Until the late 80s, when the "new" Breitling re-introduced the Navitimer design (which, whilst looking similar, in terms of psychical dimensions was nothing alike the originals), Brietling made watches which, beyond logo and the name, looked and functioned nothing like Breitlings made by the original company. Sicura bought just the name, I didn't retain the employees, technical knowledge or the machinery employed by Breitling. Ollech & Wajs, for example, bought the unsold parts for Navitimers, Sinn bought the design specs for the Navitimers (and went on to make them under the Sinn brand) and so on. The different parts of Breitling as a company was sold off to various different entities. Sicura didn't "step in" to save Breitling, rather purchased the brand name when the company was liquidated. Great article and this may be beating a dead horse, but as this article is near the top of the list of Google results for Sicura and Breitling, I think something should be clarified. I personally do not own any Breitlings, but if I was to by one it would be a vintage one from the sixties, perhaps a Navitimer or one like this 1958 Bretling Cadette. Some of the Breitling watches produced after 1979 share similar features with Sicura watches from the same period and therefore looks somewhat alike. In 1984 the wind of change had begun for mechanical watches, as they gained popularity once more, and the firm produced the first one since 1979.Īfter long consideration, Ernest decided that the Sicura brand would step down because of Breitlings greater potential. The CEO´s first act was to produce three new models, the Jupiter, Mars and Pluto chronographs, after conferring with other pilots. A pilot himself, Ernest was convinced that the Breitling brand was worth the effort of saving as it had always stood for excellent quality and had the potential to keep doing so. The same year Willy Breitling passed away from disease.Ī saviour came to Breitlings rescue, the same year as the firm closed, and was taken over by Ernest Schneider, the CEO of Sicura. But the firm finally, perhaps due to the reluctance of following the times, closed in 1979. Breitling, being a firm that produced advanced mechanical watches, unwillingly began producing quartz watches alongside its mechanical ones. This meant that an accurate quartz watch could be produced for less cost and time than a mechanical watch and suddenly almost everybody could afford a watch that kept good time. During the early 50ies Willy Breitling, the grandson of Leon Breitling, started with the production of the famous Navitimer that was an extremely technical watch suited for technicians and engineers but became very popular with the public.ĭuring the 1970ies a new type of watch was developed, the quartz watch. The firm also began making watches for the Royal Air Force and it was the success and the acknowledgement from pilots that led to triumph for the brand. The firm was founded in Switzerland 1884 by Leon Breitling and manufactured complicated watches.Ĭlose to the outbreak of WWII the firm started making chronographs for aircrafts and it was this that made the brand famous worldwide. Leon Breitling” firm came to a halt after 100 years of watch making. I think it’s the popularity of the model, due to its relations to Breitling both historically and cosmetically that keeps this watch on top of the scale. One of the most common models I have seen on the net (and also one of the most expensive) is the Sicura Submarine 200M. During my raids of international eBay and the smaller Swedish cousin Tradera I have come across a great deal of Sicura watches.
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