Limited to just 450 pieces, Breitling’s newest Navitimer is more than a commemorative timepiece; it’s a slice of the cosmos you can strap on.
In the world of pilot’s watches, few names carry quite the same orbital prestige as Breitling’s Navitimer. Now the Swiss marque has taken things literally out of this world with the new Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute Artemis II, a limited-edition stunner featuring a genuine galaxy-blue meteorite dial and timed perfectly to the triumphant return of NASA’s Artemis II crew.
A Heritage of Space Travel
Back in 1962, Mercury 7 astronaut Scott Carpenter asked Breitling for a special Navitimer with a 24-hour dial so he could tell day from night during his three orbits aboard Aurora 7. The result? The first Swiss wristwatch worn in space. More than six decades later, the Cosmonaute is still part of the story — and this latest chapter honours both that pioneering flight and the future of lunar exploration.
The standout feature is the dial, cut from authentic meteorite composed primarily of iron and nickel. Acid-etched to reveal its natural Widmanstätten crisscross pattern and finished in a deep galaxy blue, each dial is utterly unique. No two watches look exactly alike — the ultimate conversation piece for the man who already owns everything else.
A Modern Take on a Classic
Housed in a 41mm stainless steel case with classic Cosmonaute proportions (13mm thick, 47.09mm lug-to-lug), the watch stays faithful to its aviation roots while adding modern flair. You still get the signature circular slide rule for in-flight calculations, the AOPA wings logo, and the tri-compax chronograph layout.
What sets it apart is the 24-hour display, developed specifically for the zero-gravity environment where the sun rises and sets every 90 minutes. Red accents on the chronograph seconds hand and counters pop against the black slide rule and blue meteorite backdrop, while a matching blue alligator strap completes the look with effortless elegance.
Powering this celestial machine is Breitling’s hand-wound Manufacture Calibre B02, offering a respectable 70-hour power reserve. The open caseback proudly displays the embossed Artemis II mission logo, with “Artemis II” and “One of 450” engraved on the case to seal its exclusivity.
Made From & For Space
Breitling CEO Georges Kern captured it perfectly: “The Cosmonaute was created for space. Bringing a material from the cosmos into its design reflects the same curiosity about the unknown that continues to drive space exploration today.”
It’s not just marketing spin. Breitling’s connection to the final frontier runs deep. From Carpenter’s historic flight, through astronauts like John Glenn, James McDivitt, Claudie André-Deshays and more recent missions including Robert Hines on the Dragon spacecraft and Polish ESA astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski in 2025, the Navitimer Cosmonaute has repeatedly proven itself beyond Earth’s atmosphere. This new edition even accompanied the Artemis II crew on their record-breaking lunar flyby — the first crewed mission to the Moon in over 50 years.
Priced at approximately US$11,900, the Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute Artemis II is the rare watch that combines serious technical heritage, genuine rarity and that unmistakable “I’ve been somewhere you haven’t” factor.
A Piece of History
For the discerning collector who values both aviation DNA and a touch of interstellar romance, this is Breitling at its most compelling. A pilot’s tool that once helped put a man in orbit, now wearing a piece of actual space on its face. If that doesn’t make your pulse race a little faster, you might want to check your own chronograph.
Because when it comes to watches that have truly been to the moon and back — or at least helped get us there — Breitling’s Cosmonaute still flies higher than most.
