Welcome to the Scottish Watches Podcast Episode 635! This year, Breitling celebrates its 140th anniversary. A year full of special editions, traveling exhibitions, a new interactive museum, a book, and now a podcast with us! Last year we had Georges Kern, talking about the current strategy, but today Gianfranco, the Global Head of Heritage at Breitling, takes us from the founding with the Breitling family in 1884 and the creation of tool watches that defined the watch world. The patenting of the modern chronograph form, timepieces for nurses during WW II and aviation instruments; the slide rule of the Chronomat; the Navitimer becoming the watch for pilots, flying above the atmosphere with the Cosmonaut, and rescuing hundreds because of the Emergency. These icons and other stories, told by one of the most knowledgeable people we’ve interviewed.

Click here to read along and see the photos in our show notes as you listen – http://www.scottishwatches.co.uk/2024/12/30/scottish-watches-podcast-635-breitling-and-140-years-of-firsts-with-head-of-heritage-gianfranco-gentile/

Gianfranco is wearing his Navitimer Twin Jet gold from 1966.Universal Geneve Polerouter Double Signed Gobbi Milano. Dave is wearing his vintage Universal Geneve from the 50s. Rikki is wearing his Casio Dw-6935C G-Shock.Breitling History starting in 1904Gaston Breitling – 1914Willy Breitling – 1932Scottish Watches Podcast #436: Breitling CEO Georges Kern on The History of The Brand Up To Modern Day1934 – Breitling patented the modern chronograph mechanism with a pusher at both 2 and 4 o’clock. 1940 – Breitling patented the circular logarithmic slide-rule applied to a chronograph with the Chronomat or “Chronographe-Mathematique.Heritage exhibition.1952 – Navitimer.Breitling Navitimer 1 B01 Chronograph.Breitling Navitimer TWA.Breitling Navitimer Swissair.Scottish Watches Podcast #173: Tales From The Workbench with Martin from Martins of GlasgowVintage Watch Talk – Breitling Navitimer, IWC Mark XI & Omega Railmaster from Martin’s of GlasgowCo-Pilot and Navitimer.Breitling Advertisement Nurses watch, the 1930s.Breitling Cocktail Watches 1940s.THEN & NOW POP-UP MUSEUMBreitling Advertisement In the Air On the Ground Under the Sea, 1950s.Breiling’s modern Air, Land, and Sea campaignPlane instruments for the Allies during World War II.Breitling Premier.<img title="" src="http://www.scottishwatches.co