The Gentleman Magazine Issue 18 | December 2019 | Page 15
Breitling is celebrating the 55th anniversary of the Patrouille
Suisse Swiss Air Force Team, admired around the world for its
dazzling aerial performances, with the launch of the Avenger
Swiss Air Force Team Limited Edition, produced in a series of
550 pieces.
In 1964, the Swiss Air Force created an aerobatics team, named
Patrouille Suisse, made up of some of its most talented pilots.
Today, 55 years later, the Patrouille Suisse squadron dazzles
audiences with aerial displays in the skies above Switzerland
and other European countries with precision performances in
six supersonic jets. Breitling has created a new watch to honor
these high-flying Swiss ambassadors: the Avenger Swiss Air
Force Team Limited Edition.
Georges Kern, the CEO of Breitling, welcomes the opportunity
to celebrate the Patrouille Suisse squadron’s anniversary with
a limited-edition chronograph. He says: “The Patrouille Suisse
Swiss Air Force Team and Breitling make ideal partners. Flying
in tight formations in supersonic jets, the Patrouille Suisse
squadron is the perfect modern expression of our long aviation
tradition. We are excited about the watch we have created to
celebrate their 55th anniversary.”
The Breitling Avenger Swiss Air Force Team Limited Edition
has a 45 mm stainless-steel case with a ratcheted unidirectional
rotating bezel. Its striking black dial features the logo of the
Patrouille Suisse squadron on the subdial at 9 o’clock as well
as distinctive yellow and red accents that reflect the colors
of the Patrouille Suisse squadron’s logo. The yellow-tipped
second hand adds another dash of color. The hands and the
black indexes are coated with Super-LumiNova®, a luminescent
material that makes them easily readable in all lighting
conditions.
The caseback is engraved with the Patrouille Suisse squadron’s
55th anniversary logo – a stylized 55 and six supersonic jets in
flight – along with the words “ONE OF 550”, an indication of
its special limited-edition status.
The Avenger Swiss Air Force Team Limited Edition is powered
by a Breitling Caliber 13, a COSC-certified chronometer
movement with a power reserve of approximately 48 hours. It
is water-resistant to 30 bar (300 meters). The special limited-
edition Avenger is presented on an anthracite leather military
strap with a pin buckle.
The Campaign Revolving around the Patrouille Suisse Swiss
Air Force Team Breitling is proud to present three talented
Patrouille Suisse jet pilots to support this anniversary edition.
Major Gunnar Jansen joined the Patrouille Suisse Swiss Air
Force Team in 2010 and has led the formation for the past three
years. Captain Claudius Meier flies in the second position, on
the right side of the leader. Captain Lukas Nannini, the second
soloist, who flies in the fifth position on the outer left wing,
completes the squad.
#squadonamission
The Gentleman Magazine | 15