ReviewThe Avengers Return: Breitling Is Back With An Updated Avenger Series

Breitling’s top-brass status in the world of aviation timekeeping is in no way newfound. It’s common knowledge that gaining the trust of pilots when it comes to any new piece of equipment is a long, tedious process. After all, the gadgetry that takes them several thousand feet up in the sky can mean the difference between life and death. Breitling’s tryst with aviation started with equipping the cockpits of planes in the 1930s. But, by the 1950s, the brand had shifted its focus to the pilot’s wrists, beginning with the launch of the Navitimer. Both their flight instruments and their watches proved to be extremely accurate and reliable. Not long after, there was a Breitling on every pilot’s wrist, and this was further amplified in 2001 with the launch of the Avenger series. The watch was, and continues to be, a staple in an aviation professional’s assemblage.

Click here to read more about how Breitling has entered into the new age of aviation, with their new ‘aviation pioneers squad’

The Restructured Fleet

But times they are a-changin’! Tool watches today find themselves spending more time in boardrooms and at social gatherings than the kind of environment they were actually developed for. That, however, does not mean they’re any less capable than the tool watches of yesteryear. To keep up with the ever-changing trends in the world of horology, Breitling has, before anything else, taken a more defined approach to its Avenger line-up by reducing the number of references from an overwhelming 41 to a more focused 14. This step makes the watches in the series easier to remember, and in turn, makes them more memorable—the first of many welcome changes Breitling has brought to the line-up.

Breitling has, before anything else, taken a more defined approach to its Avenger line-up by reducing the number of references from an overwhelming 41 to a more focused 14

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The case sizes for the new watches in the Avenger series continue to range from 43mm to a gargantuan 48mm

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Family Tree

The case sizes for the new watches in the Avenger series continue to range from 43mm to a gargantuan 48mm. This, however, comes as no surprise considering how important legibility is when you’re up in the sky, so, big and bold was definitely one of the characteristics to retain. Breitling has been quite systematic in the way they’ve designed these products, making sure every patron got what they needed, without cluttering the line-up. Across three sizes (43mm, 45mm, and 48mm) you can choose between time-and-date watches, chronographs and GMT timepieces. What remains consistent throughout all references are the screw-down crowns with protruding crown guards, an impressive 300m water resistance, and more importantly, COSC-certified chronometer movements.

The Avenger series of watches by Breitling was, and continues to be, a staple in an aviation professional’s assemblage

There was a Breitling on every pilot’s wrist, and this was further amplified in 2001 with the launch of the Avenger series

Starting with the boldest members of the family, each of the two 48mm variants boasts a superbly legible face and features the ETA 7750-based calibre 13 chronograph movement, which delivers a 48-hour power reserve. There’s a special ‘Night Mission’ variant, which offers the same layout but in an exquisite and lightweight DLC-coated titanium case. Coming to the middle-weights, the options are plentiful in the 45mm series of Avengers. From the stark yellow ‘Seawolf’ targeted at divers, to useful complications such as the GMT function for the world traveller, this size caters to a variety of Breitling customers. Again, there’s a choice between DLC-coated titanium and stainless steel for the case.  The brand rounds off the list with simple time-and-date, and chronograph variants for the smallest members of the family, available only in steel. The GMT watches make use of the Breitling calibre 32 with a power reserve of 42 hours, while the chronographs feature the same calibre 13 as the 48mm variants. The time-and-date variants are powered by the Breitling calibre 17, which offer a 38-hour power reserve.

Breitling has been quite systematic in the way they’ve designed these products, making sure every patron got what they needed, without cluttering the line-up

Across three sizes (43mm, 45mm, and 48mm) you can choose between time-and-date watches, chronographs and GMT timepieces

What remains consistent throughout all references are the screw-down crowns, an impressive 300m water resistance, and more importantly, COSC-certified chronometer movements

The stark yellow ‘Seawolf’ variant is targeted mainly at divers and is powered by the Breitling calibre 17, which offers a 38-hour power reserve

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A New Tomorrow

This restructuring and revamping exercise that Breitling has undertaken is clearly headed in the right direction, as it gives the people watches they actually want to buy, instead of confusing them with a bunch of timepieces they don’t. “What you need to do is to have clearly-cut segments and lines. (For instance,) a Premier has nothing to do with an Avenger or a Superocean,” elucidates the brand’s CEO Georges Kern. “If you put more than three watches on a table, a guy will run away. Too much choice is no choice; it’s just confusing.” Even through this overhaul, Breitling has managed to retain the DNA of the famed Avenger series while taking a more modern approach to timekeeping. What Breitling has achieved then is to keep purists as well as newcomers happy with the return of the Avengers.

Even through this overhaul, Breitling has managed to retain the DNA of the famed Avenger series while taking a more modern approach to timekeeping