The Breitling Emergency, the first wristwatch to feature a built-in personal distress beacon, was introduced in 1995. Designed with adventurers (especially pilots) in mind, its FM transmitter can broadcast on the 121.5 MHz band when its emergency antenna is unscrewed (and later models can do 406 MHz). You’d face some big fines and unhappy authorities if you activated it in a non-emergency situation, but so far nobody has ever apparently been dumb enough to do that. More than 20 Emergency wearers have been successfully rescued, though! Here’s our overview of everything you need to know about the Breitling Emergency.
Breitling sold 40,000 original Emergency models according to Forbes, and the Emergency 2 was an even greater engineering feat. Ultimately, though, the 51mm diameter and high price of the Emergency 2 greatly limited its sales, and the future of the Emergency line now seems uncertain. But before we get into that, let’s start with how the distress beacon works.
How it Works
If you unscrew the big Frankenstein-neckbolt screw on the Emergency, an antenna comes out. The emergency transmitter will immediately start broadcasting, which is why you should never play around with it in a non-emergency situation (but don’t stress too much–it’s far too tight to accidentally unscrew). In an emergency, make sure the antenna is fully extended and set the crown up for best results.
The 121.5 MHz band (along with 243 MHz, its military-only equivalent) is somewhat of a “legacy” band now but it’s still used by ships, planes and ground-based search and rescue teams. If they detect a distress signal, rescue teams can start sweeping the (large) search radius for you. Cospas-Sarsat, a joint effort between Canada, France, the US and Russia to globally monitor distress signals by satellite, also used to monitor the 121.5 MHz and 243 MHz bands, but they stopped doing so in 2009. Breitling did make a few 243 MHz Emergencies but they were, naturally, only available to the military.
What Cospas-Sarsat monitors now is 406 MHz. That’s the frequency the Breitling Emergency 2 (which hit US shelves in 2015) broadcasts on, in addition to the old 121.5 MHz band. Cospas-Sarsat’s move to the 406 MHz digital frequency in 2009 was in line with recommendations from various regulators worldwide, due to issues with the 121.5 MHz band like poor accuracy and frequent false alerts.
406 MHz digital distress signals contain information on the type of emergency, the country and identification code of the beacon, and other data to assist search and rescue operations; and a lower-powered homing signal on 121.5 MHz to guide search and rescue teams to the aircraft once they arrive in the general area. 121.5 MHz ELTs transmit an analog signal on 121.5 MHz containing only an audio alert, intended to serve both as a distress signal and a homing signal.
FCC
A 2014 UK test report of the Breitling Emergency 2 indicates that its distress signal can be activated for over 18 continuous hours if fully charged. When Cospas-Sarsat detects a distress signal on the 406 MHz band, they coordinate with local officials to start a search. The original Emergency could broadcast for closer to 48 hours on the 121.5 MHz frequency only, but that’s far less energy-intensive. If you open up a Breitling Emergency 2, you’ll see the size of the beacon’s circuit board and battery both absolutely dwarf those of the actual timekeeping unit. Now let’s go over a timeline of the three main “generations” of Breitling Emergency models: the original 43mm version, the 45mm Emergency Mission, and the 51mm Emergency 2.
Breitling Emergency (1995-2010)
The first Breitling Emergency, ref. E56021, debuted in 1995. In Breitling nomenclature, “E” signifies that the watch is titanium. With a 43mm diameter and a large bulky emergency antenna screw, it made sense to choose a lightweight material. Some miniscule tweaks (like “MHZ” on the dial becoming “MHz”) resulted in the E56121.1. E56321 models followed, which were basically unchanged except their movements got chronometer certified (although the dials do not say “chronometer”). Well, oddly, the iced-out white gold equivalent (J56321) does say “Chronometre Emergency” but those are quite rare. Yellow gold models (beginning with “K”) are also rare, but less so.
These Caliber 56-powered Breitling Emergency watches are very capable and accurate, but the movements were upgraded to SuperQuartz Caliber 76 movements in 2002, resulting in the E76321 (and K76321 and J76321). The Breitling Emergency 1 would continue to be made until 2010. Its digital displays can act as both a perpetual calendar and a stopwatch.
Breitling Emergency Mission (2003-2010)
In 2003, Breitling tried something slightly different with the Breitling Emergency Mission. It didn’t replace the regular Emergency, which resembles an Aerospace model. The Breitling Emergency Mission, which looks more like a Chronomat or Avenger, has no digital displays. It has an analog chronograph and date display, but it doesn’t have a mechanical movement–it’s still a SuperQuartz. Its slightly increased size (45mm) and larger crown make the huge emergency antenna screw look a bit less out-of-place.
Interestingly, the Breitling Emergency Mission was available in steel (A73321 and later A73322) or two-tone (B73321 and later B73322), but not titanium or solid gold. Also, the Breitling Emergency Mission dials are all either black, white, silver or navy–no bright colors like orange or yellow. So Breitling was clearly trying to visually differentiate the Emergency Mission from the original Emergency. The second generation of Mission (the -22 model designation) came out in 2007 and is identifiable for having silver-tone hour markers instead of gold. The Emergency Mission was discontinued in 2010 at the same time as the standard Emergency.
