US Astronaut (and eventual Aquanaut) Scott Carpenter was born 100 years ago this month, and three years after introducing a modern Navitimer Cosmonaute, Breitling is honoring the man with a new Cosmonaute rendered in platinum. Carpenter was instrumental in the creation of this specification, having requested it from Breitling prior to his 1962 trip into space to become the second American to orbit the earth. In 2022, Breitling revealed that they had found the actual watch worn by Carpenter during that flight, shown for the first time (in original, waterlogged condition) alongside a modern reference set to join the Navitimer collection. This year, the watch is getting a deep blue dial and a platinum case as a nod to the man who made it happen.
Scott Carpenter was one of the Mercury Seven, America’s first group of Astronauts drawn from the ranks of the military’s best test pilots. Between 1961 and 1963, the Mercury program would complete six piloted missions to space, and surviving members would go on to participate in every crewed Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle mission of the 20th century. In May of 1962, Carpenter would become the second American to orbit the earth in the Mercury-Atlas 7 mission, and the sixth human being to fly in space. The mission would closely follow the route previously taken by John Glenn, and complete three orbits of the earth in just under five hours.
Prior to the mission, Carpenter, by all accounts something of a watch enthusiast, made a request of Breitling for a special Navitimer fitted with a 24 hour dial, which would be more useful than a standard dial outside the confines of a regular day/night cycle. Breitling obliged by creating the Cosmonaute, a Navitimer fitted with wider bezel, the standard chronograph, and a 24 hour dial fit with a hand wound movement. The one-off creation would spawn the short lived reference 809 Cosmonaute by the late ‘60s, and an eventual resurrection in 2022.
On his return to earth’s surface, a targeting error would send Carpenter some 250 miles off course, delaying his recovery by an hour. It was during this time that the Cosmonaute would experience exposure to water for a prolonged period, rendering it unusable. It is this watch that Breitling has only recently recovered, in original condition thanks to the help of Carpenter’s family. This flight would mark the end of Carpenter’s involvement with the space program, and see him transition to the Navy’s SEALAB program by 1964 (where he would be exposed to the development of the Rolex Sea-Dweller).
The legend of the Comsonaute was set in stone, however, and its history inextricably linked to the space program as the first Swiss watch to be worn in space (that we know of). It’s an unusual watch with a fascinating history, and one that deserves a spot in the modern Navitimer collection. The addition of a platinum variation with this deep blue dial feels a fitting tribute to the man who requested it, and it keeps the spirit of the mission alive and well with the continued use of a hand wound movement (caliber B02) pulling duty within.
The Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute in platinum will be limited to 50 units, and is priced at $42,000. Breitling
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