Breitling is marking what would’ve been astronaut Scott Carpenter’s 100th birthday with a tribute that’s as rare as it is meaningful – a 50-piece platinum Navitimer Cosmonaute. It’s a nod to a milestone moment in both space and watch history: the first Swiss wristwatch in space.
First, a little history lesson. On 24 May 1962, Carpenter became the second American to orbit Earth as part of NASA’s Mercury-Atlas 7 mission. On his wrist was a custom-built Breitling Navitimer, adapted for life in zero gravity. It had a 24-hour dial, a stretch-metal bracelet to fit over his spacesuit, and a wider bezel for gloved hands – changes he personally requested. Breitling’s Willy Breitling made it happen just days before launch.
Six decades on, Breitling is celebrating that legacy with the Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute Scott Carpenter Centenary.
It’s powered by the manually wound B02 calibre with a 24-hour display, just like the original. You can see it ticking away through the sapphire caseback, engraved with tributes to Carpenter, his Aurora 7 capsule, and the Mercury 7 astronaut group.
The watch face channels Earth from orbit – a deep blue dial for the planet, a crisp white slide rule for the clouds.
This is also reflected in the matching blue alligator strap. It’s topped off with a white-gold clasp and presented in a wooden box, alongside a replica of Carpenter’s Mercury 7 name badge.
Breitling CEO Georges Kern said, “Willy Breitling didn’t hesitate when Scott Carpenter asked for a watch built for space; he made it happen. That spirit – being innovative, taking risks, pushing limits – is how we still operate today.”
The original Cosmonaute was water-damaged during Carpenter’s Atlantic splashdown and lay untouched in Breitling’s archives for decades, finally re-emerging in 2022. It was recently displayed as part of the brand’s 140th-anniversary museum pop-up in Zurich, its corroded dial now resembling the surface of an alien world.
Only 50 of these platinum Navitimer Cosmonaute centenary edition exist – and it’s available now for $42,000 / £34,500.
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