In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the world’s first artificial satellite “Sputnik 1”, which shocked the people all over the world. The event aroused the enthusiasm of the entire world and stimulated the development of the US space industry that had just started. Today we will review the development history of space timepieces.
Breitling Navitimer
On May 24, 162, Scott Carpenter wore the Navitimer copy with steel case to appear on the Aurora 7 space capsule. Due to a system failure during the mission, Carpenter’s return flight fell 250 miles from the originally planned splash. Unfortunately, his wristwatch was not waterproof and it was damaged seriously. Later it was lost on the way when sent to the Swiss factory for repair.
Apparently, Breitling didn’t understand the preciousness of space timepieces at that time. Breitling manufactured the 24-hour edition, which is the Cosmonaute Navitimer imitation with black dial. It is designed with logo of Breitling and AOPA.