Case #768 — Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph Ref. AB0139211L1A1

Case #768 — Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 41 "Mint Green"

Ref. AB0139211L1A1

Status: Available

Condition: Excellent Pre-Owned

Scope: Box, Papers, and Cards

Year: 2022

🔎 Case Notes

Green dials have become common currency in modern watchmaking. Mint green has not. Breitling's mint green Navitimer dial — soft, pale, faintly retro, set against silver chronograph counters and the AOPA winged logo at twelve reads less like a trend-chasing colourway and more like something recovered from a 1960s instrument panel. On the wrist it shifts constantly: almost grey in low light, unmistakably green in sunshine.

Beneath the colour sits a serious piece of machinery. This is the Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01, an in-house self-winding chronograph built around a column wheel and vertical clutch, COSC-certified and good for approximately 70 hours of power reserve.

The example in front of us is a notably clean one. BST's inspection found the watch in beautiful order, with the factory protective stickers still present on the case sides. The only wear of note is minor marking on the high-polished surfaces of the bracelet — the sort of thing these finishes pick up quickly and which is visible only at close angles. Graded Excellent Pre-Owned, and presenting at the strong end of that grade.

It arrives as Box, Papers, and Cards, sized to fit an approximately 7¾-inch wrist.

🕰️ The Evidence

• Reference: AB0139211L1A1
• Model / Collection: Navitimer B01 Chronograph 41
• Year: 2022
• Case: Stainless Steel, brushed and polished
• Case Diameter: 41 mm
• Thickness: 13.6 mm
• Lug Width: 22 mm (tapering 22/18 mm)
• Dial: Mint green with three silver chronograph counters, silver flange, AOPA wings logo at 12 o'clock, date aperture at 6 o'clock
• Crystal: Cambered sapphire, glareproofed (anti-reflective) on both sides
• Bezel: Stainless steel, bidirectional rotating circular slide rule
• Crown: Non screw-locked, two gaskets
• Caseback: Screwed in, sapphire crystal display back
• Movement: Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01
• Movement Type: Self-winding mechanical, 28,800 v.p.h., 47 jewels
• Certification: COSC Chronometer
• Power Reserve: Approximately 70 hours
• Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date; chronograph to 1/4 second, 30 minutes, 12 hours
• Water Resistance: 3 bar (30 m)
• Bracelet: Stainless steel Navitimer bracelet, multi-row jubilee-style link construction
• Clasp: Stainless steel folding (deployant) clasp
• Bracelet Fit: Approximately 7¾-inch wrist
• Condition: Excellent Pre-Owned. Factory protective stickers still present on the case sides. Minor wear visible on the high-polished surfaces of the bracelet.
• Included: Box, Papers, and Cards

🌟 Collector Provenance

The Navitimer is one of the few watches that can claim genuine professional origin rather than retrofitted marketing. It arrived in 1952 as the official watch of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, its circular slide rule — carried over from the earlier Chronomat — allowing pilots to work out fuel burn, rates of climb and descent, and airspeed conversions in the cockpit. The AOPA wings on this dial are not decoration; they are the reason the watch exists.

The line survived the quartz era and was substantially reinvigorated from 2017 onward under Georges Kern, with the in-house B01 chronograph at its centre. That movement matters to collectors: a column-wheel, vertical-clutch calibre of Breitling's own making replaced decades of reliance on outsourced chronograph ebauches, and it is what separates a B01 Navitimer from the Valjoux- and 7750-era references that preceded it.

This reference belongs to Breitling's 2022 reworking of the collection, which tidied the proportions and brought a cleaner, more balanced 41 mm case. The B01 Chronograph is offered in 41 mm, 43 mm and 46 mm, all sharing the same Manufacture Caliber 01 — and of the three, the 41 is the one that most closely echoes the compact dimensions of the mid-century originals while remaining a current-production design.

🌟 Design Provenance

The 2022 generation is where the Navitimer finally resolved a long-standing tension. Earlier B01 Navitimers were handsome but visually busy; the redesign thinned the bezel's visual weight, simplified the flange, and let the slide rule breathe. The mint green execution pushes that restraint further. Against silver counters and a silver flange, the pale dial reads as considered rather than loud — a colour choice that works as well under a cuff as it does on a weekend.

The bracelet is the other half of the argument. The multi-row, jubilee-style steel bracelet gives the Navitimer a softer, more fluid drape than a flat three-link would, and it visually narrows a case that could otherwise look slab-sided. With lugs tapering from 22 mm down to 18 mm at the clasp, the whole watch funnels toward the wrist rather than sitting on top of it. On a dial this understated, the bracelet does the talking — and this is the configuration most buyers eventually decide they wanted.

🧾 From the Case File

At 41 mm across and 13.6 mm thick, this is a Navitimer that behaves itself. The slide rule bezel adds visual diameter without physical bulk, and the tapering bracelet keeps the weight centred. For a wrist around 7¾ inches, it is already sized and ready to wear.

The roughly 70-hour power reserve covers a full weekend off the wrist — put it down Friday evening and it is still running, still on time, Monday morning. The COSC certification sets a documented precision standard for the calibre, and the sapphire display back makes the column wheel and chronograph bridgework part of the ownership experience rather than a hidden detail.

Two practical notes. Water resistance is 3 bar and the crown is not screw-locked — this is a flight instrument, not a dive watch, and should be treated accordingly. And the slide rule genuinely works: unit conversions, multiplication, division, fuel and distance calculations, all without touching a phone.

The case for this particular example is straightforward. It is a current-generation reference in one of the collection's more distinctive dial colours, it comes complete with Box, Papers, and Cards, and it has clearly led a sheltered life — the factory stickers on the case flanks are the kind of detail that only survives on a watch that has been handled carefully. The bracelet's polished surfaces show light marking, disclosed above, and nothing more.

Buy with Confidence

BST guarantees the authenticity of every watch we sell and provides a 30-day mechanical performance guarantee under normal use.

Accuracy may vary with age and service history, and water resistance is not guaranteed unless specifically stated and pressure-tested.

🗝️ BST Verdict

A modern Navitimer that earns attention on design rather than volume: the 2022 41 mm case, an in-house COSC chronograph, and a mint green dial that is far less frequently encountered on the wrist than Breitling's black and blue staples.

Complete with Box, Papers, and Cards, presenting at the upper end of Excellent Pre-Owned with factory stickers still on the case sides, and fitted to the bracelet configuration that suits this reference best.

👉 Every case deserves a closer look.