Born in the cockpit and inducted by astronaut Scott Carpenter in the vacuum of space in 1962, the Navitimer is arguably the most storied pilot’s watch ever made; and this 46mm black-dialed B01 version is its most commanding, most dramatic expression. No longer in production, the AB0127211B1A1 is the precise intersection of Breitling’s oldest aviation legacy and the brand’s modern in-house manufacture era. Finding one mint complete original box set is getting harder every year.

Presents itself in mint condition with little to no signs of wear. The stepped-down silver subdials are a masterclass in visual contrast with three perfectly proportioned circles of silvered metal with a concentric texture pattern, sitting against a matte black main dial like spotlights against a dark stage. The large central red chronograph seconds hand is almost theatrical, a single crimson sweep against all that black that feels like the second hand on a vintage Le Mans race timer rather than anything you’d call subtle. And the cambered sapphire crystal, anti-reflective on both sides, gives the entire dial a depth and dimension that photographs cannot fully capture. The watch feels like you are looking through a curved window into a perfectly engineered cockpit instrument.

Functions include hours, minutes, small running seconds, date, chronograph, and a fully functional aviation circular slide rule on the rotating bezel. The push-pull crown at 3 o’clock quick-sets the date in its first pulled position and sets the time fully pulled out. The top right pusher starts and stops the chronograph, while the bottom right pusher resets all chronograph hands to zero. The bidirectional bezel rotates freely in either direction and performs logarithmic aviation calculations. Ground speed, fuel consumption, unit conversions using the slide rule system.

Comes as a complete set, double-boxed with outer box, presentation box, watch pillow, leather travel case, international warranty card, Breitling warranty card wallet, slide use instructions booklet, warranty booklet, Instructions booklet, and slide rule card.

One of aviation watchmaking’s great instruments, now discontinued and finite in supply, the Navitimer 1 B01 belongs in the collection of anyone who values genuine horological purpose over decoration. Whether you are a pilot who will actually spin the slide rule bezel at 30,000 feet, or a collector who simply appreciates what it means to own the last generation of a 70-year icon before Breitling moved on as this reference, in mint, complete-set condition, is exactly the kind of thing that doesn’t stay available for long.