In a milestone year, Breitling launches the new Aerospace celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Breitling Orbiter 3 – the first balloon to circumnavigate the globe!
2024 marks Breitling’s 140th Birthday having been founded in 1884. And talking to the brand, it looks like it will be a big year of festivities and of course, watch releases. Keep your eye out on our site as we’ll be showcasing many of these new pieces across the year. But to kick us off, Breitling has unveiled the new Aerospace B70 Orbiter, exactly 25 years on from the first successful non-stop circumnavigation of the globe in a balloon back in 1999 – and Watch Advice was there to discover the piece this week ahead of its launch!
Before we get to the watch, a little bit of modern history: Even with all the advances in aviation throughout the 20th century, there was one last frontier that hadn’t been conquered, and that was a successful circumnavigation on Earth in a balloon. In fact, up until that day in March 1999, no balloon had gone that distance, nor had it stayed in the air longer than 9 days. For the Orbiter 3 to complete its flight, it would need 20 days! Enter adventurers Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones, just one of 18 teams trying to set the record, of those teams, included Richard Branson and Steve Fossett.
Setting off from Chateux-d’Oex in the Swiss Alps on March 1st, 1999, (as their third attempt mind you) the Breitling Orbiter 3 started its 20-day / 45,633km odyssey, with Piccard and Jones both equipped with Breitling Emergency watches. They completed the daring voyage, landing the Breitling Orbiter 3 balloon in the Egyptian desert after successfully circumnavigating the globe in just 19 days, 21 hours, and 47 minutes. This set the record for the longest balloon flight, both for distance and duration, not to mention the first time ever someone had successfully flown around the world in a balloon.
“Twenty-five years is a generation, but those 20 days were so intense, I remember every aspect of the flight like it was yesterday,”
Bertrand Piccard, Balloonist and
Today, Breitling celebrates this milestone with the Aerospace B70 Orbiter – a fitting tribute to that successful flight with many nods to the Orbiter 3 balloon. The first is the dial. A gradient orange dial that fades from a dark orange at the edges to a brighter orange in the center. This is the same orange colour the Orbiter 3 capsule was painted and a fitting tribute to the history-making balloon. The dial does change colour in the light, changing from bright orange to almost red, like blood orange. personally speaking, this brings the watch to life!
On the dial, the Breitling Orbiter 3 mission logo sits proudly at 3 o’clock, showcasing the watch’s historical link with the mission, and at the 12 o’clock position, the ‘Winged B’ Breitling logo. Again, another nod to the period when Breitling’s logo had wings and sat atop its watches. I’m not sure about you, but I do miss the Winged B on the current pieces, even if the current logo harkens back to Breitling’s historical roots.
Orbiter logo 
Winged B logo
Breitling has done the Orbiter case and bracelet in Titanium, making this piece lightweight and durable. The case measures 43mm and is just under 13mm thick at 12.95mm with a lug-to-lug of just over 52mm. Whilst this seems on the larger side, the thickness and the lightness add to the piece’s wearability.
This is especially so on the black rubber strap that Breitling has optioned the watch with. Having had both variants on the wrist, I can safely say that the rubber is my first pick due to the look and feel on the wrist. One aspect that I will point out is the way Breitling has designed the case sides, with the ridged case sides contrasting between the inner facet and outer edges. It gives this piece a unique look and sets the case apart from other models in Breitling’s mechanical range.
Flipping the watch over, it reveals yet another piece of history – quite literally. Each Breitling Aerospace B70 Orbiter has a small piece of the Orbiter 3 balloon that’s visible through the see-through caseback. Printed on the caseback is again the Breitling Orbiter 3 mission logo and surrounding this the words: “First non-stop flight around the world 25th anniversary.” It’s a fitting tribute and a nice touch for those who want to have a connection with that moment in history 25 years ago.
Powering the piece is Brietling’s newly designed COSC-certified Breitling Manufacture Caliber B70: a thermo-compensated SuperQuartzTM with both analog and digital display. The movement delivers 10 times the accuracy of a standard quartz watch, which, when you think about it, is quite amazing given how accurate quartz is already! The Caliber B70 powers the watch’s array of functions, including a 1/100th of a second chronograph (with split-time and flyback functions), countdown timer, second timezone, two alarms, lap function, and perpetual calendar.
Final Thoughts
Breitling has kicked off the year strong, first with the Victoria Beckham Chronomat collection released last month, and now, as the 140th celebrations get underway, paying tribute to part of its vast aviation history with the Aerospace B70 Orbiter. It’s a great-looking piece as well, and once you see it in person, you’ll get an appreciation for this piece and what it represents in the Breitling lineup.
The orange dial with the luminous numerals makes it highly legible in any scenario, and the multitude of functions makes it the perfect watch for almost any circumstance. Adding to this, the choice of the watch on either the brushed titanium bracelet or the rubber strap with foldover clasp means that it will suit most styles, and the classic Breitling design cues such as the angled bracelet links from the older style Avengers, the notched bezel & the case all scream classic Breitling pilots watches.
The Breitling Aerospace B70 Orbiter is a watch for adventurers, those who need the rugged reliability of a super-accurate quartz watch, more functions than you can poke a stick at, and the lightness and durability of titanium. At least this is how I see it! Or, you may just want a great everyday, all-purpose piece that doesn’t look out of place on the wrist in the office or the outdoors. I’ll leave it up to you which category you fall into for this one!
Reference: EB70101A1O1E1 (Bracelet) or EB70101A1O1S1 (Rubber)
Specification
- Case: 43mm diameter x 12.95mm thick. Lug-to-lug of 52.25mm
- Case Material: Brushed and polished titanium case, bezel, and pushers.
- Dial: Sunburst gradient orange with Super-LumiNova® luminescent numerals, indexes, and hands, plus 2 digital screens for settings and functions.
- Crystal: Sapphire, glareproofed on both sides
- Water resistance: 100m (10 Bar)
- Movement: Breitling Calibre B70 – SuperQuartzTM, thermocompensated quartz, electronic, analog and 12/24 hr LCD digital display plus End OF Life indicator
- Battery Life: Approximately 2 years
- Bracelet/Strap: Brushed angular three-link bracelet or black rubber strap, both with push button folding clasp with on-the-fly micro adjust.
