Breitling Introduce Navitimer Cosmonaute Artemis II With Meteorite Dial
In 1962, Scott Carpenter approached Breitling with a clear, functional request, adapt the Navitimer for spaceflight. The result was a purpose-built chronograph featuring a 24-hour dial, worn during the Aurora 7 mission, becoming the first Swiss wristwatch in space.
More than six decades on, that legacy continues with the introduction of the Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute Artemis II, an edition that connects past achievement with future exploration.
A Dial From Beyond Earth
At the heart of this limited edition is a striking galaxy-blue meteorite dial, cut from genuine extraterrestrial material. Composed primarily of iron and nickel, the meteorite reveals its natural Widmanstätten structure when treated, ensuring that each dial is entirely unique. It is, quite literally, a fragment of space worn on the wrist.
Limited to 450 pieces, each watch is engraved ‘Artemis II’ and ‘One of 450’, with the mission emblem of Artemis II displayed on the sapphire caseback.
The Cosmonaute Is A Function That Defines Form
True to its origins, the Cosmonaute remains a Navitimer at heart. It retains the signature circular slide rule, the AOPA wings, and the classic three-register chronograph layout.
What distinguishes it is the 24-hour display developed specifically for orbital conditions, where conventional day-night cycles become irrelevant. Driven by the hand-wound Manufacture Caliber B02, the watch aligns with mission time, ensuring clarity in an environment where the sun rises and sets approximately every 90 minutes.
Housed in a 41 mm case, the proportions echo earlier Cosmonaute references. The meteorite dial is paired with a black slide rule, red chronograph accents, and a matching blue alligator strap balancing technical complexity with visual coherence.
A Continuing Space Legacy
While many brands reference space exploration, Breitling’s connection is both early and enduring. The Cosmonaute was not only the first Swiss wristwatch worn in orbit, it was also the first designed specifically for that purpose, later made available to the public in the same configuration requested by Carpenter.
Its presence has continued across generations of astronauts. John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, wore a Navitimer Cosmonaute in civilian life, while James McDivitt, commander of Gemini 4 and Apollo 9, selected a Cosmonaute as his personal watch.
“The Cosmonaute was created for space. Bringing a material from the cosmos into its design reflects the same curiosity about the unknown that continues to drive space exploration today.”
Georges kern, ceo, breitling
The Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute Artemis II stands as both tribute and progression, a historically grounded instrument, reimagined with a tangible link to the cosmos, and timed to coincide with humanity’s renewed ambitions beyond our planet.
Technical Specifications:
NAVITIMER B02 CHRONOGRAPH 41 COSMONAUTE ARTEMIS II
Reference: AB02307A1C1P1
WATCH MOVEMENT
Caliber: Breitling Manufacture Caliber B02
Diameter: 30 millimeters
Depth: 6.83 millimeters
Winder: Mechanical hand-wound
Power reserve: approximately 66 hours
Number of components: 273
Balance frequency: 28,800 a/h or 4 hertz
Chronograph: column-wheel, vertical clutch, 1/4th second and 30-minute
Display: hour, minute, second + chronograph (H,M,S)
Certification: COSC-certified
Number of jewels: 39
CASE
Material: Stainless steel
Diameter: 41 millimeters
Thickness: 13 millimeters
Height (upper lug tip to lower lug tip): 47.09 millimeters
Water resistance: up to 3 bars (30 meters/99 ft)
Glass: cambered sapphire, glareproofed on both sides
Case back: stainless steel, screwed in, sapphire crystal, special engraving
Crown: stainless steel, non screw-locked, two gaskets
Bezel: bidirectional with circular slide rule
DIAL/HANDS
Galaxy-blue Meteorite dial
Super-LumiNova® luminescent indexes, hour and minute hand
STRAP
Blue alligator leather strap with a stainless-steel folding buckle
Size (lug/buckle): 22/18 mm
PRICE
RRP £9,500.00
For more information please visit Breitling