Remarkable as it may seem, Breitling used to have even more chronograph options in its catalogue before Georges Kern came in and pared back the portfolio.
Today we have chronographs in the Endurance Pro, Chronomat (regular and super), Superocean Heritage, Top Time, Navitimer, Avenger, and Premier families.
This month we have two more core collection chronograph options, the 42mm Classic AVI and 46mm Super AVI. Plus there is a limited edition recreation of the 1964 AVI Co-Pilot.
They arrive to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the 1953 Ref. 765 AVI, a pilot’s chronograph with a rotating 12-hour bezel for recording flight times.
Simpler than the Navitimer worn by early trans-Atlantic commercial pilots, the watch became known as the Co-Pilot.
The AVI line was beefed up to 46mm and given the name Super AVI in 2021, when it was created in four GMT chronograph styles aligned with the designs of four classic aircraft, the North American Aviation P-51 Mustang, the Vought F4U Corsair, the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, and the de Havilland Mosquito.
This AVI line is being extended with the second time zone GMT hand removed. It uses the Breitling Caliber 23 movement, which allows it to be a little slimmer.
“People love the sturdy, understated look of the Super AVI, but not everyone has the wrist to pull off the extra-large size that gives it its authentic tool-watch feel,” says Breitling CEO Georges Kern. “The Classic AVI trades some functions to achieve the pared-down format our customers have been asking for. The Classic and Super models will now live side by side, providing more choice,” he adds.
There is even more choice thanks to the 42mm Classic AVI models, which come in a range of dial colours and case materials and treatments, each housing the COSC-certified Breitling Caliber 23 automatic movement.
They can be worn on metal bracelets or leather straps.
The AVI range is so vast that you’d be bored before they could all be described, but all you really need to know is that you can have one in steel or gold, 42mm or 46mm, with or without a GMT hand and on a strap or bracelet.
Prices start at £4,950 for steel 42mm Classic AVI on a leather strap and top out at £33,900 for a limited edition AVI 1953 edition in platinum.
