Breitling Aerospace Avantage Travel Companion

ED209 · 2012-10-21T16:04:23Z

ED209 shares his Breitling Aerospace Avantage travel companion, discussing its lightweight titanium case, multi-function crown, and 8 years of ownership.

ED209

WPS member · Horological Meandering forum

10 replies3240 views0 photos

ED209 shares his experiences with the Breitling Aerospace Avantage, his preferred travel companion, inspired by fellow moderator Nilo's "Weekend Breitling" series. This post delves into the watch's history, features, and personal anecdotes from its 8 years of ownership and global travels.

I've been enjoying all the 'Weekend Breitling' series of posts by my fellow Moderator Nilo aka Nilomis (Please click here).
I've been out traveling quite a bit in the past month and the posts reminded me of my favorite traveling companion, my Breitling Aerospace Avantage.

But before we get to the travel pics, here's some background on the Aerospace. The Breitling Aerospace was initially launched in 1985 and was originally classified as a Navitimer model (in the currently collection the Aerospace is in the Professional lineup along with the Emergency and Chronospace) . I've handled a few older pieces from the late 80's and noticed that the dial displayed 'Navitimer' below the Breitling logo.
M y particular watch was purchased in 2005 which was also the 20th anniversary of the Aerospace. This version was offered for only 2 years as the Aerospace Avantage model and the only noticeable difference besides the bracelet is that the area on the lower half of the dial has the Breitling script and reads 'Chronometre Certifie'. For whatever reason Breitling made a change on t he 2007 and current models to read 'Chronometre Aerospace'.

There are a number features on the Breitling that makes it perfect for me for traveling. First is the fact that the case and bracelet is made in lightweight titanium and weights a mere 38g. The bezel is 42mm in diameter and the overall watch has a 10.4mm thickness. This is slightly larger than the prior model which was 40mm and 9mm thick.
The other aspect of the Aerospace is that it's extremely easy to operate. It has a single crown that controls multiple functions including time, day and date, count down timer, second timezone, chronograph, and alarm. The time can be shown in 12 hr or 24 hr military time display.
Sometimes after all the time settings the seconds hand becomes un-synchronized to the digital time display. To resynchronize is easy by activating the crown by pulling out the crown, setting and pushing back in.
For the day and date setting, it's interesting to know that the calendar is programmed to switch automatically from February 28th to March 1st, however it doesn't recognize February 29th so this has to be done manually every leap year.
The digital minute repeater is activated simply by pressing in the crown once. The aerospace avantage has 4 tone to differentiate the hours, quarter hours, 5 minutes and minutes. It seems a lot louder than the prior model.

The bezel is unidirectional with a luminescent dot at the top of the scale. It has a nice ratcheting feel without being too tight or too loose.
Water resistant to 330ft and available in titanium and limited versions in 18k yellow or white gold.

The movement is a Breitling caliber 79 superquartz with a battery life of approx 3-4 years. This newer caliber has a redesigned LCD screen that has a backlight function and is NVG compatible with generation 1-3+ equipment. I have a gen 3 Litton Industries AN/PVS14 NVG rifle scope mounted on my AR-15 and looks pretty cool viewing the Breitling, but I've never been able to capture it on a picture with my camera because the ocular on the NVG scope is somewhat small and my p&s can't focus correctly in the dark.
It is a quartz movement, so I also like having the EOL (end of life) indication system when the battery is low. The digital readout screen flashes or blinks when it's time to change the battery.

Now, I'd like to share a few pics from my travels.

First leg of the trip is a quick visit to Austin, Texas:

A refreshing cup of ice cold peach iced tea in the hotel room:

Always getting a chance to enjoy some locally made ice cream while waiting for my next flight:

Next up is a longer flight to South America. Here's my Breitling Aerospace taken on top of the helipad of the tallest building in the highest altitude capital of the world, La Paz, Bolivia:

And a wristshot overlooking the city of La Paz. It usually takes me about 2 days to get fully used to the high altitude which is approximately 11,975ft above sea level:

A functional but understated watch that doesn't really attract attention during my business travel in Bogota, Colombia:

And my final destination before heading home is a visit to the coastal Mira Flores area of Lima Peru. The Larcomar shopping center is awesome, it is build into the bluff area overlooking the Pacific ocean.

And a tasty warm chocolate cookie in my hotel before heading home:

Next stop on my travels, a relaxing trip to Hawaii!

Regards,
ED-209

This message has been edited by ED209 on 2012-10-21 21:12:38

Key Points from the Discussion

The original poster notes that the Breitling Aerospace Avantage's End-of-Life (EOL) indicator provides several days of warning before the battery dies, a practical feature for travelers.
A contributor recounts almost acquiring the same watch for travel but let a friend have it, highlighting the main drawback of quartz watches for travel: battery depletion in remote areas.
A user expresses appreciation for seeing watches used as travel companions, noting that it adds a personal story to the timepiece and allows for discovery of new places.
The original poster mentions considering the UTC module but found it didn't fit their wrist comfortably.
A contributor praises a specific travel photo, highlighting the beauty of Hawaii and wishing the original poster safe travels.

The Discussion

DRMW

Oct 21, 2012

Love that last pic, Hawaii is so amazing. Thanks for sharing your round the world pics, safe travels ED-209! -MW

nilomis

Oct 21, 2012

Last week I was looking the exact same watch as an ideal travel watch but a friend was so excited about it that I let him to grab. The only drawback that I see for a quartz watch is if the battery ends and you are on a non watch savvy country (I already had this experience "last century"). Congratulation for the watch and, of course, the great pictures. Nilo

Ronald Held

Oct 21, 2012

Traveled as much or far as yours.

ED209

Oct 21, 2012

Hi Nilo, You're a good friend to let your buddy grab the Aerospace :) I've had my Breitling Aerospace Avantage for 8 years and have had to change the battery twice. The good news is that the EOL indicator lasts for a few days (nearly a week on my watch). My secondary travel watch that I really like is my Silberstein GMT which I'll post soon. Regards, ED-209

ED209

Oct 21, 2012

Hi DRMW, Remember Koko head trail? Just a few more steps..... LOL. One of the toughest hikes I've ever been to. Regards, ED-209

ED209

Oct 21, 2012

Hi Ronald, Which version do you have? Did you ever consider the Emergency? Regards, ED-209

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