SpotlightOde To An Iconic Balloon: Breitling Professional Aerospace B70 Orbiter

To celebrate turning 140 years old in 2024, Swiss watchmakers Breitling have chalked a game plan to revisit their ‘incredible firsts’—pioneering inventions in timekeeping—with special events, exhibits, and launches. Kickstarting this list is the Breitling Professional Aerospace B70 Orbiter, launched on March 21, exactly 25 years from March 21, 1999—the day of the historic landing of the world’s first non-stop balloon flight around the world made possible by the watch brand. “Since the birth of aviation, Breitling have been there for all those who looked to the sky and dared to dream,” Breitling CEO Georges Kern said at the launch, adding, “As we honour the pioneering spirit of the Orbiter 3 mission, we reaffirm our commitment to being at the forefront of aviation’s future. The skies have no limit, and neither do we.”

‘Watch’ing The World From A Balloon: Breitling Aerospace B70 Orbiter

Breitling forayed into aviation-themed watches in the 1930s with the Professional line. Their Navitimer chronograph, inbuilt with the computational slide rule, became of invaluable assistance to commercial airlines. The brand now features digital-analogue aviation watches to aid pilots in rough weather. On March 21, 1999, two Swiss explorers Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones had worn the first Orbiter 3—a 1,999-unit edition titled Emergency—when they undertook the first longest flight of the 20th century in a high-tech helium balloon from Switzerland, landing in an Egyptian desert on the same longitude. This successful circumnavigation across the globe, completed in 19 days, 21 hours, and 47 minutes, was a big deal as 21 prior attempts had been made—twice by Piccard himself—but were unsuccessful.

The Breitling Aerospace B70 Orbiter features an orange dial with matching orange Super-LumiNova luminescent numerals, indexes, and hands, plus the LCD display featuring backlight so that the watch showcases time under low light conditions

The caseback is covered with a piece of the original Breitling Orbiter 3 balloon and the inscription, ‘First non-stop flight around the world 25th anniversary’

The Breitling Aerospace B70 Orbiter 25th anniversary edition carries forward design traits of the ana-digi display (an analogue display for hours and minutes, and an LCD digital display for seconds) along with new features. This ‘modern-day tool watch’ showcases a bright orange dial, matching the Orbiter 3 capsule, featuring orange Super-LumiNova luminescent numerals, indexes, and hands, with the LCD display featuring backlight so that the watch showcases time under low-light conditions.

The Force Behind The Ana-Digi Display

The Breitling B70 runs on the COSC-certified in-house calibre B70, touted to provide 10 times the accuracy of a standard quartz watch. It charges the thermocompensated SuperQuartz™ analogue and LCD digital display with EOL (end of life) indicator, 1/100th-of-a-second chronograph, perpetual calendar, second time zone, electronic tachymeter, countdown timer, and lap function, with two alarms. The watch offers upto two years of power reserve. This B70 movement comes enclosed within a 43mm titanium case, close to 13mm thick, and topped with a ratcheted, bidirectional-rotating bezel. Helping in achieve the high, 100m water resistance of the watch are the antireflective sapphire crystal on both sides, and firmly screwed-down caseback and crown.

The Breitling Professional Aerospace B70 Orbiter, launched on March 21, 2024, exactly 25 years from March 21, 1999; the day of the historic landing of the world’s first nonstop balloon flight around the world made possible by the watch brand

On March 21, 1999, two Swiss explorers Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones had worn the first Orbiter 3—a 1,999-unit edition version titled Emergency—when they undertook the first longest flight of the 20th century in a high-tech helium balloon from Switzerland

The ‘modern-day tool watch’ titled Breitling Professional Aerospace B70 Orbiter showcases a bright orange dial that matches the Orbiter 3 capsule for the high-tech helium balloon expedition of 1999

This successful circumnavigation across the globe, completed in 19 days, 21 hours, and 47 minutes, was a big deal as 21 prior attempts had been made—twice by Piccard himself—but were unsuccessful

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Own A Relic Of The Original Orbiter 3 Balloon

The Orbiter 3 balloon theme continues on the caseback. There is the logo of the Breitling Orbiter 3 mission positioned at three o’clock, and its larger illustrated version on the caseback, encircled with the inscription, ‘First non-stop flight around the world 25th anniversary’. Additionally, this caseback is covered with a piece of the original Breitling Orbiter 3 balloon. The watch box contains two strap options for the watch: a titanium bracelet or black rubber strap with a folding clasp.

Perhaps, the best way to sum up the essence of the Breitling Professional Aerospace B70 Orbiter is in the words of Bertrand Piccard—one half of the Breitling Orbiter 3 balloon duo. “It was not only about flying around the world; it was about showing that we can achieve much more than we think. Now, as then, we need to be able to dream big. To get out of our comfort zone, to be disruptive. When you apply this thinking to any topic, you can change the world.”