Breitling does, indeed have a long history.  Leon Breitling, a 24 year old watchmaker in Switzerland, founded the company in 1884.  His vision, to produce the most exceptional technical watches in the world.  From his shop in the small village of Gretchen, Leon focused his attention on Chronographs.  Perfecting these timepieces was his specialty, and even his early models were made with high quality craftsmanship. 

Soon after World War I Breitling began their work in the Aviation field, producing Chronographs and Chronometers for use in airplanes.  In 1942 the Chronomat by Breitling was created, one of Breitling’s firsts, this was the first ever watch fitted with a slide rule bezel, which was circular.  The popularity of Breitling skyrocketed, especially among Pilots.  The technically advanced Chronomat would later become the Navitimer.  The Navitimer is still a collection in Breitling’s line of watches. 

It seemed as though Breitling has already conquered the skies, but they were aiming higher, and they got there when astronaut Scott Carpenter wore the, appropriately named, “Cosmonaute” into space.

The introduction of less expensive Quartz watches put a temporary damper on business, but the inventive team at Breitling, marketed quality and technology…and before you knew it, the mechanical watch lovers were back!