For the new Aviator 8 Mosquito, Breitling drew inspiration from the design of the aircraft watches designed by its Huit Aviation Department in the 1930s and 1940s and its famous reference 765 AVI, the highly legible watch known as the Co-Pilot. The Aviator 8 Mosquito pays homage to the de Havilland Mosquito, an aircraft built almost entirely of wood and dating back to the 1940s. Its speed and manoeuvrability contributed to its great success and its many roles, including unarmed light bomber, day fighter, night fighter and even photographic reconnaissance aircraft. The Breitling Aviator 8 Mosquito proudly displays its distinctive design: it is immediately reminiscent of the onboard instruments designed by the Huit Aviation Department of the House of Grenchen and the reference 765 AVI, the Co-Pilot, whose bold look, rotating bezel and high readability have made it a favourite among aviators. Breitling CEO Georges Kern said: 'The de Havilland Mosquito is a unique and iconic piece of aviation history. It was distinguished by its incredibly innovative design and ingenious use of materials. Our Aviator 8 Mosquito commemorates one of the true achievements of aviation history'. The Aviator 8 Mosquito features a 43 mm stainless steel case and a satin-finished ADLC-coated stainless steel bezel with a practical red pointer, as well as hour markers and Arabic numerals. The black dial sports silver-plated counters and a date window between 4 and 5 o'clock. The watch features the ADLC coating that gives it an even darker tone than the traditional DLC coating that has been such a popular feature on special Breitling watches, and gives it a much darker appearance than the anthracite hue that characterises normal DLC, and is reminiscent of the night hunting adaptation of the de Havilland Mosquito. The orange hour, minute and chrono seconds hands are coated with Super-LumiNova, making the watch readable in low-light conditions. The striking red and orange accents evoke the cockades and insignia on the fuselage of the de Havilland Mosquito, accentuating the watch's appeal. The small seconds counter hand also features a black lacquered finish. The IWC-manufactured Breitling Calibre 01, visible through the sapphire-glass back, guarantees a power reserve of around 70 hours. This COSC-certified chronometer is water-resistant to 10 atmospheres and is fitted with a vintage brown leather strap with a pin buckle or folding clasp.
The de Havilland Mosquito
Due to its predominantly wooden construction, the British de Havilland Mosquito was used in various roles. Built between the 1940s and 1950s, the 'wooden wonder' was one of the fastest aircraft in the world. Thanks to its wooden structure, it travelled at a speed 30 km/h faster than the famous Spitfire, which was equipped with the same engine.Alistair Hodgson, the curator of the de Havilland Aircraft Museum in England, compares the de Havilland Mosquito to Breitling chronographs: 'By developing aviator chronographs that perform several functions in a single package, Breitling played a pioneering role and the Mosquito was the first aircraft to do the same: although originally designed as an unarmed light bomber, the original design was adapted to make it a day fighter, a night fighter, a photo reconnaissance aircraft and even a passenger aircraft!" In 1940, during the Second World War, Lord Beaverbrook, the Minister for Aircraft Production, wanted to abandon the Mosquito construction project, but Geoffrey de Havilland was convinced of the aircraft's potential and, with the support of Air Chief Marshal Sir Wilfrid Rhodes Freeman, carried forward in total secrecy the development and production of an aircraft destined to become an aviation classic. Alistair Hodgson states in this regard: 'Military historians point out that the Spitfire won the Battle of Britain, but the Mosquito won the war'.The use of wood is indicative of Geoffrey de Havilland's intuition and insight, as Hodgson himself points out: 'He foresaw that the UK would have a shortage of aluminium. The government wanted a light bomber for the RAF, the British Air Force, and de Havilland offered them an aircraft made of plywood and balsa wood composite that would have the performance of a fast, light fighter but would be able to carry the load of a bomber'. The de Havilland Mosquito distinguished itself throughout the 1940s, but the 1950s marked the advent of jet aircraft technology, and the heroic wooden wonder was retired. This extraordinary aircraft played an essential role in aviation history, and Breitling is proud to commemorate this authentic legend of the skies.
