There’s nothing quite like a classic timepiece to get the discerning gent excited about what next to wrap around his wrist. Step forward Breitling with the announced release of a 1,000-piece limited edition Blacksteel version of the favourite Navitimer Cosmonaute.

 

The original watch soared to acclaim in 1962 when Lt Commander Scott Carpenter orbited the earth three times aboard the Aurora 7 capsule, using 24-hour feature of the watch to crucially help distinguish between day and night.

 

The update of the Navitimer Cosmonaute Blacksteel features a matte black military-style PVD coating on the case, crown, pushers and bezel. This look gives the timepiece a slick and stealthy appearance on the wrist. The dial is black with contrasting red and white markings.

 

The trademark chronograph of the Navitimer features at the 3 o’clock (30min counter), 6 o’clock (12-hour counter) and 9 o’clock (seconds). Of course this wouldn’t be a Navitimer without Breitling’s signature bi-directional rotating bezel. It’s all contained within a sleek 43mm case, water resistant to 30 metres.

 

The finishing touch on this timepiece is the manual wound mechanism – just like the original 1962 Navitimer. In a world of automation, the act of winding up a timepiece for the day’s action is something any discerning gent would enjoy.

 

Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute Blacksteel RRP £6,070, available from www.breitling.com