• 1968 Breitling Geneve Cosmonaute Mark 1
• Twin Jet
• ref. 0819
• Venus cal. 178
• rare 48mm diameter (51mm with crown) EPSA "Big Case"

NAVITIMER COSMONAUTE: FIRST SWISS WRISTWATCH IN SPACE

In 1962, Breitling received a call that would forever launch its name into history. Scott Carpenter, one of the Mercury Seven group of NASA astronauts and a combat pilot in the Korean War, contacted Willy Breitling to create a custom Navitimer for his pioneering space mission.

Carpenter was introduced to the Breitling Navitimer aviation watch by a group of military pilots and had become a fan of its computational slide rule—but to take it into space would require a few modifications. He wanted to keep the slide rule in case he needed to perform manual calculations, but had no need for the minutes-to-hours conversion scale. He wanted a stretch-style metal strap that would fit over his space suit, and a bezel easy to grip with gloves. But most memorable of all was his request to substitute the 12-hour scale for 24 hours, since day and night mean little in orbit where an astronaut sees a quick succession of sunrises and sunsets.

Willy Breitling had less than two months to produce the astronaut’s order, but he made the deadline in time to make history. The Navitimer Cosmonaute, as it would later be known, orbited the Earth three times on Carpenter’s wrist aboard the Aurora 7 capsule, becoming the first Swiss wristwatch in space.

The astronaut splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean 400km (250 miles) from the intended rescue point. He spent three hours on a life raft before crews arrived. The watch, made for space not the high seas, was badly damaged by saltwater. Carpenter sent it back to Willy Breitling, who promptly replaced it with a new one. The Breitling family still has the original, and while the dial was destroyed, its corrosion makes an interesting patina—almost like a planetary landscape itself.

The Cosmonaute was sold throughout the sixties with various dial configurations along the way. It still remains a staple of the Breitling brand, with the latest examples paying tribute to the legendary Cosmonaute and its missions.

This perfectly running ref. 0819 example from 1968 has a very rare, eye catching 48mm diameter (51mm with crown) EPSA "Big Case" which was absolutely enormous at the time! Developed by EPSA Piquerez, the renowned case manufacturer, the "Big Case" introduces a complex bezel mechanism that enables high water resistance. The earlier examples bear the patent application number "DDE + BR 11525/67" from August 1967 as does this example. The watch has the same dial configuration with the MPH and KM scales and three sub-dials as the Navitimer, with exeption of the 24-hour dial instead of the usual 12-hour dial. Its a bit strange at the beginning but you'll get used to it along the way. The Cosmonaute has Big luminating hour- and minute hands, an orange chronograph hand and little Rabbit Ear hands on the three sub dials for hours, minutes and seconds. Some cool orange accents can be found on the slide rule. Under the legendary Twin Jet Planes Logo on top it says Breitling Geneve Cosmonaute. Last service revision was in 2020, a picture and the invoice are present. Comes including a leather Breitling watch strap with Breitling clasp.

The Breitling Cosmonaute represents an important part of Breitling’s rich history and is a fabulous and sharp-looking timepiece that makes you stand out immediately! It's not just a watch. It's legendary.