Breitling is going through a bit of a resurgence lately, with vintage models growing more popular and new ones also doing well. We got to thinking of what was being overlooked in the middle. We’ve previously covered a few Breitlings and their stories, one of the most remarkable in my opinion being the Breitling Emergency, for its literally-lifesaving capabilities. Another sporty Breitling that is quite similar, however, is the Breitling Aerospace.
The Breitling Aerospace came in a number of different versions, but it began back in 1985 with the release of the ref. 80360 – an early version of the Aerospace that still had “Navitimer” written on the dial! These early Aerospaces were powered by the Breitling Cal. 56, which featured two time zones, a chronograph, and a perpetual calendar function. Their titanium cases measured 40 mm in diameter and had mineral crystals, with a unidirectional rotating bezel. The Breitling Cal. 56 is used in the Aerospace until 1995, it is a 7-jewel chronometer quartz movement with a 3–4-year battery life and ana-digi display. The Breitling Cal. 56 was a regular quartz movement based on the ETA 988.332 and is also used in the Breitling Emergency.
The Aerospace in the 1985 Breitling catalogue / Credit: Breitling Source
After about a decade, 1996 saw the introduction of the Breitling Aerospace featuring the Cal. 65. The ref. F65062, in particular, was released and had a new dial with respect to the previous models. Where other models had “Breitling Navitimer” on the dial or Arabic numerals of a different font, this Breitling Aerospace reference introduced the thicker, italicized numerals we see on the dials until the early 2000s and finally had “Aerospace” on the dial. The Aerospace references that featured the Cal. 65 were produced until 2000, until the Cal. 65 was replaced by the Cal. 75. While the Cal. 65 has the same base movement as the Cal. 56 and is a regular quartz caliber, the Cal. 75 is based on the ETA Thermoline 988.352 and was SuperQuartz™! SuperQuartz™ being Breitling’s high-end quartz offering that it says is ten times more accurate than their standard quartz movements.
Vintage German Breitling ad
After their first run at what many consider the ‘modern’ Aerospace, Breitling briefly produced the ‘Aerospace Avantage’ between 2005 and 2006 before turning back to the regular ‘Aerospace’ in 2007. Today, Breitling Aerospace offering goes by the ‘Evo’ moniker with the ref. E79363 powered by the Breitling Cal. 79, another ana-digi SuperQuartz™ caliber.
Ultimately, while not the most popular Breitling, the Aerospace is certainly a noteworthy watch. Riding the wave of digital and ana-digi watches in the 1980s, the Breitling Aerospace went beyond the typical features of the day, having been made for sport and being far more robust than most other offerings. It is both retro and rugged, a very unique mix for a vintage watch – especially for a model still in production today.
By: Andres Ibarguen
Read more:
“Breitling Aerospace (85-95).” Breitling Source, https://www.breitlingsource.com/watch_details/Professional_23.html.
“Breitling caliber B56.” Watch Base, https://watchbase.com/breitling/caliber/b56.
“Breitling Aerospace.” Breitling Museum, http://www.breitling-museum.com/breitling-aerospace.html.