Meet the Breitling Super AVI B04 Chronograph 46 GMT Mosquito Night Fighter Watch

The sleek black ceramic and titanium version of the Breitling Super AVI B04 Chronograph 46 Mosquito watch is known as the Night Fighter and brings a touch of stealth to the wrist of those who can handle its confident 46mm size.

Back in 2021, Breitling unveiled a new series of chronographs dedicated to four iconic WWII aircraft with a design based on a special wrist-worn chronograph that it developed during the 1950s. The watch went by the name of the AVI Ref 765 and was designed to withstand the rigours of the cockpit whilst strapped firmly to a pilot’s wrist. The 2021 models in ode to this were big and bold, measuring a broad 46mm diameter. The P-51 Mustang, Vought F4U Corsair, the Curtiss Warhawk and the Mosquito all featured a sapphire crystal glass exhibition caseback to expose the performance and beauty of an in-house developed movement, whilst the watches themselves combined a superior chronograph complication with a GMT function for those that liked to travel.

This year, Breitling has extended the concept of the popular Super AVI Chronograph GMT 46 models and has produced four more versions in smaller-sized cases. These Breitling Classic AVI watches all measure a more compact 42mm and feature closed casebacks that conceal the Calibre 23 behind them. The other difference is that these smaller watches have a more classic-looking chronograph design that foregoes the additional 24-hour track seen in the 2021 models. The P-51 Mustang iteration is the only one out of all four designs to be offered in stainless steel or 18ct rose gold. In addition to these Curtiss Warhawk, P-51 Mustang, Vought F4U Corsair and Mosquito watches, the original 44mm model has also been released in a new version of the former 46mm version, this time with a black ceramic case and a titanium caseback with matching titanium push-pieces. We’re going to look at this Breitling Super AVI B04 Chronograph 46 GMT Mosquito Night Fighter watch today.

The inspiration behind the Super AVI Mosquito watch

Breitling’s Huit Aviation department first climbed onboard its journey in creating watches for the aeronautics industry when it began developing precision cockpit clocks in the 1930s, but it would be decades later when the famous Swiss brand would manufacture flight instruments that could be worn on the wrist. This transition would prove integral to Breitling’s success during the 1950s when pilots needed an instrument that was quick and easy to reference whilst making life-threatening decisions hundreds of feet up in the air. The Ref. 765 AVI pilot’s watch quickly became known as the “Co-Pilot” and would go on to inspire a much-loved reissue developed in 2020, but now also the Super AVI Mosquito Chronograph GMT 46 watch and the new Classic AVI version, which we covered in more detail here. Both feature contrast chronograph sub-counters against a rich black dial.

The Breitling Mosquito watch honours a true legend that was produced during an era when materials like aluminium and steel were in short supply. Behind the design of the de Havilland Mosquito aircraft, engineers made use of wood instead. The aircraft which soon adopted the nickname “Wooden Wonder” immediately caught people’s attention and caused shockwaves when it outperformed other aircraft built from metal. It become one of the fastest planes built during the 1940s and 1950s, boasting superior manoeuvrability and allowing for a multitude of tasks and roles from a light bomber to a night fighter to a transporter and even a photographic reconnaissance aircraft.

The new Breitling Super AVI B04 Chronograph 46 GMT Mosquito Night Fighter

Just in the same way as the famous “Wooden Wonder” was developed during a time when its designers had to think innovatively about the materials they used for the aircraft, this Breitling Super AVI B04 Chronograph 46 GMT Mosquito Night Fighter is a blend of premium, high-quality materials that have been tested beyond normal parallels and constructed for performance. The watch measures a 46mm diameter, just like its older siblings – the stainless-steel Mosquito iteration from 2021 included. The watch features a black ceramic case with a bidirectional rotating bezel and push-pieces that stand out in a lustrous titanium finish. So too does the caseback, also finished in lightweight titanium with a sapphire crystal exhibition window in the middle, adorned with an image of the aircraft in flight. Behind this special decoration is the peerlessly performing Calibre B04 – an in-house manufactured movement.

The movement placed on show was the Breitling Manufacture B04. This self-winding engine is capable of producing an impressive 70-hour power reserve and beats to the rhythm of 28,800 vibrations per hour. Equipped with bidirectional winding, a vertical clutch and a column wheel, the COSC-certified B04 Calibre delivers superior mechanical performance and non-stop accuracy whether strapped to the wrist or not.

The new Breitling Super AVI B04 Chronograph 46 GMT Mosquito Night Fighter watch features an additional GMT function with a 24-hour scale on the flange that is finished in the same anthracite colour as seen in the filled-in chronograph counters at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock. These sub-counters offer the 30-minute, 12-hour and small second functions, whilst a central chronograph second hand takes residence with the hour and minute hands on the dial. Striking white elements can be seen in the Arabic numeral hour markers, the tip of the GMT hand and chronograph seconds hand and the central hour and minute hands, along with the small counter hands too. The entire surface of the dial is shielded by an anti-reflective and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass that helps uphold the case’s 100-meter water resistance.

The sleek and stealthy new Super AVI B04 Chronograph 46 GMT Mosquito Night Fighter watch is a collectable for sure. Distinguishable by its masculine outfit and its superb level of functionality, the watch comes complete on a black military calfskin strap with a titanium folding clasp engraved with the famous Breitling logo,

If you’d like more information on this new release from Breitling’s Super AVI watch collection, you can browse the entire range here, or call and speak to a member of our Jura Watches sales team today on 01335 453453.