2017 - 140 years

While repositioning the company, Georges Kern and his team recognized the importance of drawing from Breitling's rich heritage. They created a new corporate identity that blended historical elements with a modern outlook. Breitling expanded beyond its aviation-focused strategy to embrace its three historic universes: Air, Land, and Sea, redefining itself as a generalist Swiss watch brand offering a casual, sustainable, and approachable alternative to traditional luxury.

To promote this new identity, Breitling introduced #Squadonamission, replacing individual ambassadors with squads of three—masters of their respective fields. Breitling’s first digital initiative was to upgrade the brand’s warranty system to a digital solution, providing real-time data transmission. The e-warranty card, featuring a QR code, enables fast activation at points of sale, offering customers easy access to their watch documents and numerous benefits with a simple scan.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, leaving businesses shuttered and the world at a standstill, Breitling adapted its Summit concept for the digital realm. The inaugural Breitling Summit Webcast in April 2020 featured Georges Kern expressing support for global efforts to combat the virus, followed by a series of product launches. These included the Superocean Heritage '57 Rainbow Edition, symbolizing hope during the crisis; the Navitimer 35, highlighting the importance of women's collections; and a complete redesign of the Chronomat. The use of digital platforms became a turning point for the brand. Breitling’s Endurance Pro came onto the scene in 2020, aligning perfectly with the athleisure trend that gained momentum during lockdown. The timepiece struck a nerve, encouraging outdoor activity at a time when social interactions were limited, and sports were a key outlet for many. In the same year, the brand also replaced its formerly heavy watch boxes with flat-folding alternatives made from upcycled plastic bottles to reduce environmental impact. This new packaging was recognized by the Solar Impulse Foundation as one of its 1,000 Efficient Solutions. Breitling expanded its appeal to women with the Navitimer Automatic 38, offering a slimmer diameter version of its iconic pilot’s watch. The move proved a hit, with the Navitimer Automatic 38 becoming a top seller and paving the way for the introduction of the 41 mm version the following year. 

The reimagined Navitimer made its grand entrance on its 70th birthday, unveiled aboard three Swiss International Air Lines flights to Geneva as a special “in-flight entertainment” edition of the Breitling Summit Webcast. The timepiece wove together the new and the nostalgic, pairing a sleek, modern silhouette and contemporary dial colors with the return of the classic AOPA logo on the dial. Always a risk to upend an icon, the move hit the mark by preserving the Navitimer’s spot-across-a-room design while giving it new life. That same year marked another momentous anniversary. In 1962, when Mercury 7 astronaut Scott Carpenter asked Willy Breitling to make a modified Navitimer for his upcoming space mission, Willy jumped at the challenge. The result was the Cosmonaute—a unique Navitimer with a 24-hour scale that accompanied Carpenter on his historic orbital journey, becoming the first Swiss wristwatch in space. A limited-edition 60th anniversary Cosmonaute paid tribute to the historic flight . In terms of sustainability, Breitling took strides and started adding “better gold” (traceable artisanal gold) and “better diamonds” (responsible lab-grown gemstones) across its watch portfolio, starting with the Origins watch, a striking 38-millimeter Super Chronomat whose precious materials could be traced to their source, with every step on the supply-chain independently verified.