Miles Davis was born on the 26th of May 1926. 100 years after his birth and more than three decades since his passing in 1991, he is still one of the greatest Jazz musicians to have ever done it. To celebrate the man’s centennial, Breitling have produced a modern reinterpretation of the wristwatch he used to wear, which was the Navitimer ref. 806 Mk5. The new watch, unveiled at Geneva Watch Days, is a 500-piece limited edition called the Navitimer B09 Chronograph 41 Miles Davis. They are also producing 50 collectors sets that are tied to the launch of the Breitling Social Club.
As a modern reinterpretation of a vintage watch, the Navitimer B09 Chronograph 41 Miles Davis fuses a modern movement and modern Breitling production with a retro design. It measures an authentic 41mm in diameter with a period accurate black and white reverse panda display and even uses the old Breitling twin jet logo. The twin jet logo was actually used to differentiate civilian editions of early Navitimers from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) editions. So as a civilian, Davis had the twin jet version.
The display features the signature slide-rule scales and rotating bezel of the Navitimer range, enabling pilots to do calculations quickly. It’s a tricompax chronograph with small seconds, a 12-hour timer and a 30-minute timer in addition to central chronograph seconds and regular hours and minutes. The density of information on the dial in combination with the black and white display is pure vintage Breitling.
Another vintage element present on the Navitimer B09 Chronograph 41 Miles Davis is that they’re reviving a 1960s era bracelet design, the Air Racer. It’s essentially a steel interpretation of a perforated leather racing strap where there are large holes in the strap for ventilation. In metal it makes for a dramatic, architectural appearance that’s quite the statement. It has been modernised with an improved clasp and greater flexibility for wear comfort.
Inside the watch is the B09 chronograph movement, which is their modern, manual-winding chronograph calibre introduced in 2021 – with COSC chronometer certification. They intentionally picked a manual movement because Miles Davies’ original was manual too. It’s visible through an exhibition caseback where you can see the inscriptions ‘One of 500’, ‘Tribute to Miles Davies’ and ‘Centennial’. The movement itself is finished with Côtes de Genève.
If you purchase one of those 500 watches, you’ll also receive a two-year membership to the Breitling Social Club (a new private members’ club in Williamsburg, New York) due to open in late 2027. Alternatively, Breitling are also producing a Navitimer B09 Chronograph 41 Miles Davis Lifetime Club Member Set, limited to 50 sets.
The set includes three versions of the tribute watch – a steel version, a white gold version and then a platinum version with a blue and white dial instead of reverse panda. As the name suggests, it comes with lifetime membership to the club. It’s also presented in a bespoke case with record and trumpet themed decoration inside.
Price and Specs:
More details at Breitling.
