The year 1939 was a momentous one. It was the year the world was plunged into another conflict, just two decades after the end of World War I. But it was also when the Heinkel He 178 made the world’s first successful flight using a turbojet engine; when European scientists published landmark papers on nuclear fission, establishing the scientific basis for atomic energy and weapons; and when the first air-conditioning system for automobiles was exhibited at the Chicago Auto Show. On the pop culture side of things, Batman made his comic book debut in Detective Comics No. 27 in 1939, months before The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind hit the silver screen that same year. Swing, meanwhile, was America’s most popular musical genre, and Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” became a protest anthem against racial terror.

Over in East St. Louis, Illinois, a musical crossroads with Chicago jazz to the north and St. Louis blues across the Mississippi, it was the year a father gifted his son a trumpet for his 13th birthday, which fell on May 26. It proved to be a gift that kept on giving over the next 50-odd years. The boy, of course, was Miles Davis, probably the greatest and certainly the most influential jazz musician of all time.

This year, to mark 100 years of Miles Davis, Breitling presents the Navitimer B09 Chronograph 41 Tribute to Miles Davis, limited to 500 pieces. The launch also sets the stage for a new members-only Breitling Social Club that is set to be unveiled in late 2027.

Breitling Navitimer B09 Chronograph 41 Tribute to Miles Davis

The Birth of Cool

Miles Davis was not a Breitling ambassador in the traditional sense of the word. He was not paid to choose or wear Breitling, and certainly not to be photographed with it. But chose it he did, and he was photographed repeatedly with it.

Miles Davis

Davis’s Breitling of choice was an unlikely one, and one far removed from his immediate circle of influence. Developed in 1952 as a special edition at the request of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the Navitimer was created for aviators not just to tell time, but also as a calculation instrument for the cockpit, to tell speed, fuel and intervals easily. The name Navitimer is a clear indication of the functions it was expressly designed for — navigation and timer.

The birth of the Navitimer in 1952

Breitling released its first official Navitimer reference to the public in late 1955. The Ref. 806 was a three-register chronograph powered by the legendary Venus 178 manual-wind chronograph caliber. It featured a slide rule, lumed markers and syringe hands against an all-black dial and tone-on-tone subdials, framed by a fine thin rotating bezel with 125 notches. Because of the latter, the Navitimer typically wore larger than its 40mm case and, in an era where few watches breached the 36mm mark, its bold solid presence on the wrist stood out. By the time Davis was spotted with his Ref. 806 Mk5 in the 1960s, the Breitling Navitimer had already established a fan club well beyond aviation circles. As well as pilots, racing stars and Hollywood A-listers including Graham Hill, Jim Clarke, Alain Delon and Tony Curtis all wore Navitimers.

The Breitling Navitimer Pilot Chronograph Ref. 806, Circa 1950s (©Revolution)

But on Davis, it took on a whole new meaning of cool.

Davis was a restless chameleon who constantly sought to reinvent his music, and indeed, himself. While his sound remained unmistakable, his music defied easy categorization, spanning the spectrum from bebop (Walkin’) to modal jazz (Kind of Blue), jazz fusion (Bitches Brew) and more as he pioneered new subgenres over the five decades of his career. But what made Davis larger than life was also the fashion, the cars (Jaguars, Lamborghinis and, of course, Ferraris — several of them) and, above all, that attitude — famously proud and nonchalant, defiant and uncompromising.

All of them built towards a performance that extended well beyond his music and the stage. In an interview with Rolling Stone ahead of Davis’s induction into the Hall of Fame in 2006, American pianist Herbie Hancock, who was a member of Davis’s Second Great Quintet in the 1960s, called him “the epitome of cool.” It was a moniker oft repeated about Davis, for indeed, despite a well-documented addiction, notorious temper and turbulent personal life that made headlines, he was irrevocably, unequivocally cool.

