Breitling Wrist Watches

Discount Breitling WristWatches

Breitling Watches Since 1884

The Breitling family tradition of achievement in quality and accuracy in timekeeping has continued for nearly a full century. Early on, L. Breitling and his son and successor, Gaston Breitling, developed and built the very first wrist chronograph. Willy Breitling, the founder's grandson, later modified and improved the modern chronograph.

The early Breitling chronographs featured both center chronograph seconds as well as a 30 minute totalizer. Breitling was awarded a patent in 1923 for inventing the independent pushpiece, and another in 1926 for the 1/10 second totalizer.

In 1934 Willy Breitling launched the modern chronograph with his invention of the second, return-to-zero pushpiece. The chronograph as we know it was complete. To this day, this style of chronograph remains one of Breitling's best selling timepieces.

Breitling persists in maintaining its mission to improve and redefine itself. Breitling watches are available in steel, precious metals, or titanium, with a myriad of dial treatments, straps and bracelets: Not to mention the many different and highly specialized features from alarms to emergency transmitters. Breitling remains poised for the 21st century and beyond as a force in precision timekeeping.

The first and simplest solution was the sundial, which had the advantages of being cheap and easy to make and use. Later came other simple time-measurement devices such as water clocks, sand clocks and candles marked with hour-long segments. Whereas these came to Europe mainly from Asia or the Breitling watches world, the much more precise mechanical clock is seen as an entirely European invention. This kind of clock hinged on the invention of what was known as the foliot - a crown escapement with a balance arm driven by weights. Today's experts and historians basically agree that this invention became widely known at the end of the 13th or the start of the 14th century. It came about thanks to two factors, improved methods of metalworking and the growth of towns, whose inhabitants no longer wanted to set their time solely by the sunrise and sunset, which varied according to the season.

Breitling, the heralded Swiss watchmaker, produces precision crafted chronographs and chronometers, highly regarded by airline and military pilots worldwide. Prices range from $1,000 to $4,200 for these strapping, masculine watches. Popular Series include the Aerospace, Crosswind, Chronomat and Chrono Colt collections.