Breitling, Navitimer, chronograph, "AOPA All Black", "Officer Tor Backlund", ca 1961.

The Breitling Navitimer, introduced in 1952, was designed as a professional tool for pilots, integrating a slide rule bezel that allowed for complex flight calculations. Reference 806 quickly became the definitive model, and it remained in production throughout the 1950s and 1960s. The present example from 1961 is a rare early version distinguished by its AOPA dial – bearing the winged logo of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the world’s largest aviation organization. Dials signed with “AOPA” were produced in limited numbers and are especially sought after by collectors. Unlike later executions featuring contrasting white registers, this dial is completely black with gilt details, lending the watch a striking monochrome aesthetic.

Inside ticks the venerable Venus 178, a hand-wound column wheel chronograph movement signed WOG (Wakmann Watch Company, Breitling’s U.S. distributor), underscoring the model’s historical ties to the American market.

This particular watch carries fascinating provenance: it belonged to Tor Backlund, a Swedish career officer and intelligence operative. In 1949, he became Sweden’s first paratrooper, trained at Fort Benning in the United States shortly after World War II, and later founded the Paratrooper School (Fallskärmsjägarskolan) in Karlsborg. Given his close connection to military aviation throughout a long career, it is likely that Backlund acquired this Navitimer during his service – either directly through his professional network in aviation or while abroad.

A piece of horological and military history, this 1961 Breitling Navitimer 806 with AOPA dial represents not only the golden era of pilot’s chronographs but also a remarkable personal story tied to Sweden’s modern military heritage.