunction quartz ones as well. The best known of these has been the Breitling Emergency, which, with its integrated emergency call transmitter, has saved numerous victims of air crashes or maritime accidents.
Last year the brand introduced the Breitling Cockpit B50, which has a new, thermo-compensated, chronometer-certified quartz movement. The watch has luminous hands for the time and LCD displays for the chronograph and countdown functions. It also has two alarms and a second time zone. One push switches the time zones from the digital display to the analog display. Pilots will find the flight-time function especially helpful. Only one push button must be pressed upon start and landing. Start, landing and flight times are stored and can be read later and transferred to the cockpit and flight records. Two pushes on the crown moves the hands away from the digital displays. The backlight will switch on automatically when the wearer tilts his wrist to read the watch.
The newly designed, rechargeable mini-battery can be charged using an AC adapter or a USB port. The bidirectional rotating bezel, inscribed with cardinal points and markers at 10-degree intervals, helps with navigation. The Cockpit B50 costs $7,200 with a 46-mm titanium case and a titanium bracelet.