Breitling Emergency 2 (2013+)
The Breitling Emergency 2 was in development for years, so rumors of its existence were around long before its Baselworld 2013 debut. But many watch enthusiasts were skeptical that it was even possible to make a watch-sized 406 MHz personal locator beacon (PLB). Typically they’re the size of a walkie talkie.
So, although it’s easy to instinctively scoff at the size–51mm wide and over 21mm thick!–it’s actually a massive feat that Breitling made it that small to begin with. They worked with a startup called Prollion, founded in 2009, to help make a specialized battery just for them.
There are lots of federal regulations about PLB’s, so almost any seasoned Breitling salesperson will have stories of the tedious training and paperwork involved in selling the Emergency 2. Once you fill out the paperwork correctly, though, your beacon’s signal will be identifiable to you. The old Breitling Emergencies couldn’t do that.
To me, the Emergency 2 is like Breitling’s Rolex Deepsea Challenge watch–relentlessly engineered to serve a specific purpose that most watch collectors will never come close to needing. It’s important to have “look-what-we-can-do” moments in the world of luxury watch marketing. And for those few who do need it, it can (and has) saved their lives. Due to the 51mm size and a retail price over $16,000, though, not very many Emergency 2 models have been sold to normie watch collectors like me.
Breitling Emergency Specs
Model | Emergency | Emergency Mission | Emergency 2 |
References | E56021, E56121.1, E56321, E76321 K56321, K76321 J56321, J76321 | A73321, A73322 B73321, B73322 | E76325 V76325 |
Case Material | Titanium (E), yellow gold (K), or diamond-set white gold (J) | Steel (A) or two-tone (B) | Titanium (E) or DLC-Coated Titanium (V) |
Case Size | Diameter: 43mm Thickness: 16mm Lug-to-lug: 50mm | Diameter: 45mm Thickness: 19mm Lug-to-lug: 57mm | Diameter: 51mm Thickness: 21.6mm Lug-to-lug: 63mm |
Water Resistance | 30m | 100m | 50m |
Movement | Caliber 56 (Quartz), Caliber 76 (SuperQuartz) | Caliber 73 (SuperQuartz) | Caliber 76 (SuperQuartz) |
Functions | Hours, minutes, digital perpetual calendar, chronograph, alarm, personal distress beacon | Hours, minutes, chronograph, date, personal distress beacon | Hours, minutes, digital perpetual calendar, chronograph, alarm, dual-band personal distress beacon |
Market Price (Apr. 2024) | ~$4,250 | ~$4,250 | ~$9,000 |
What’s a Breitling Co-Pilot?
The story of the Breitling Emergency isn’t complete if I don’t mention the Co-Pilot. Breitling Co-Pilots have a niche but loyal fan base. They’re the optional “bonus watch” on the first link of the bracelet on some models. There are simple analog versions, with either a 12-hour scale or a 24-hour scale, as well as digital models that can act as a stopwatch. Co-Pilots generally sell for more than $1,000 alone–in some cases, a lot more.
A Note About Battery Changes
Breitling AD’s won’t even change the battery on an Emergency watch. They say a factory service is necessary for every battery change, which costs over $1,000 for an Emergency 2. Yikes. That commitment is well worth it for an avid hiker or pilot who uses it regularly as a piece of survival equipment, but tough to justify as a part of a typical watch nerd’s collection.
Watchuseek user stockae92 made a helpful thread on how to change your own battery on a first-generation Breitling Emergency, and Ivan Kirov made a video of a DIY Breitling Emergency 2 battery change. One of the cool features of the Emergency 2 is that it has a rechargeable battery, and it comes with a wireless charging stand.
But that’s just the beacon’s battery. So, before you go fly your Cessna to Alaska, you should fully charge your Emergency 2 so you’ll get the full 18+ hours of digital distress signaling if you need it. The battery for the watch itself still needs regular replacing (and the beacon battery will too, eventually) no matter how often you charge the beacon battery.
Is the Breitling Emergency Discontinued?
As of May 2024, the Breitling Emergency 2 is still on Breitling’s website, available for sale in four configurations with a starting MSRP of $16,200. Black is the only remaining dial option (yellow, orange, and mother-of-pearl are all gone). The original Breitling Emergency models were discontinued long ago (2010). Although the Emergency 2 still has the old winged B logo that Breitling started phasing out in 2018, that doesn’t mean they’ve been sitting around for years. Breitling seems to be keeping the winged B around for “Professional” models like the Emergency and Endurance.
Although the Emergency 2 represented a herculean engineering feat over a decade ago, the enthusiasm for it just isn’t there. Perhaps advancements in battery technology could enable Breitling to make an Emergency 3 under 45mm in diameter someday. Until then, I think most watch nerds will pay more attention to the original Breitling Emergency and Breitling Emergency Mission models. But if you’re a pilot or hardcore hiker and you can afford the Breitling Emergency 2, why not? Nobody can see that 51mm watch in your Cessna cockpit anyway.
More on Breitling:
The Best Entry-Level Breitling Watches
Who is Universal Genève and Why Did Breitling Buy Them?
History of Breitling
The Best Breitling Watch