Breitling’s latest is a collection of five new watches, inspired by four legendary planes from the 1940s and one watch from their own archives, the superb 1953 “Co-Pilot” Ref. 765 AVI aviator’s watch.

If the ref. 765 sounds familiar, that’s because just last year Breitling unveiled the AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition, which was a passion project of the brand’s, developed with Breitling collector and collaborator, Fred Mandelbaum, aka @watchfred. The 2021 Super AVI Collection is now just as much developed with Mandelbaum in step.

Speaking about the 765, our own Felix Scholz writes, “Well, like many great chronographs, the AVI 765 was born out of the needs of the military, in this case, the needs of French pilots. It offered a cleaner display than their already-existing Navitimer but lacked a flyback function.”

Read more about the Breitling AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition, here.

Next comes the four military airplanes behind the project. First of which is the P-51 Mustang, a 1940 aircraft that was developed in no more than 120 days. The Vought F4U Corsairv, a WWII naval aircraft that was developed specifically for tricky takeoffs and landings from carriers and remote landing strips. Third, the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk that was introduced in 1938, a daredevil’s dream, which was capable unimageable maneuverability for the time. Lastly, the de Havilland Mosquito, which was built between 1940 and 1950, and out did its metal contemporaries, built out of all this, wood.

For the watches, we start with the Super AVI B04 Chronograph GMT 46 P-51 Mustang in stainless steel, the Super AVI B04 Chronograph GMT 46 P-51 Mustang in 18k red gold, the Super AVI B04 Chronograph GMT 46 Tribute To Vought F4U Corsair next in stainless steel again, fourth the Super AVI B04 Chronograph GMT 46 Curtiss Warhawk in steel and lastly, the Super AVI B04 Chronograph GMT 46 Mosquito. At 46mm all of these are powered by the Breitling Manufacture Caliber B04, which accounts for the chronograph function, time, date and most importantly, the second time zone.

Says Breitling CEO Georges Kern, “This collection embodies that sense of nostalgia for the early days of aviation when pilots relied on their watches as onboard tools. But you don’t have to be a pilot or vintage-aircraft buff to appreciate the exceptional craftsmanship and rugged design.”

Tech Specs

Super AVI B04 Chronograph GMT 46 P-51 Mustang Ref. AB04453A1B1X1 in stainless steel with black dial and tone-on-tone chronograph counters; green emitting Super-LumiNova® luminescent numerals, indexes, and hands

Super AVI B04 Chronograph GMT 46 P-51 Mustang Ref. RB04451A1B1X1 in 18 k red gold with anthracite dial and black contrasting chronograph counters; blue emitting Super-LumiNova® luminescent numerals, indexes, and hands

Super AVI B04 Chronograph GMT 46 Tribute To Vought F4U Corsair Ref. AB04451A1C1X1 in stainless steel with blue dial and tone-on-tone chronograph counters; blue emitting Super-LumiNova® luminescent numerals, indexes, and hands

Super AVI B04 Chronograph GMT 46 Curtiss Warhawk Ref. AB04452A1L1X1 in stainless steel with military green with white contrasting chronograph counters; green emitting Super-LumiNova® luminescent numerals, indexes, and hands

Super AVI B04 Chronograph GMT 46 Mosquito Ref. YB04451A1B1X1 in black dial with white contrasting chronograph counters; blue emitting Super-LumiNova® luminescent numerals, indexes, and hands

Case: 46mm in aforementioned materials; 15.9mm thick; water-resistant to 100m

Movement: Breitling Manufacture Caliber B04; hour, minute, second, date window, second time zone; column-wheel, vertical clutch, 1/4th second, 30-minute, and 12-hour; approximately 70 hours; COSC-certified

More information: breitling.com