On the 60th anniversary of his voyage aboard the Aurora 7 spacecraft, the legendary 24-hour dial watch is “given” a new edition. And, for the first time since 1962, Breitling unveiled the original Cosmonaut to the public. A bit of history to begin with (I want to keep you on your toes before describing the new, amazing, Cosmonaute). In the 1960s, Fake Breitling’s Navitimer was considered the pilot’s watch par excellence. The world’s attention, however, was now shifting to space. Thanks to its experience in the aviation watch industry, Breitling was awarded the title of the first Swiss wristwatch in space on May 24, 1962, after astronaut Scott Carpenter orbited the Earth three times with the Navitimer on his wrist. Cosmonaut in the Mercury-Atlas 7 mission. The watch had been a personal request from Carpenter, who had already worn it when he flew, but with the addition of a 24-hour dial to distinguish day from night in the darkness of space. Today, fake breitling is launching a special edition, limited to 362 numbered copies, which is intended to be a tribute both to the number of circumnavigations that the spacecraft performed around the Earth and to the year in which the mission made history. On May 24, 1962, five hours after launch, the Aurora 7 spacecraft with Carpenter in it sank without incident into the Atlantic. The rescue operations lasted for over three hours, resulting in exposure to the salt water of the sea which caused irreparable damage to Carpenter’s Cosmonaut. Breitling immediately replaced Carpenter’s replica watches with another, but the original piece of space history, battered and ruined by corrosion, remained in the Breitling family collection, never being restored. Until today! The Cosmonaute has all the functions of the Navitimer: from the circular slide rule for performing mathematical calculations, to the wings of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association logo, up to the three counters of the chronograph. However, what distinguishes the Cosmonaut from the other members of the family is the ability to read the 24 hours. Breitling’s in-house caliber B02 was specially designed for this purpose. At first glance, the new Cosmonaute looks like a faithful reproduction of the original, made timeless by the completely black dial and black crocodile leather strap, or, alternatively, by the seven-row stainless steel bracelet. Upon closer examination, however, all the new features that distinguish the watch emerge (with a 41 mm case). First of all the platinum bezel, then the open sapphire crystal case back that allows you to admire the B02 movement with 70 hours of power reserve, embellished with the special engravings on the bridge to celebrate the anniversary: the words “Carpenter”, “Aurora 7 “and” 3 orbits around the Earth “, together with the name of the original group made up of seven astronauts selected by NASA for the first tourist flights in space,” Mercury 7 “. As a final tribute, the caseback is engraved with the date of Carpenter’s mission, the relative watch number among the 362 pieces and the phrase First Swiss wristwatch in space (first Swiss wristwatch in space). In short, a great watch, capable of combining design, functionality and history.
