Breitling History

1884
Leon Breitling opens a workshop specializing in making chronographs and precision counters for scientific and industrial purposes, in St- Imiez, in the Jura mountains of Switzerland

1891
Known as the "father of aviation", German Otto Lilienthal, flies more than 50 meters (165 ft) in his glider.

1892
Leon BREITLING relocates in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the center of Swiss watch making in those days.

1903
On December 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk (North Carolina), Orville Wright achieves the first powered flight in a heavier-than-air machine: 12 seconds over a distance of 36.5 meters.

1909
On July 25, 1909, Louis Bleriot, "conqueror of the Channel" successfully flies from Calais to Dover in 37 minutes, in a Bleriot XI.

1914
On the demise of Leon Breitling, his son Gaston takes over the firm.

1915
Gaston provides pilots with the first wrist instruments and creates the first wrist-watch chronograph

1918
The spectacular progress made in aviation during World War I does much to hasten the end of the conflict. It is the end of the era of the formidable "Red Baron", Manfred von Richthofen

1942
CHRONOMAT is launched, the first chronograph to be fitted with a circular slide rule. In parallel, the company broadens its professional clientele to include the American armed forces. July 18, 1942, sees the test flight of the world's first jet aircraft, the Messerschmitt 262. Equipped with arrow-shaped wings, an aerodynamic fuselage and an ejection seat, it is considered to be the forerunner of modern aircraft.

1947
At 10.30 am on October 14, 1947, the Bell X-1 flown breaks through the hither to inviolate sound barrier. The era of supersonic flight dawns.

1952
NAVITIMER is created, a wrist instrument equipped with the famous "navigation computer" capable of handling all calculations called for by a flight plan. This super chronograph quickly becomes a firm favorite among pilots around the globe. By this stage, BREITLING is already supplying the major international airlines with cockpit counters.

1957
The first series produced Boeing 707 takes off from Seattle On December 20, 1957. Twice as fast as other commercial aircraft, it offers hitherto unrivalled levels of comfort

1962
Astronaut Scott Carpenter wears the COSMONAUTE chronograph on his wrist during his orbital flight aboard the Aurora 7 space capsule.

1969
BREITLING invents the self-winding chronograph movement. This technical feat represents a major breakthrough for the entire Swiss watch industry. On February 9, 1969, the Boeing 747 or Jumbo Jet makes a successful test flight. Barely a month later, on March 2 in Toulouse, the Franco-British Concorde supersonic plane takes off for the very first time.

1974
The European Airbus project takes shape with the entry into service within Air France of the A-300, the first twin-engined wide-bodied jet airliner.

1979
Ernest Schneider - a pilot, watch manufacturer and microelectronics specialist - takes over the BREITLING brand from the founder's grandson, Willy Breitling.

1981
Aeronautical innovations continue with the first stealth bomber. This aircraft, capable of avoiding radar detection systems, is secretly put into service from 1983 onwards, but its existence will only be officially recognized in 1988

1985
An innovative multifunction electronic chronograph crafted in titanium, the AEROSPACE, immediately appeals to many pilots.

1993
On March 4, 1993, the Saab Gripen began operating within the Swedish Air Force. It is the world's first 4th-generation fighter plane in service. Described as a "multi-role" aircraft, it can be used for interception, attack and reconnaissance missions.

1994
Entry into service of the B-2 stealth bomber made by Northrop Grumman.

1995
EMERGENCY is presented by Brietling, a multifunction instrument watch with built-in micro-transmitter broadcasting on the 121.5 MHz aircraft emergency frequency.

1997
A major development in military aviation, with the first flight of the F-22 Raptor from Lockheed Martin; this 4th-generation fighter aircraft, which is also a stealth bomber, is the most sophisticated plane ever built

1998
B-1 is launched, the most versatile multifunction chronograph ever to emerge from its workshops. Designed in cooperation with aviation professionals and fitted with a microprocessor specially developed for BREITLING, the B-1 embodies significant progress in the field of Swiss microelectronic engineering.

1999
The last aviation record is set on March 21st 1999. After 20 days of flight, the experimental BREITLING ORBITER 3 balloon, flown by Brian Jones and Bertrand Piccard, touches down in the Egyptian desert. It has achieved the apparently impossible: a non-stop round-the-world balloon flight.

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