The Breitling story begins in 1884 when 24 year old Leon Breitling has founded the company in Saint-Imier, Switzerland. He wanted to produce high-quality technical watches. As his business expanded, the Breitling moved the factory to the Swiss town of La-Chaux-de-Fonds. He began specializing in high quality timing instruments.

After World War I, Breitling began producing chronographs and chronometers strictly for airplanes, they were a pioneer in aviation business. In 1915 Breitling invented their first wristwatch chronograph and make several significant developments to this design. In 1923, Breitling was the first watch manufacturer that create a chronograph, with enabling the start and return to zero function, which was also performed by the winding crown. After that in 1934 Breitling added a second timepiece to the chronograph featuring a cumulative time recording. This invention made the Breitling watch a favorite among pilots.

Over the years, Breitling released a plenty of classic watches. In 1942 Breitling launched the Chronomat, the first chronograph to be fitted with a circular slide rule calculation. In 1952, the Navitimer was released, a first wristwatch that was equipped with a “navigation computer” that allowed pilots to calculate flight plans. This watch has become a very popular among pilots over the world. In 1962, the Cosmonaute model was launched with was 24 hour chronograph. This watch was worn by American Scott Carpenter when he flew on the second orbital flight inside the Aurora 7. In 1969, Breitling was part of a consortium of watch manufacturers that developed the first automatic chronograph, a major break by time.Today to the Breitling is one of the leaders of the Swiss watch industry for product development which continues to launch new models of high precision.