Breitling has announced the release of the Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute Artemis II, a limited-edition timepiece that celebrates the brand’s historic milestone as the first Swiss wristwatch in space. Featuring a unique galaxy-blue meteorite dial, the new release bridges the gap between the golden age of orbital flight and the future of lunar exploration.
The legacy of the Cosmonaute began in 1962 when Mercury 7 astronaut Scott Carpenter approached Breitling with a specific request. During his orbital flight aboard the Aurora 7 spacecraft, Carpenter required a 24-hour dial to distinguish day from night while in orbit—a setting where the sun rises and sets approximately every 90 minutes. Carpenter, familiar with the Navitimer from his flight training, trusted the watch’s integrated slide rule for essential mission calculations. Following his successful three-orbit mission on May 24, 1962, the modified Navitimer became a cornerstone of horological space history.
The new Artemis II edition pays tribute to this heritage while looking forward to NASA’s upcoming lunar missions. Limited to just 450 pieces, the watch features a dial cut from extraterrestrial stone. The iron and nickel composition of the meteorite reveals a natural Widmanstätten pattern when etched, ensuring that no two watches in the series are identical. The timepiece is powered by the hand-wound Breitling Manufacture Caliber B02 and is housed in a classic 41 mm case.
“The Cosmonaute was created for space,” stated Breitling CEO Georges Kern. “Bringing a material from the cosmos into its design reflects the same curiosity about the unknown that continues to drive space exploration today.”
Design elements of the new chronograph remain faithful to the original aviation icon, including the AOPA wings logo and the signature circular slide rule. However, its 24-hour display and specific mission engravings—including “Artemis II” and the mission logo printed on the open caseback—distinguish it as a modern collector’s piece. The watch is finished with a galaxy-blue alligator strap that complements the meteorite dial and black slide rule.
This launch is part of the broader “Navitimer Stories” campaign, which highlights the watch’s transition from a specialized tool for pilots to a cultural icon. Beyond Scott Carpenter, the Cosmonaute has been the personal choice of several legendary spacefarers, including John Glenn and Apollo 9 commander James McDivitt, cementing its status as a definitive instrument for those operating beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
