Dealing with Breitling watches daily, I often get customers interested in Breitling’s history. Here is an outline of the history of the Breitling company.

It started in 1884: In St Imier, the Jura mountains of Switzerland, Leon Breitling opens a workshop specializing in the making chronograph pocket watches and precision counters for scientific/industrial purposes.

Then in 1892 The young captain of industry created the watch factory G LEON BREITLING SA, MONTBRILLIANT WATCH FACTORY at LA CHAUX DE FONDS Leon Breitling relocates in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the center of Swiss watchmaking of the day.

Later in 1914: Leon Breitling dies. His son Gaston Breitling takes over the company. Gaston Breitling joined the family firm. Death of his father LEON.

The Year 1923: Breitling develops the first independent chronograph push piece. Start and return to zero functions had previously been controlled using the winding-crown.

Gaston Breitling inherited a passion for chronographs and systematically works to make the family firm a success story. A special edition, patented with the name VITESSE, was a huge success with the police: it enabled them to time drivers breaking the speed limit. Moving with the times and fashion, BREITLING accelerated the development and production of wristwatches with chronograph functions.

In 1932 Willy Breitling, son of Gaston Breitling, becomes head of the Breitling business. Willy takes over for his father as the head of the company.

In 1934: Breitling develops a watch with a second return to zero push piece. This invention, made it possible to measure several successive short times with an added function using the first push piece, and gives the wrist chronograph its definitive form.

The Year 1936 Breitling Bentley launched a chronograph for aircraft cock pits.

In 1942 Launch of the CHRONOMAT BREITLING, the first watch chronograph equipped with a log scale calculator.

The Year 1952 Launch of the BREITLING NAVITIMER with optimized calculator function. Breitling created the Navitimer, a wrist instrument equipped with the famous “navigation computer” capable of handling many if not all calculations called for by a flight plan. This “super” chronograph quickly becomes a favorite among pilots all around the world.

The Year 1962: Astronaut Scott Carpenter wears the Cosmonaute chronograph during his orbital flight aboard the Aurora Seven space capsule. This was the Launch of the COSMONAUT, with a 24 hour rather than 12 hour single circuit of this dial.

BREITLING chronograph (Cosmonaut) goes into space and is worn by astronaut Scott Carpenter on board the AURORA 7 capsule.

1969 The brand that used above all, VENUS lauches in its mechanical non automatic hand-wound models, was one of the pioneers of the automatic chronograph developed in collaboration with HEUER-LEONIDAS and HAMILTON-BREN. With a combined DUBOIS-DEPRAZ chronograph module, they created the micro-rotor Chronomat. Breitling introduces the self-winding chronograph. This technical feature represents a breakthrough for all of the Swiss watches industry.

1979: Ernest Schneider, from SICURA took over the Breitling firm and registered it under the name MONTRES BREITLING S.A. in GRANGES.

In 1983 This was the year of the Creation of the GMT NAVITIMER. Launch of Eric Tabarly products as well.

The Year 1985 the END OF LIFE system for divers was created ( which reaches depths of 3300 feet/1000 meters). Launch of the NAVITIMER CHRONO MAT.

In 1987 Launch of the WORLD model with indicator for four different time zones.

In 1988 Launch of the J-CLASS model specially developed for yachting enthusiasts.

1999 Certification and Control for chronometre norms. BREITLING backed the project of the Swiss and British team, Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones, who completed the first non-stop round the world trip by hot air balloon, landing on March 21st after a flight lasting 20 days.

The Year 2003 At the Int’l Automobile Salon in Geneva, Switzerland BREITLING presented 2 brand new models in association with the BENTLEY model. BREITLING was BENTLEY’S partner at the Le Mans 24 hour race.

I hope this time line has been useful and helpful to Breitling enthusiasts. In the future I will update the time line to reflect 2004-2009.

Cyndi Whittel was a Breitling enthusiast at an early age. She was raised in Southwest Iowa. She is now living in Midwest Montana in city named Missoula. She, her husband a two energetic children collect Breitling watches and raise horses at their 1100 acre ranch.

When you approach Anglesey in North Wales you will see the enigmatic Menai Straits Bridge, designed and constructed by Thomas Telford, the famous 19th century engineer. The strong tidal waters crossing to Anglesey from the mainland has been a challenge for centuries and finally Telford and his team managed to come up with an innovative design which was up to the task. You will enjoy the coastal views from this bridge as you cross to the island for your vacation.

Turn back the history pages and you may see that what is the busy little town of Menai Bridge today, may have been a Roman village, which people reached by crossing in a small ferry across the Menai Straits where the gap between island and mainland is narrowest. To the north are the Lavan sands where Augustinian monks heading for Penmon Priory would struggle across at low tide, heading for Llanfaes, near Beaumaris.

So what events led to Telford being commissioned with the task of constructing such this impressive Menai Straits Bridge, an innovative example of civil engineering for the early nineteenth century? Following the Act of Union between Britain and Ireland in 1800 pressure grew for a far more efficient transport link between London and the Irish capital, Dublin.

When you think how the famous composer George Frederick Handel struggled to reach Dublin from Holyhead in 1742, it shows you how difficult it was travelling between England and Ireland. After getting through the challenging Snowdon Mountain range, there was still the Menai Straits crossing and then the voyage to Dublin itself.

A bridge crossing to Anglesey island was the key improvement in the London Dublin transport link, with a ferry from the port of Holyhead already in service. Building work began across the Menai Straits in 1819 after much political negotiation and pressure. The two huge towers which you see are a key feature of the bridge and they are made from limestone from the nearby island quarry. Sixteen wrought iron chain cables supported the bridge across the 175 metre gap, but they were replaced with steel cables before World War Two.

Just stop to think how travel has changed enormously since the times before this bridge was built. Prior to 1826 a journey from London to Holyhead would take around 36 hours, and the opening of the Menai Suspension Bridge reduced that to a mere 27 hours. Today you can get from London to Holyhead by road in about 6 hours or so, thanks to a combination of motorway, internal combustion engine and Thomas Telford’s Menai Straits Bridge.

Arriving on Anglesey witness some beautiful coastal and woodland scenes from this iconic bridge across Menai Straits, and nearby some well signposted coastal paths with fairly easy access. Cast your eyes northwards from the bridge and you will see Menai Bridge harbour with small yachts and motor craft moored nearby. These are strong tidal waters and you may see a yacht passing below the bridge, making its way for Beaumaris and then Puffin Island.

As you stand on the bridge looking south west, see how the strong Menai Straits currents flow towards the dual rail and road Britannia Bridge and on past Caernarfon Castle to the open sea. Off the Anglesey Coastline to the south is a small island, Ynys Gorad Goch, while on the shoreline a Statue of Admiral Nelson stands, and nearby is the former Indefatigable Sailing School. You can indulge your senses in all these experiences from the high vantage point of this enigmatic Menai Straits Bridge.

The author, David Phillips, writes from beautiful Anglesey, North Wales, and runs a helpful website focusing on local news and articles about the island. Discover more about Menai Straits Bridge, a remarkable attraction and example of 19th century civil engineering achievement.