Breitling Makes the Navitimer Cosmonaute a Permanent 41 mm Model
Breitling has made the Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute a permanent part of its Navitimer collection. Previous versions of the 24-hour Cosmonaute were limited or special editions; the new stainless steel model, presented in October 2026, is a regular reference with a black "reverse panda" dial. It is offered on a brown leather strap for $10,600 or on a seven-link steel bracelet for $11,000.
The watch that went to space in 1962
The Cosmonaute goes back to NASA astronaut Scott Carpenter. For his Mercury-Atlas 7 orbital flight in 1962, he asked Willy Breitling for a Navitimer with a 24-hour dial, so that he could tell day from night while circling the Earth. The watch is regarded as the first Swiss wristwatch in space. On the new model the hour hand still makes one turn per day: the dial is marked in two-hour steps, with 24 at the top and 12 at the bottom.
Dial and case
The 41 mm stainless steel case is 13 mm thick, with the Navitimer's slide-rule bezel. The black dial carries three white subdials for the chronograph and a date window integrated into the lower counter. Instead of the winged "B" logo, it uses the twin jet planes emblem that Breitling introduced in 1957 and placed on the Navitimer dial in the 1960s. Hands and numerals are coated with Super-LumiNova.
Calibre B02
The watch is powered by Breitling's in-house Calibre B02, a hand-wound version of the B01 chronograph movement adapted for the 24-hour display. It has a column wheel and vertical clutch, runs at 4 Hz, provides a 70-hour power reserve and is COSC-certified.
Alongside the Cosmonaute, Breitling introduced the Navitimer B09 Chronograph 41, a slightly slimmer 12-hour chronograph with the hand-wound Calibre B09, a 70-hour power reserve and a black or blue dial without a date window. In the United Kingdom it costs £6,200 on a strap and £6,500 on a bracelet.
Specifications at a glance
- Reference: AB0230211B1X1 (leather strap)
- Case: stainless steel, 41 mm, 13 mm thick
- Dial: black, white subdials, 24-hour scale, date
- Movement: Breitling Calibre B02, hand-wound, 4 Hz, 70 hours, COSC
- Water resistance: 30 m
- Price: $10,600 (leather strap), $11,000 (steel bracelet)
Sources: Breitling, as reported by Gear Patrol (22 October 2026) and T3 (23 October 2026).
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