The History of Horology and Chronometry

1904, Cartier created Santos (named after Alberto Santos-Dumont, a Franco-Brazilian aviation pioneer)

 

1909, first flight across the English Channel by Louis Charles Joseph Blériot who uses a Zenith watch

 

WWI

First luminous hands appeared on watches (for night flying)

 

1914, British fighter pilots use one of the first watches for navigation in war: Doxa’s Mark IV.A

 

1916, British fighter pilots use Doxa’s Mark V

 

1927, Charles Lindbergh uses a Longines watch on the first solo nonstop Atlantic crossing

 

WWII

1935, Adolf Hitler reestablishes the Luftwaffe and the B-Uhr (Beobachtungs-uhren – Observation watches) was created

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Cold War

CWC is a model watch of the aviation watch

 

1954, Rolex GMT-Master created in collaboration with Pan American Airways

 

1959, Rolex Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master used on the first non-stop intercontinental flight from New York to Moscow by Pan American World Airways

 

1960, Brian Trubshaw and André Turcat wear Rolex GMT Masters on the first Concorde test flights

 

1995, Breitling presents the Emergency, first watch to feature Emergency Location Transmitter (ELT) and broadcasts on the 121.5 MHz distress frequency

 

2013, Breitling announces Emergency II that adds the 406.04 MHz distress signal monitored by satellites