Ten Fascinating Facts about Breitling SA, a world renowned Swiss luxury watchmaker based in Grenchen, Switzerland.

• Breitling SA was founded by Leon Breitling in Saint-Imier, Bernese Jura in 1884. Leon was only twenty-  four years old at the time!  Breitling is now owned by CVC Capital Partners after the company purchased a majority stake (80%) for $870 million in 2017.
• Breitling is world famous for its sponsorship of major aeronautical events which include the first circumnavigation of Earth by balloon!
• Every employee at Breitling receives a complimentary watch! The watch model is determined by the level of the employee who is permitted to select a watch from a variety of options.
• Both Leon Breitling and his son Gaston, who inherited the company, died unexpectedly at a very young age.
• In 1969 Breitling invented and produced the first self-winding chronograph movement.
• The company’s SuperQuartz technology (2001) is ten-times more accurate than standard quartz.
• The name Breitling did not appear on the watch dials until forty years after the company was founded!
• The first wristwatch chronograph was developed and introduced by Breitling in 1915.
• In 1952, Breitling chronographs became the favorite choice among pilots throughout the world after it introduced the “navigation computer” which was able to handle all the calculations necessary for a flight plan.