Breitling Navitimer 1961 >

Name: Navitimer
Model reference: 806
Movement: Venus cal. 178, 24 hour gearing
Size: 40mm
Time display: 24 hour
Dial colors: Black
Text on dial: Navitimer, AOPA official wing logo
(Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association)
Case: stainless steel
Crystal: Mineral dome shaped
Bezel: “beads of rice”

History records: Introduction of a 24 hour version of the Navitimer.

The Breitling Navitimer as worn by Scott Carpenter, while piloting his Mercury VII spacecraft in 1962, must have looked something like this.
Word has it that Scott Carpenter himself suggested Breitling to make a 24 hour version of the Navitimer.
During these early days of the space program they did not issued a standard watch and it was the astronaut's own choice to even wear a watch. The brand new 24-hour Navitimer was Scott's personal choice and so it became the legendary first wristwatch to orbit earth for the American space program. It wasn't until 1965 that NASA selected the Omega Speedmaster to be the official chronograph for the space program and became part of the standard equipment issued to the astronauts.

The Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute was not among the watches tested by NASA from 1962-1965 because one of the requirements was that the space watch should be waterproof. Well we all know that we hit on the "weak" spot of this otherwise great model.