Breitling unveiled its new watch series, the Super AVI collection featuring timepieces inspired by the original 1953 “Co-Pilot” Ref. 765 AVI aviator’s watch and four legendary planes: the North American Aviation P-51 Mustang, the Vought F4U Corsair, the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, and the de Havilland Mosquito.
These new models embody the close link and history Breitling has with aviation. The brand’s association with aeroplanes started in the 1930s when Breitling’s Huit Aviation department began developing precision cockpit clocks for the then-nascent field of aeronautics. In 1953, Breitling introduced the Ref. 765 AVI pilot’s watch—a first-of-its-kind flight instrument that could be worn on the wrist.
This pioneering Ref. 765 AVI pilot’s watch, also called the ‘Co-Pilot’, has been the driving force behind Breilting’s Super AVI collection. Using the classic aesthetic of the 2020 AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-edition as the starting block and the design of the original AVI Ref. 765 as the central theme of the series, the watch showcases Breitling’s idea of symbolic, well-balanced, and quintessential pilot watch.
Like most pilot watches, the new models house highly legible Arabic numerals on the dial and a bezel with an oversized crown sitting at three o’clock. It also features the beneficial 24-hour markings on the inner bezel and a red-tipped GMT hand. Inspired by four powerful and memorable aircraft, these four models have filigree silhouettes that adorn the watches’ sapphire case backs. While they all have the exact case dimensions (46mm) and are powered by Breitling’s in-house chronograph caliber B04, it’s the details on the dials that differentiate one model from the other.
So, let’s get into details:
Super AVI P-51 Mustang
This watch pays tribute to one of the best all-around fighter planes of its era. The Super AVI P-51 Mustang is the only model in the series that offers two distinctive options: a stainless steel case with a black and gold dial and gold-brown leather strap, and another 18K red gold case with an anthracite dial and a black leather strap.
Super AVI Tribute to Vought F4U Corsair
This version of the Super AVI collection is reminiscent of the record-breaking naval aircraft with a blue dial and tone-on-tone chronograph counters that work beautifully against the polished stainless steel case and the black leather strap.
Super AVI Curtiss Warhawk
From the military green dial, white contrasting chronograph counters to the subtle red accents on the dial, all of these features work to bring out the Warhawk’s famous shark nose art that gave the plane its popular and unmistakable identity.
Super AVI Mosquito
This one comes with pretty classic aesthetics. From the stainless steel case fitted with a satin-brushed ceramic bezel to the black dial with white contrasting counters and the subtle hints of red and orange, the timepiece’s immense design aesthetic works well.
The launch of the new Super AVI series from Breitling not only takes us back to a time when digital timekeepers were not in the picture but also provides us with a pleasant reminder of the beauty, enduring precision and relevant mechanics of a pilot’s watch.
The Breitling Super AVI series price starts at Rs 7,66,160, and it is available at leading luxury watch retailers across India.
