The Breitling Avenger Is a Modern Classic, With Its Origins Linked to Breitling’s History With Aviation
Breitling Avenger Automatic GMT 45 & the Breitling Avenger Automatic GMT 45 Night Mission
Although we usually talk about vintage watches, sometimes it is worthwhile to take a look at a modern classic. Breitling has quite a few of these, tool watches that have endured the test of time; going back to the Breitling Chronomat launched in the early 1940s…
While the Breitling Avenger was released more recently, its origins remain linked to Breitling’s history with aviation. For example, the 1952 Breitling Navitimer, which was made to be a pilot’s watch since its inception. Early Breitling Navitimers even had the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association logo on the dial! The Breitling Navitimer was preceded by the aforementioned Chronomat, which was first advertised in 1941, released in 1942, and is famous for its slide-rule. It was the first slide-rule chronograph, after MIMO released a slide-rule wristwatch with no chronograph function. The slide-rule chronograph being extremely useful for a variety of calculations including those made by pilots and navigators.
Breitling Avenger Seawolf 45 Automatic ref. A17319 / Credit: Hodinkee
So, this is a bit of the provenance that the Avenger came with when it was released in 2001. Among the first in this series was the titanium Breitling Chrono Avenger ref. E13360, made between 2001 and 2007. This model would’ve used the Breitling 13 or Valjoux 7750 movement and had a 300-meter water resistance. In 2002, the Breitling Chrono Avenger M1 was released. This was another chronograph Avenger but this time it used the Breitling 73 superquartz movement and 1000-meter water resistance.
Another notable early model of the Breitling Avenger was the Breitling Avenger Seawolf, made between 2003 and 2008. The Avenger Seawolf came in several dial variations and used the ETA 2824, although other versions of early Avengers used the higher rated ETA 2893. Along with these models, the Avenger line also includes the Breitling Avenger II, the Breitling Super Avenger II, the Breitling Avenger Blackbird, the Breitling Avenger GMT, and many more.
When Georges Kern joined Breitling in 2017, one of the changes he made was to relaunch the Breitling Avenger! This new beast was now aimed at real pilots and sportspeople, with a promotional team that included astronaut Scott Kelly.
By: Eric Mulder