Introducing The Breitling Avenger B01 Chrono 44 US Night Mission US Navy Trio
Avengers, assemble!
Breitling today, under Georges Kern, who became CEO in 2017, has a wide range of partnerships and brand ambassadors across fields of activity ranging from general aviation (Swiss) to cycling and surfing (Deus Ex Machina) to rugby (Six Nations) and more, and its brand ambassadors are organized into Squads, each representing the pursuit of excellence in various fields (the Navitimer Squad includes individuals as varied in their professional lives as Charlize Theron and star ballerina Misty Copeland on the one hand, and aviator, explorer, and psychiatrist Dr. Bertrand Piccard on the other). You can’t hear “squad” without thinking of the word “squadron,” though – at least in the context of Breitling, which has been famous for many decades for its aviation timepieces, including the Navitimer itself.
Breitling has just announced its most recent aviation partnership, and its as fundamental as it gets. The Avenger B01 Chrono 44 Night Mission US Navy Trio is a group of three watches, inspired by the US Naval Academy, and two squadrons – the VX-30 “Bloodhounds” Weapons Test Squadron, and VX-31 “Dust Devils,” which together make up Naval Test Wing Pacific.
The Avenger collection got its start in 2001, and over the years a number of different models were introduced, ranging from time and date chronometers, to chronographs, to GMT models, dive watches (the Avenger Seawolf) and models using Breitling’s SuperQuartz movement. Georges Kern relaunched the Avenger family in 2023, and considerably streamlined the number of watches, as well as reducing the maximum size; Avenger watches are now either 42mm or 44mm (previous Avengers could be as large as 48mm) and the family still includes GMT and time-and-date models, as well as chronographs running the Breitling 01 in-house, vertical clutch automatic chronograph.
If you’re up on your US Navy history, it won’t be hard for you to pick out which one of the trio is inspired by the US Naval Academy. There are several possible pathways to become a naval aviator but the US Naval Academy seems to be preferred (with very few exceptions, Naval aviators are commissioned officers) and there are a ton of options for USN aviators, including fixed wing aircraft (fighter/strike aircraft, helicopters, ASW aircraft, and on and on). The colors of the US Navy are blue and gold and they have been for a very long time – Secretary of the Navy Robert Smith issued the order for blue and gold uniforms in 1802 and the colors have long since become part of Naval tradition; the Blue Angels aerobatic team flies blue and gold F-18s (to pick just one example).
The coat of arms of the Academy is located in the subdial at 9:00.
The second in the trio is the USN Dust Devils watch, which is named after squadron VX-30.
The Dust Devils are a somewhat behind-the-scenes squadron, but their mission is essential; in a 2018 interview then-commander Elizabeth Somerville, characterized the squadron’s mission: “Generally speaking, the type of work we do is software updates and integration testing of new weapons and weapon load-outs,” she explained. The Dust Devils also perform search and rescue operations for Naval Air Station Point Mugu. You might have seen the squadron’s unit patch without realizing it – Pete “Maverick” Mitchell has the unit patch on his jacket in Top Gun: Maverick.
The third in the trio is the USN VX-30 Bloodhounds watch.
Like the Dust Devils, the Bloodhounds are a test squadron; the Navy says, “Established in May 1995, VX-30 is a weapons test squadron whose mission is to provide research, development, test, and evaluation of manned and unmanned fixed and rotary wing aircraft and weapons systems.” VX-30 has a very distinctive unit patch – it depicts Cerberus, the three-headed dog said to guard the entrance to the underworld in ancient Greek mythology (the dog shows up in Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone; Hagrid says he “bought off a Greek chappie in a pub,”). The VX-30 logo was designed by Ralph Abel, a Navy technical illustrator attached to VX-9 (the “Vampires”) and was apparently a special request from Lt. Commander Mark Thomas, VX-30’s maintenance officer. The illustration was based on Abel’s rottweiler, which seems very on-brand for the squadron.
All three watches have 44mm x 15.2mm black ceramic cases (the “night mission” part of the design) with 300M water resistance and a one-way dive watch bezel; the bezel rider tabs are integrated directly into the bezel itself (one hopes any Naval aviator wearing one of these watches will only ever test its water resistance in recreational aquatic activity).
The Avenger watches have always been positioned as one of Breitling’s most specifically aviation-oriented collections and the large size, sturdy modern Breitling 01 caliber, and high visibility designs of the Night Mission Trio keep them squarely in that tradition – with the two inside-baseball squadrons lending additional street (runway? flight deck?) cred to the proceedings. The Naval Academy piece is the most overtly attractive but I think my favorite of the three is probably the Dust Devils – there is something about the Squadron’s slightly secretive air I find appealing.
The Breitling Avenger B01 Chronograph 44 Night Mission Trio: all watches, black ceramic cases with titanium screw-down double gasket backs; one way 60 minute timing bezel; crown in titanium; sapphire crystals front and back with 300M water resistance. Super-LumiNova hands, dial markers, and lume pip on the bezel. Movement, Breitling in-house caliber B01, 30mm x 7.2mm, 70 hour power reserve; column wheel vertical clutch chronograph running at 28,800 vph; COSC-certified chronometer. Price, $10,200.