Vintage
Cisco delves into the history of the Vintage Breitling 809 Cosmonaute, specifically focusing on its connection to astronaut Scott Carpenter. This article investigates the watch's role in space exploration and its unique specifications, offering a detailed look at a significant piece of Breitling's heritage and tool watch philosophy.
The space race goes onm between USSR and USA, Kennedy and Kruschchev, NASA and Korolev.
Mercury capsule, fall into the ocean around Puerto Rico, on his wrist Carpenter wears a special Breitling, modified to his specifications: the Cosmonaute.
During recovery, the watch is submerged, dial is damaged, the watch is sent to Breitling ... and disappears.
Could it be this one? Had this Cosmonaute a trip in space?
Let's investigate 
References
ref1: a great article in french on the beginning of Breitling , how it build up
ref2: an article on differet Navitimer by Kurt Broendum
ref3: How to use the slide rule
ref4: the Mercury 7 , the first group of Astronaut to which Scott Carpenter belongs
Breitling a brand that counts
A long intro on Breitling because we finally talk little about even though it is a major brand like Rolex or Omega.
It helps to understand why the Comonaute makes sense in this brand and why one of the first astronaut ask it.
Breitling is a toolwatch brand, the today slogan is "instruments for professionals" and that what Breitling has always done.
Not really a specialist of divers (although there is the SuperOcean series) mais toolwatch to count and compute, that is the essence of the brand.
Breitling made his reputation on countersm Bord clock, industrial production toolsm "compte mouton" ("sheep counters" in french), decimal counters, pocket watches with tenth of second indication and obviously and especiallym chronograph and split-seconds.
As toolwatches, their dial are anonymous till the end of the 30s, they are made to supply industry, aviation pioneers, not to dress up.
credit: invenitetfecit
You don't wear a Breitling you use it
That what makes, for me, Breitling THE brand of chronographs. Others can see here Heuer, Universal Genève, Longines or others or others, everyone has his pros and cons.
But the long story of Breitling , the wide spectrum of instruments they made, gives it a special status to my eyes.
credit: Mikrolisk
credit: WatchFred
As a consequence of this specialization and excellent reputation in different measurement instruments, Breitling is a supplier for aviation, early in history. They supply Royal Air Force already in 1936 (I have also read USAF in 1942 but can't confirm). Aviation is where Breitling will mostly communicate and this is what we see.
But I will insist on that it was a broad brand, for any industrial needs, sport watches and so on.
credit: WatchFred
credit: watchfred
Here a board clock of a boeing 727.
credit: Ed l'épicier
But Breitling is not alone in the chronograph world, you have to innovate, good quality isn't enough.
Some innovations were made by Breitling. The 1933 patent on a two pusher wristwatch chornograph is one of them. But the patent do not hold, there were some innovations close to this one, in pocket watch especially and in 1934 Universal Geneve and Angelus offers two pushers chornographs.
Competition is toughm on board clock, there are also Breguet, Jaeger, Lemania, Longines, LIP, Zenith, Dodane etc...
Breitling will take an advantage on competitors by patenting the first chronograph with an integrated slide rude, it's the chronomat in 1941 . Neither Calculator nor computer existed at the time. Engineers use pen and paper, and slide rule, this chronomat will be an extremly useful instrument for lot of professionals, it's a success.
From this new chronomat, a new model is derived, studied to answer aircraft pilots requests. It's larger, has a special dial with wome specifics scales and is luminescent. This watch is the Navitimer, the brand's most famous model..
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) will make it its official watch. AOPA might be at the origin of the watch but nothing is certain. Breitling says it started in 1952, specialist have seen nothing before 1954. There is still mystery around this legend and how it went on the market.
My hypothesis is that the name was registered in 1952 but the first watches came on the market in 1954. It's a 41mm watch, which is huge at the time for a civilian watch. Many chornographs rarely goes over 36. Sure there were military chronoraph that went above but it was in a special period. It makes it one of the largest civilian watch of its time.
Certainly the most beautiful wearable computer ever made 
credit: taken form an article of David Mycko
Noodia's shot of a beautiful Navitimer from a fellow collector on my wrist
The Cosmonaute reference 809 is notable for its 24-hour dial, a distinguishing feature within its model family that caters to specific timekeeping requirements. This configuration allows for a single rotation of the hour hand per day, providing a different visual representation of time compared to standard 12-hour displays. It represents a functional variation designed for contexts where distinguishing between AM and PM is less relevant than a continuous daily cycle. This reference maintains the core design principles of its series while offering a specialized dial layout.
This particular reference features a stainless steel case, typically measuring 41mm in diameter. It houses a manual-wind movement, often a Venus 178, known for its robust construction and reliability. The crystal protecting the dial is commonly acrylic, a material chosen for its durability and ease of repair. The movement provides a power reserve suitable for daily wear, requiring manual winding to maintain operation. The case design incorporates pushers and a crown characteristic of its period.
For collectors, the reference 809 holds interest due to its unique 24-hour dial and its place within the broader history of the brand's chronographs. It appeals to those who appreciate specialized timekeeping instruments and the technical solutions employed to achieve them. The model's variations, particularly in dial execution and movement iterations, are points of study for enthusiasts. Its enduring design and mechanical integrity contribute to its appeal in the vintage watch market.
Scott Carpenter is an astronaut among 7. 7 that are the NASA Pioneers, the group 1, the group of the Mercury Project. An elite of jet pilot coming from different army corpses: Air Force, Navy and Marine. 7 among 508 army candidate, 7 filling those criterias: They had to be test pilot school graduates in excellent physical shape, less than 40 years old, shorter than 5 feet 11 inches, qualified jet pilots, and they had to have at least 1,500 hours flying time and bachelors' degrees in engineering.
Unlike many toolwatches, Breitling are elegant, far from the brutal thickness that you can find in other toolwatches ( which has its own charm for sure). It's something typical that you can also find on SuperOcean 807 and 1004, divers that are thin and refined, not massive like Big Crown Submariner or Ploprof 600. The Navi has a unique personnality, a refined toolwatch especially with the early "small pearl" bezel. The Cosmonaute "all black" misses that refinement but is more "powerful", has mor
A pleasure to read, I learned a lot of things on a reference I don't know very well, by far. The 24 hours dial makes a big difference. What a look. Thanks also to hilight the case and the lugs. Nice bevels. A Ref post I will certainly come back to read, often! Best, mon ami. And thanks for all your efforts for posting the pictures... I know, I know... Nicolas.
. . . a thousand thanks for taking the time and making the effort to share it with us. What a thrill it would be to have a connection with Carpenter confirmed by Breitling! Art
The effort was worth it ;) dial and bezel make a difference , the dial is easier to see in photos but irl the bezel is quite something, Compare here is the profile of an 806 found on the net. and here my Cosmonaute.
I think it's good to dream and it makes a nice story for the review :) (another thing is whatever Breitling says, it would be nice if they provide proofs , collectors would appreciate to see something from them... at the moment the way they manage vintage could be improved) thanks for your appreciation and what you share on Omega and others cheers François
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