Elite Traveler Winter 2021

etr li at ve eler WINTER 2021/22 55

BREGUET TYPE XXI 3815 Interestingly enough, Breguet isn’t typically a brand most people associate with pilot watches, but Breguet has a rich history in the aviation world, as Louis Charles Breguet, great-great-grandson of founder Abraham- Louis Breguet, designed aircraft in France and began creating timepieces for the American Air Force. The brand celebrates those roots with its Type XX watch line that it regularly enhances and evolves. The newest rendition: Type XXI 3815 chronograph. Created in a limited edition of just 250 pieces, these watches boast luminous hands and numerals that light up in color (one model with green numerals and the other with orange numerals). The 42mm titanium watches feature a fluted case side for easy gripping, a screw-down crown, and a chronograph for timing events. It also offers two counters and a 24-hour indication. Powered by a mechanical self-winding movement, the watch is equipped with a flyback function that allows for better chronograph timing. $14,900, breguet.com

TUTIMA M2 COMMANDO CHRONOGRAPH German brand Tutima practically grew up in the aviation industry. It has been building pilot watches since the 1930s, and is all about legibility, precision and aesthetics. Its newest M2 Commando Chronograph continues the legacy of robust military timepieces, as the brand has been supplying watches to German army pilots for decades. The M2 Commando Chronograph is powered by the Caliber Tutima 521 movement (based on an ETA Valjoux 7750). In addition to hours, minutes and seconds, it showcases the minutes and seconds of the chronograph with a large center sweep hand with two arrows. The hours track the time on its subdial counter at 6 o’clock —making for one of the cleanest- looking, easy-to-read chronographs on the market. Crafted in titanium with a gradient green dial, the watch is finished with

BREITLING SUPER CHRONOMAT FOUR- YEAR CALENDAR The Breitling Super Chronomat Four-Year Calendar watch is a prime example of a highly functional aviation-inspired timepiece. The 44mm watch is loaded with functions that run the gamut from hours, minutes and seconds to chronograph for timing events; tachymeter for checking speed or distance; and a semi-perpetual calendar that only needs adjustment once every four years on the leap year. It offers day, date, month and moonphases. The striking blue dial matches the stainless steel bezel with blue ceramic inset, and Super-LumiNova hands and markers make night reading easy. The COSC-certified chronometer is powered by the brand’s in-house-made self-winding mechanical B01 movement. $17,250 in two-tone steel and 18-karat red gold, breitling.com

a titanium bracelet. $5,300, tutima.com

ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL SKY-DWELLER With a unique look and operational system, the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Sky-Dweller is one of the most sought-after aviation watches on the market. The highly distinctive watch features a second time zone (a highly useful feature for those flying across date lines) displayed on an off-center disk on the dial with a fixed inverted red triangle above the disk to point to the reference home or local time. The functions are set using the unique and proprietary rotating Ring Command bezel. It also offers an annual calendar thanks to a red tip at the end of the hour marker that coordinates with the month of the year. The date is displayed at 3 o’clock on the dial. The perpetual self-winding movement is a certified Superlative Chronometer. $14,800 in Rolex’s proprietary Oystersteel and 18-karat white gold, rolex.com