*Source: https://www.breitling.com/

"Actor's Watch" focuses on watches worn by actors in movies, television, etc.
In this 11th installment, we will be looking at the relationship between the European show business world and the Breitling Navitimer, the world's first chronograph with an aviation slide rule.

Serge Gainsbourg and the Navitimer

Serge Gainsbourg is one of the most fashionable men in French show business, having led the French pop music and film industries in the 1960s and 1970s.

*Source: https://www.femmeactuelle.fr/

He made a name for himself as a singer, songwriter, actor and film director, was famously romantically involved with the great actress Brigitte Bardot, and later married actress Jane Birkin , for whom the Hermes bag "Birkin" is named (their daughter is actress Charlotte Gainsbourg).

However, due to excessive drinking and smoking, he broke up with Ellen Barkin in the 1980s.
He was a destructive genius artist who passed away alone in 1991 at the age of 62.

In his later years, Serge Gainsbourg wore a Breitling Navitimer (Ref. 81600) equipped with a Lemania 1873. It is said that this was the watch chosen by his wife, Jane Birkin.

*Source: https://revolution.watch/under-the-cuff-serge-gainsbourg/

The punched bracelet is made of platinum and was specially ordered by Breitling. It is a unique piece that matches Gainsbourg's strong presence.

The Navitimer 125th Anniversary Model , released in limited quantities in 2009, is fitted with this perforated Air Racer bracelet.

Yves Montand and the Navitimer

Yves Montand, a French singer (originally from Italy) famous for singing the worldwide hit song "Autumn Leaves," is also known as a world-famous actor, having won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival for "The Wages of Fear" (1953) and co-starring alongside Mifune Toshiro in the film "Grand Prix."

*Source: https://www.montres-de-luxe.com/La-menace-Yves-Montand-porte-une-Breitling-Navitimer_a3539.html

In the car action movie "Menace" (1977) in which he starred, he played a truck driver who rushes to clear the name of the woman he loves of a false accusation, and he is wearing a Navitimer on his wrist.

*Source: https://www.parismatch.com/

There are also photos of him wearing a Navitimer in his private life, and his son Valentin Montand has said in interviews that "my father's legacy is the hat he wore on stage and his old Breitling." The Navitimer he wore in the film may have been his favorite watch.

Miles Davis and the Navitimer

Miles Davis, the king of jazz trumpeting, who was responsible for the suspenseful soundtrack to the French film Elevator to the Gallows (1958) directed by Louis Malle, was also known to be a Navitimer user.

*Source: https://www.breitling.com/

Miles began listening to James Brown and Jimi Hendrix from the late 1960s, and released albums incorporating elements of funk and rock, earning him the nickname "jazz revolutionary" for his unconventional musical style.

*Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/Watches/comments/3hrww9/identify_miles_daviss_chrono_from_1969/

There are photographs of him playing the Navitimer, with the time replaced with an extremely thick wristband rather than a belt.

John Cleese and the Navitimer

The TV series "Monty Python's Circus," which was so popular that comedians around the world said , "The world of comedy can be divided into pre-Python and post-Python," revolutionized the world of comedy with its innovative technique of connecting multiple sketches without punchlines with cut-out animation, making them look like a single work.

*Source: https://www.welt.de/

John Cleese, a founding member of the legendary British comedy group Monty Python, which created Monty Python 's Flying Circus, played the Minister in the sketch comedy Ministry of Stupidity, and is also known as the second "Q" in the 007 series, also wears a Navitimer.

*Source: https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/breitling-celebs.67946/page-11

summary

There are many Hollywood actors who wear Breitling watches, including Harrison Ford and John Travolta , but the affinity between the European show business world and the Navitimer seems to be on a completely different level than in Hollywood.

Serge Gainsbourg, the son of immigrants.
Yves Montand was a Communist supporter.
Miles Davis revolutionized jazz by breaking away from conventional ideas.
John Cleese, who comes from a working-class background, even mocks the British royal family in his comedy sketches.

When we line them up like this, we can see that although their shapes are different, the Navitimer may have been perceived by artists in Europe, a class-based society, as a watch that symbolizes "rebellion and resistance against the establishment."

*Source: https://www.breitling.com/

Although it is a professional model, it is easy to match with a leather strap and has an elegant look.
In addition, the watch is large and powerful, but the slide rule scale and sub-dials give it an intellectual impression. And above all, it has an iconic presence that makes it instantly recognizable as a Navitimer even from a distance.

*Source: https://www.breitling.com/

Although the Navitimer is a watch that exudes the same elegance and esprit, it is completely different from Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin, which are used by the aristocracy. As a "watch that combines strength and sophistication for the fighting people," the Navitimer will likely continue to be a watch that is respected by innovative creators and artists who are not bound by conventional ideas .

Actor's watch