A titan of jazz, Miles Davis redefined music by mastering convention and breaking rules. Before tool watches became fashionable, Davis wore the Breitling Navitimer ref. 806 Mk5 – turning a pilot’s instrument into an expression of style. Breitling developed the Navitimer in 1952 for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Exclusively distributed to AOPA members, the original Navitimer had no Breitling branding on the dial. Then in 1955, the Navitimer was released to the public. The ‘civilian’ models carried the Twin Jet logo, to distinguish them from the AOPA editions. Miles Davis’ Navitimer ref. 806 Mk5 was the first to pair that signature with a reverse-panda dial. Breitling just introduced a special edition Navitimer inspired by Davis’ mid-1960s watch. The Navitimer B09 Chronograph 41 Tribute to Miles Davis marks the centennial of this American icon’s birth.
The Navitimer Tribute to Miles Davis is powered by the hand-wound Caliber B09, reflecting an era before automatic chronographs existed. The back is engraved with One of 500 and Miles Davis Centennial. Visible through the caseback, the movement is housed in the same 41 mm case as the original ref. 806 Mk5. Its monochrome reverse-panda dial, cream-colored Super-LumiNova and era-appropriate logo faithfully recall Davis’ watch. Limited to 500 pieces, the watch is available on a stainless-steel Air Racer bracelet ($9,600.00), or a brown leather strap ($8,900.00). The rally-inspired Air Racer bracelet was first introduced in the 1960s and popularized by musician Serge Gainsbourg in the 1980s. It retains its distinctive vented design while adding hinged links near the clasp for greater comfort.
