Breitling - 2023 Classic AVI Ref. 765 Limited Re-Edition

WHAT WE LOVE:

The Ref. 765 AVI "Co-Pilot" was introduced by Breitling in 1953 as a pilot's chronograph built around a 12-hour rotating bezel — a tool that allowed pilots to track flight time on the bezel rather than burning a chronograph function that might be needed for other calculations. By the early 1960s, the AVI's combination of size, legibility, and functional clarity had made it a watch with reach well beyond the cockpit. The specific 1964 variant — the reverse panda configuration with white counters on a black dial, black ADLC-coated bezel — was the watch worn by Jean-Claude Killy at the 1968 Winter Olympics, where he won gold medals in all three alpine skiing events. That provenance has given the 1964 configuration a specific identity that the 1953 all-black version doesn't carry in quite the same way.

The 2023 Re-Edition reproduces the 1964 reference with remarkable fidelity: hesalite crystal rather than sapphire (a period-correct choice that gives the watch the same domed refractive optical character as the original), baton hour markers in the vintage proportion, pencil-style luminous hands with old-radium-tone Super-LumiNova, and the ADLC-coated black bidirectional bezel with its red 12 o'clock triangle marker. The 41mm case is exactly correct for the vintage reference being reproduced. Limited to 164 pieces — referencing the 1964 model year — on a black calfskin leather strap. Under Breitling warranty till 2031.

WHATS INSIDE:

The Re-Edition is powered by Breitling Calibre B09 — an in-house manufacture hand-wound movement developed specifically for Breitling's vintage re-edition series, derived from the Calibre B01 architecture and adapted for manual winding. COSC-certified chronometer. 28,800 vibrations per hour, 70-hour power reserve.

FIVEFORTYFIVE SIX MONTHS WARRANTY