Although today the Navitimer is the Breitling model most associated with the slide rule, the Chronomat was actually the world’s first wristwatch with a rotating slide rule bezel.
Breitling Chronomat History
- 1942: First Chronomat (Ref. 769) released, featuring a manual-wind Venus 175 movement and a rotating slide rule bezel for calculations.
- 1969: Introduction of the Chrono-Matic, an automatic chronograph powered by the revolutionary Caliber 11, one of the first automatic chronograph movements.
- 1984: Relaunch of the Chronomat under Ernest Schneider with the Frecce Tricolori model. This version introduced the bold rider-tab bezel and automatic Valjoux 7750 movement.
- 2009: Launch of the first Chronomat with Breitling’s in-house Caliber B01, offering a 70-hour power reserve and COSC certification.
- 2020: Major redesign of the Chronomat collection, including:
- The return of the iconic Rouleaux bracelet.
- Introduction of smaller three-hand models (e.g., 32mm and 36mm).
- 2022: Release of the Chronomat Automatic GMT 40, the first non-chronograph Chronomat with a GMT hand.
