BREITLING Cosmonaute
809 “Lip”

About this watch

In 1952, Breitling designed for the influential US AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) a revolutionary watch combining a chronograph and an E6B type flight computer of that would allow its members to perform all kinds of calculations necessary in flight: average speed, fuel consumption, distance, conversion kilometers in miles.

These challenging requirements were made possible by a logarithmic slide rule integrated into a rotating bezel. The Navitimer was born, with presumably the first examples produced in 1954.

In 1962, astronaut Scott Carpenter, after seeing a Navitimer on a pilot’s wrist, contacted Breitling to ask if they could modify one for his upcoming flight. In particular, he asked to replace the usual 12-hour function by a 24-hour function, the only way to know the real time in space. Breitling agreed and Carpenter received his Cosmonaute a few days before making three orbits around the Earth aboard Aurora 7. It was the first wrist chronograph worn in space.

Shortly after, Breitling decided to market this special 24-hour version to the public under the reference 809.

The present model, reference 809, is a black-silver Cosmonaute, aka “reverse panda” with the Twin Jet dial. It is considered the sixth execution (Mk 6) of the Cosmonaute. Its main feature is a double signature on the dial with the addition of LIP under the logo. LIP was a French watch company that collaborated with Breitling in the 1960s to distribute their models in France.

#1.091.xxx was produced in 1966. The Cosmonaute itself is not that common, but such an outstanding condition and the double signature make it a very rare bird. The Watch Score, reflecting its condition and conformity is 9.2. It receives an Extra Score of 2 for its LIP dial.

Our WATCHFID Rating is 11.2.