Breitling's 593-Piece Navitimer Tribute Honors Concorde's Legendary Jet Engines

The number 593 is not a rounding. Breitling limited the Navitimer Tribute to Concorde to exactly 593 pieces worldwide, directly referencing the Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 turbojet engines that powered the Concorde to its remarkable supersonic speeds. At $10,600, it is the kind of gift that arrives with a reason baked into the object itself.

The Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Tribute to Concorde celebrates one of aviation's most ambitious achievements, introduced to mark the 50th anniversary of the Concorde's first flight, connecting Breitling's pilot's chronograph with the supersonic aircraft that redefined commercial air travel. Breitling's own framing of the Concorde sets the tone: "created at the height of the jet age, a period of rapid aeronautical innovation, the Concorde redefined what was possible in the sky, cutting trans-Atlantic flight times in half at twice the speed of sound and lifting passengers high enough to glimpse the curve of the Earth." Breitling CEO Georges Kern put it plainly: "Flying with the Concorde was like nothing else. Today, travel is a necessary step to reach a destination, but a Concorde flight was an experience in itself. It's only natural that we pay homage to the 50th anniversary of its first flight with our iconic Navitimer."

Every design decision on the watch traces back to the aircraft. The blue dial is inspired by the shade of the stratosphere as seen from the plane, paired with a matching alligator strap. The contrasting white subdials and white inner slide rule nod to the aircraft's unofficial nickname, "the White Bird," while a matching blue alligator strap completes the look. The navy blue alligator leather strap matches the navy blue leather seats in the Concorde planes operated by British Airways. Even the platinum bezel is a departure from the standard steel, a treatment Breitling has made a recurring theme on its special-edition and higher-end Navitimer pieces.

The watch is presented in a 43mm stainless-steel case with a thickness of 13.69mm, paired with that platinum bezel featuring the signature bidirectional slide rule that has long served as a practical tool for pilots performing in-flight calculations. The COSC-certified Breitling Caliber B01 automatic chronograph movement features a vertical clutch and column wheel, ticks at 4Hz, and offers a 70-hour power reserve, its workings visible through a sapphire crystal exhibition caseback.

The caseback is where the tribute becomes explicit. Flip it over and the caseback is etched with "One of 593," "Tribute to Concorde," and "Jetliner." An engraving that says "Mach 2" references how fast the Concorde could dart across the skies, faster than the speed of sound. For a collector, that caseback reads less like product copy and more like a set of coordinates from a vanished era.

Breitling released the Tribute to Concorde as part of a trio of new Navitimer references in 2026, alongside two Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual Calendar watches. The B19 models, available in steel-and-platinum or full platinum (limited to 75 pieces), combine aviation chronograph details with an automatic perpetual calendar, which Breitling calls the most advanced movement ever housed in a Navitimer. The full-platinum B19 retails at $52,000; the steel-and-platinum version at $31,700. Against those, the Concorde tribute's $10,600 entry point positions it as both the accessible and the most narratively charged piece of the three.

Unlike some tribute watches that stretch for a connection, the Navitimer and the Concorde genuinely belong in the same conversation. The Caliber B01, introduced in 2009, was Breitling's first fully integrated manufacture chronograph movement and remains one of the most respected calibers in contemporary watchmaking. Both the watch and the aircraft it honors were built to perform at altitude, and that shared origin is exactly what separates a meaningful limited edition from a commemorative piece that merely borrows a name.