BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
2025 marks many anniversaries in the watch industry, certainly more than any year I’ve seen since I started writing for WristReview in 2014. One that wasn’t an anniversary of a particular watch or watchmaker but was still important was May 1st, which marked 100 years since the birth of American astronaut Scott Carpenter.
Carpenter was the fourth American in space, and the second American to perform an orbit of the Earth in May 1962 aboard the Aurora 7 craft for NASA’s Project Mercury. The aim of Project Mercury was to send humans into space, and was especially relevant as the USA’s nemesis, the Soviet Union, was making leaps and bounds in this field. On Carpenter’s wrist during his flight was his trusty Breitling Navitimer, and for 2025, Breitling’s made a special edition.
The new Breitling Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaut Scott Carpenter Centenary ref LB0240211C1P1 watch, yes that is its name, is “inspired” by Carpenter’s Navitimer rather than being a 1:1 reproduction of it. It gets a 41mm x 13mm case made of platinum with a blue alligator leather strap and a platinum buckle.
The new Navitimer Centenary has that classic Navitimer look with the light-coloured slide rule bezel wrapping around the blue dial centre. With that said, the slide rule bezel is likely also the reason why this watch is only 30m water-resistant and shouldn’t be used while swimming. You do get one of the archetypal pilot’s watches as a trade-off for that, though, and the Navitimer is undoubtedly one of the best looking, in my opinion.
Around the back is the manually-wound calibre B02. I feel like seeing anything other than the B01 in Breitling’s watches these days is a rarity. That’s not a slight on the B01 at all, it’s a pretty fantastic calibre, but the B02 in this watch has a bit more going for it on the speciality side. The movement features a 70-hour power reserve with a 4Hz beat rate, and the column wheel chronograph will be smooth and easy to use. It’s good that we have an open caseback as well, and Breitling has decorated the plates with engravings including Scott Carpenter’s name, the Aurora 7 and the Mercury 7 program’s insignia.
Only 50 examples of this watch will be available, and they’ll all come in a luxurious wooden box. The price is €42,000.
