In a tribute that bridges aerospace legacy and horological innovation, Breitling has unveiled the Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute Scott Carpenter Centenary—a platinum-cased, 50-piece limited edition marking what would have been astronaut Scott Carpenter’s 100th birthday (born 1 May 1925).
The new release carries strong collector appeal, drawing significance from both the history of Breitling’s flagship model and the legacy of a man who made his mark in orbit and under the sea.
Carpenter wasn’t just any astronaut. He was one of Nasa’s original Mercury Seven—the pioneering group selected for Project Mercury, the US’s first crewed space program. On 24 May 1962, aboard Aurora 7, he orbited Earth three times in under five hours, becoming the second American to do so.
On his wrist was a specially made Breitling—the first Swiss wristwatch in space. (OMEGA, which has built a good deal of its branding on its space-y connections, would follow later that year, in October, when Wally Schirra wore a Speedmaster on the Sigma 7 mission.)
That one-of-a-kind timepiece, later named the Navitimer Cosmonaute, featured a 24-hour dial—a solution to the confusing cycle of sunrises astronauts experienced every 90 minutes in orbit.
Carpenter had requested practical modifications: a wider bezel for gloved hands, a stretch-metal bracelet to fit over his suit and the 24-hour layout.
Breitling’s founder, Willy Breitling, delivered the custom watch just days before launch—a fast-tracked collaboration emblematic of the early space era’s urgency and ingenuity.
The new Centenary edition revives that legacy.
Housed in platinum and powered by Breitling’s hand-wound B02 movement, it features a deep blue dial said to evoke Earth’s view from space, and a white slide rule bezel reminiscent of cloud formations.
Through the sapphire case back, engravings commemorate Carpenter, his mission and the Mercury 7 program.
Only 50 will be made.
“Breitling has been part of some of the most important moments in watchmaking, but sending the first Swiss wristwatch into space is one of our proudest achievements,” says Breitling CEO Georges Kern.
“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 Navitimer itself is one of few watches that may legitimately be considered iconic. Introduced in 1952 and developed with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), it was designed as a wrist-worn flight computer.
Its slide rule bezel allowed pilots to calculate fuel, speed and other variables in-flight—long before digital tools were standard. Over time, the Navitimer became a symbol of precision and exploration, worn by pilots, engineers, and somehow even Miles Davis.
Carpenter, too, embodied that spirit. A veteran of space and the sea—he later joined the SEALAB II underwater habitat project—his story extends beyond one mission or one watch.
The Centenary Cosmonaute doesn’t just revisit a historical moment; it stands as a tribute to a time when exploration was raw, human and mechanical—and when tools were commissioned not for style, but for survival.
