Breitling: AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition

In 1953, Breitling launched the Reference 765 AVI, a pilot’s watch known as the “Co-Pilot”. The Co-Pilot was a 1950s interpretation of the onboard clocks designed and produced by Breitling’s Huit Aviation Department in the 1930s and 1940s, which have already provided inspiration for the watches in the Aviator 8 collection.

Today, Breitling is honoring this classic chronograph’s legacy with the new AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition, a re-edition of the legendary Co-Pilot based on one of the early iterations from that year.

The AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition is being produced in a limited series of 1953 pieces, each of which will be numbered “ONE OF 1953”. The watch is powered by the Breitling Manufacture Caliber B09, a manually wound mechanical chronograph movement based on the brand’s Caliber 01. The B09 was designed with the Re-Edition models in mind, and, like all Breitling movements, it is a COSC-certified chronometer.

The AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition features the same Arabic numerals as the 1953 Co-Pilot as well as hand-applied Super-LumiNova, the color of which has been carefully chosen to recall the luminescent material on the original. The 41.1 mm steel case is also identical, and the bezel is secured by three screws that are placed in the same positions as those on the watch from 1953. The watch features thin syringe hands, which match those on the earliest examples, and a domed hesalite crystal that has been fashioned in the same shape as the original.

There are only two concessions that distinguish this new timepiece from its famous ancestor: the water resistance has been improved to 30 meters and the written “GENEVE” no longer on the dial.

The new Breitling AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition is presented on a black vintage-inspired leather strap with a pin buckle and comes with a five-year warranty. (Price CHF 7.900)

In addition to the steel model, two versions are also available in precious-metal. The first is crafted in 18 k red gold with a black dial and a brown leather strap, limited to 253 pieces with the engraving “ONE OF 253” on the caseback (Price CHF 21.000). The second is in platinum and features a blue dial and a gold vintage-inspired leather strap.This version is available in a limited edition of only 153 pieces, verified by “ONE OF 153” engraved on the back of the platinum case. (Price CHF 39.000)