Breitling Cosmonaute

As stated in the NASA general section, Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute is the first Swiss and chronograph wrist watch in space. On 4.5.1962 Scott Carpenter was the astronaut who had on his orbital space flight this watch on his wrist.

Breitling Cosmonaute is in fact Breitling Navitimer Chronograph with reference 806. Carpenter suggested Breitling to add 24h dial. Breitling updated Navitimer with this idea, watch with this modification got the Cosmonaute extension and reference number 809. Basic movement is Venus 178, but also a version with Valjoux 7736 exist (reference number for the watches with this movement is 809-36). Beside different movement a lot of other minor modifications can be seen in Cosmonaute watches with ref. 809. Main ones are on dial signatures (position of the Cosmonaute sign, different logos, with or withoute Navitimer sign, AOPA logo on or not, even sizes of the totalizators). I have this 809 watch from 1968:

It is interesting, that even though Breitling was not choosen to be the official NASA watch provider, it continued with the Cosmonaute line to the present days. A lot of different references of cosmonauts exist, almost all of them were manual wind chronographs except two. First automatic Cosmonaute was watch issued at the end of sixties with the reference number 1809 with so called chrono-matic movement. Interesting is that together with this watch another Cosmonaute with the manual winding movement was issued, that one with the reference number 0819. Both watches use the same case (the biggest case of all Cosmonaute models), but they have different position of the crown. Manual 0819 has it on the right side of the case while automatic 1809 on the left side of the case. I have only automatic version:

From the mid seventies to the late ninethiest several manual wind Cosmonauts were issued, and then another automatic Cosmonaute appeared. It's reference number is A22322, based on the ETA2892 with Dubois-Depraz chronograph module. Until now this is the last released Cosmonaute model.