Russell Sheldrake
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For those who attended Watches & Wonders this year and were able to escape the Palexpo for any length of time, it would have been hard to miss the giant, metallic balloon that was parked outside the Breitling boutique and restaurant on the shores of Lake Geneva. This was just short of acting as a beacon to fans of the brand, as it glinted in the Swiss sunshine, those who have followed Breitling for a while now will remember exactly what this balloon and orange capsule attached achieved. This was of course, the Breitling Orbiter, piloted by Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones – the third and ultimately successful attempt to circumnavigate the globe non-stop in a non-powered craft.To tell us more about this 55-metre tall monument to human achievement, and what it was doing here, Andrew tracked down Georges Kern, CEO of Breitling, and the man who flew it, Piccard, in sunny Geneva. Not only did they discuss the 25th anniversary of the Orbiter’s successful mission, but the new special edition Aerospace B70 Orbiter that was made to mark the occasion with a striking orange gradient dial to match that capsule that carried Piccard and Jones on their 20-day journey around the world. Not only that, but each model holds a piece of the balloon that kept Piccard and Jones aloft on the caseback.Of course, that isn’t the only watch they get into. Being in the Breitling boutique, there was plenty to look at from the new releases as Kern takes us through some of his favourites that have come out this year, just as we did last time we got speak with the man. After the Avenger revamp last year, we now have classy, three-hand Navitimers and an imposing but wearable Chronomat, now in titanium. Kern also teased that there is a lot more to come from Breitling in this celebratory year as they look to do more and more activations for the brand’s 140th anniversary, with the world’s first expedition of the Orbiter being just the first highlight.
01.05.24