Breitling Callistino

Breitling

Breitling, one of the names most synonymous with the term “toolwatch” and a favorite amongst aviators, explorers and adventurers. Founded back in 1884 by Léon Breitling, the brand no longer operates under its namesake family but still produces some of the finest pilot’s watches on the market.

As early as in the 1930’s Breitling began making wrist watch chronographs and in 1936 the company became a supplier for the military forces of Canada and the United Kingdom. Some of the best known model lines for Breitling are found in the Navitimer (seen in the photo above) and the Chronomat, both frequently used by pilots from many nations. However, the brand also offers a variety of other watches, such as the Super Ocean line of dive watches.

In 1978, Breitling was troubled by the illness of its current leader Willy Breitling, sales were declining and they became unable to continue operating, eventually getting liquidated. From 1979 to 2017 the brand continued under the Schneider family ownership but after this, 80% of the company was sold to a British private equity firm, followed by the remaining 20% being sold in 2018. They then went on to release the automatic chronograph in-house caliber B01 the following year in 2019 and over the last few years the brand has seen an upswing in popularity.