25 years ago, the Breitling Orbiter 3 made the first non-stop balloon flight around the world. Today, the Aerospace B70 Orbiter celebrates its anniversary.
Double anniversary for Breitling2024 marks 140 years since the founding of the brand and the 25 since Breitling Orbiter 3's first non-stop balloon flight around the world. Hence the birth of a special edition of its multifunction electronic chronograph designed for pilot use: the Aerospace.
The Orbiter 3, sponsored by Breitling, is considered the last great feat of the 20th century, accomplished in 1999 by Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones. The two landed in Egypt after covering 45,633 km in 19 days, 21 hours and 47 minutes, thus making the longest flight, both in terms of distance and duration.
"Twenty-five years is a generation, but those 20 days were so intense that I remember every aspect of the flight as if it were yesterday," said Piccard. "It was not just about flying around the world, but about showing that we can achieve much more than we think. Now, as then, we must continue to be able to dream big. Get out of our comfort zone. Have a disruptive force. If we apply this mentality to any field, we can change the world.
Breitling's analogue and digital chronograph designed for pilots
A thermocompensated quartz movement for the Aerospace B70 Orbiter.
The Aerospace B70 Orbiter has a titanium case (43 mm in diameter) and is characterised by an orange dial, the same colour as the Orbiter capsule. It also introduces a new movement to the collection, the B70 calibre: it is a thermocompensated SuperQuartz movement, Cosc chronometer-certified, with ten times the precision of a classic quartz.
In addition to the analogue hour and minute display with SuperLuminova hour markers and hands, it is equipped with various digital functions, visible on the two central LCD displays: 1/100th of a second chronograph with split-seconds and flyback function, electronic tachymeter, stopwatch, countdown timer, second time zone, two alarms, tachometer and perpetual calendar. The battery life is approximately two years.
Breitling: tribute to the Orbiter 3 mission
Aerospace B70 Orbiter, a piece of history in the back.
A special feature of this watch is found on the transparent back, through which a fragment of the original Breitling Orbiter 3 balloon can be seen. And then there is the mission logo and the inscription 'First non-stop flight around the world 25th anniversary'. The Aerospace B70 Orbiter is available with a titanium bracelet or a black rubber strap with folding clasp.
Prices4,600 euros with strap; 4,800 euros with titanium bracelet.
