Classic AVI

Before WWII the Swiss manufacture managed to dominate the chronograph market. This was because its reliable watches featured the sturdiest and most durable movements available at the time. The models and their historical origins trace back to the work of the Huit Aviation Department, the Eighth Aviation Department, founded in 1938 by Willy Breitling. The number 8 in this line’s name refers to the watchmaker’s Huit Aviation Department (Eighth Aviation Department), which Willy Breitling established in 1938. One of the tasks its design engineers were given was the development of timekeeping devices that were integrated in the instruments of fighter planes. Quality was the hallmark of the Eighth Department; the clocks, featuring a power reserve of up to eight days, were designed to retain their accuracy under extremes of temperature as well as withstanding the plane’s shaking and vibrations. 

The watch’s ratcheted bezel of some models refers to the Breitling board clocks in fighter planes. These were hand-wound by turning their similarly shaped bezel. This collection, with its slightly retro yet contemporary look, also comprises elegant sporty models.