Breitling Navitimer

A close look at a Breitling Navitimer's dial and its circular slide rule, the ring of logarithmic scales around the edge. Breitling launched the Navitimer in 1952 as a professional instrument that let pilots do their in-flight calculations on the wrist, and in 1954 the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association adopted it as its official watch. It is the busiest classic dial there is, and one of the most purposeful. Three subdials sit inside two scales, the beaded bezel gives a thumb something to grip, and every number has a job. Where most dress watches argue for leaving things out, the Navitimer makes the case for putting everything in.