To look at the future is to look at the past. That seems to be the approach Breitling has taken literally as it honours its classic 1953 chronograph the Ref. 765 AVI, a pilot’s watch (AVI stood for “aviation”) also fondly known as the “Co-Pilot” with a faithful modern reproduction of the timepiece.
Breitling’s Re-Edition watches are created with painstaking attention to detail. Every effort is made to ensure that each one is a faithful reproduction of the original.
Breitling’s new AVI Ref. 765 Re-Edition is a spitting image of the original from the near-identical 41.1mm stainless steel case, bold rotating bezel, oversized Arabic numerals coated with Super-LumiNova is spot on.
There are only two concessions that distinguish this new timepiece from its famous ancestor: the water-resistance of the AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition has been improved to 3 bar (30 meters/100 feet) compared to the original version, and keen-eyed observers will also see that “GENEVE†no longer appears on the dial.
The 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.
This contemporary re-edition is powered by Breitling’s Manufacture Caliber B09, a manually wound mechanical chronograph movement based on the brand’s celebrated in-house Manufacture Caliber 01. The B09 was designed with the Re-Edition models in mind, and, like all Breitling movements, it is a COSC-Âcertified chronometer.
Breitling will also be releasing the AVI 1953 Edition in two striking precious-metal versions. The first is crafted in 18 k red gold with a black dial and a brown vintage-inspired leather strap. This model will have a limited-edition run of 253 pieces, and “ONE OF 253†will be engraved on its caseback. The second is being produced in platinum and features a blue dial and a gold vintage-inspired leather strap. This extraordinary version will be available in a limited edition of only 153 pieces, a fact that will be verified by “ONE OF 153†engraved on the back of the platinum case.
These AVI 1953 Edition watches created using precious metals also offer water resistance to 3 bar (30 meters/100 feet) and feature hand-applied Super-LumiNova®, the colour of which calls to mind the luminescent material on the original watch.
Breitling is currently accepting pre-orders for the watches with the steel, gold and platinum variants retailing for US$8,600 (MYR36,361), US$22,850 (MYR96,612) and US$39,900 (MYR168,701) respectively.
