Super AVI, Breitling's new line of watches, pays tribute to the history of aviation with designs inspired by the original 1953 "Co-Pilot" Ref. 765 AVI aviator watch, the first wearable model since the precision timepieces made by the company in the 1930s for aircraft cockpits. The collection consists of five unique versions celebrating four legendary aircraft, whose silhouettes characterise the watches' sapphire crystal backs:
- The Super AVI P-51 Mustang, which pays homage to the best fighter of its era in two distinct versions: one with a steel case, black dial and golden brown leather strap, and another version in red gold with anthracite dial and black leather strap, on sale exclusively at Breitling boutiques and at www.breitling.com.
- The Super AVI Tribute to Vought F4U Corsair features a blue dial, tone-on-tone chronograph counters and a black leather strap, with design elements inspired by the aircraft carrier fighter's distinctive livery.
- The Super AVI Curtiss Warhawk, with its military green dial, contrasting white chronograph counters and red details, recalls the famous shark-mouth tip of the aircraft from which it takes its name and which helped create its legend.
- The Super AVI Mosquito features a combination of polished and satin finishes for its black ceramic bezel and a black dial with contrasting white chronograph counters. Its red and orange elements recall the round decorations and markings of this versatile aircraft, nicknamed The Wooden Wonder.
The Super AVI's distinctive design includes large, easily readable Arabic numerals on the dial and bezel. The sturdy 46 mm case, with an oversized crown at 3 o'clock, is topped by a knurled bezel that offers optimal grip. The stitched calfskin straps are a reference to the leather stitching on cockpits of the era. Pilots and travellers alike will appreciate the possibility of displaying a second time zone thanks to the 24-hour indicator on the inner bezel and the GMT hand with its red tip. The movement mechanism of the Super AVI is the Cosc-certified Breitling manufacture calibre B04, which offers around 70 hours of power reserve. For the launch of the new collection, Breitling brought the four vintage planes together for an epic photo shoot, a flight of the highest technical level that provided spectacular footage. The four planes took off from the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia (MAM), which houses three of the four aircraft (the Warhawk came from the Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison, Texas).
The entire Super AVI collection will be shown today, exclusively for Italy, to members of L'Orologio Club who will attend a special presentation event, by invitation only, of the 300th issue of our magazine L'Orologio. The meeting, organised by Gioielleria Cornali and Breitling, is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Cornali boutique in Piazza Matteotti 15, Bergamo. In addition to the Cornali team, Dody Giussani, editorial director of L'Orologio, and Patrizia Aste, managing director of Breitling Italia, will be present.