Like for his fashion and with his music, Davis wore his gold-plated Ref. 806 Mk5 with swagger. Launched around 1965 and nicknamed the “Twin Jet” for the double jet logo on the dial, the Mk5 established the look for the Ref. 806 until it was discontinued in 1973. It featured the reverse-panda configuration first used in the Mk3, with white subdials popping out against inky black, replacing the all-black configuration of earlier models. But instead of the beaded bezel on the latter, it had a milled, serrated edge for a sharper look. Later iterations would bring about detail changes such as the “Big Eye” registers and red boxed “10,” but in the Mk5, the template was set for posterity. Davis matched his with smart, sharply tailored Italian suits and, later on, flowing Indian shirts and leather trousers, wearing his Mk5 on a leather Bund strap.

Davis wore his gold-plated Ref. 806 Mk5 with swagger (Image: MilesDavis.com)

Says House of Brands CEO Georges Kern, “On Miles Davis’s wrist, the Navitimer became part of a larger cultural story.”

This year’s limited edition Navitimer B09 Chronograph 41 Tribute to Miles Davis retains all the key features of Davis’s Mk5 that have made it such a well-loved classic, along with some welcome modern upgrades. “Our goal wasn’t to recreate a historic watch, but to capture the essence of the Navitimer that Miles Davis made his own while delivering the performance and craftsmanship expected of a modern Breitling,” says Breitling CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué.

Breitling Navitimer B09 Chronograph 41 Tribute to Miles Davis

Accordingly, the tribute watch features the same 41mm case diameter, along with a monochromatic reverse-panda dial, vintage-inspired cream-colored Super-LumiNova on the markers and hands, and the era-appropriate “Twin Jet” logo. But while Davis’s Mk5 was gold-plated, its 2026 limited iteration is stainless steel paired with a choice of classic brown calf leather strap or 1960s-style rally-inspired stainless steel Air Racer bracelet with a distinctive vented design.

Prior to 1969, chronographs including the Ref. 806 were all manual winding. (When Breitling introduced its automatic Navitimer powered by the famous Caliber 11 that year, it upped the case size to 48mm and gave it the new reference 1806.) The decision to use the manual-wind manufacture Caliber B09 for the new watch is thus a subtle well-placed nod to this, one that Breitling collectors are likely to appreciate. And make no mistake, the manufacture caliber is no pushover; the 4Hz movement is COSC certified and offers 70 hours of power reserve.

The 2026 tribute watch sees a movement upgrade with the manual winding manufacture Caliber B09

Miles Ahead

The tribute to Miles Davis is also a prelude to a bigger unveiling scheduled for next year — the Breitling Social Club. The very first club is slated to open in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York, and designed as a members-only space to bring together the Breitling community and collectors from around the world, entrepreneurs, artists and, of course, musicians. According to Breitling, the club will offer a year-round lineup of exclusive hospitality and cultural experiences that celebrate the Breitling spirit. Access to the club will be limited to members, such as the owners of the 500 Tribute to Miles Davis watches, who will each receive a two-year membership.

Breitling Navitimer B09 Chronograph 41 Miles Davis Lifetime Club Member Set Box

There is also a special Miles Davis Edition box set limited to 50 numbered pieces that will ensure a lifetime membership to the social club. The “Lifetime Club Member Set” brings together three Ref. 806 Mk5 tributes in stainless steel, 18K yellow gold and platinum. While the first two echo the classic black-and-white dial configuration of the original, the platinum comes with a navy blue dial and contrasting white subdials. The three are presented in a special case inspired by a traditional trumpet case and lined in a deep blue, a fitting nod to Davis’s Kind of Blue, the best-selling and most successful jazz album of all time.

Tech Specs: Breitling Navitimer B09 Chronograph 41 Tribute to Miles Davis

References AB09501A1B1X1; AB09501A1B1A1
Movement Manual winding Breitling manufacture Caliber B09; 70-hour power reserve
Functions Hours, minutes and small seconds; chronograph Case 41mm; stainless steel; water resistant to 30m
Dial Black sunray-brushed with white subdials; applied hour markers
Strap Stainless steel Air Racer bracelet, or brown leather with folding clasp
Price USD 9,600 (steel), USD 8,900 (leather)
Availability Limited edition of 500 pieces