There is no single setting sequence for every Breitling Navitimer. The crown positions and calendar controls vary by reference and movement, so first identify your watch’s reference or caliber and follow its matching Breitling manual. The steps below illustrate several documented models; they are not interchangeable.
Before setting your Navitimer
Identify the reference and movement
Check the reference information supplied with the watch or use Breitling’s official product and manual pages to find the instructions for your exact model. Complications matter: a simple date, day-and-date display, chronograph, world-time function, or perpetual calendar can change the procedure. Breitling’s current Navitimer Automatic 41 listing, for example, identifies a self-winding mechanical watch with a non screw-locked crown and links to a user manual: Navitimer Automatic 41.
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Check how the crown works
Some Navitimers have a screw-locked crown that must be unscrewed before adjustment and gently tightened afterward. Others do not. Do not assume the crown screws down: the cited Automatic 41 listing specifies a non screw-locked crown. If the crown resists, do not force it.
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Several conventional mechanical Navitimer manuals warn against adjusting the calendar or moving the time backward between 8 p.m. and 3 a.m. This is not a universal rule for every Navitimer: the B19 perpetual-calendar manual explicitly allows its adjustments at any time and provides a separate sequence. Use the warning and procedure in your own model’s manual.
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Examples of setting different Navitimer models
These examples show why matching the manual to the watch matters. Use only the sequence for the identified model.
Navitimer Automatic 38/41
- Wind the watch by turning the crown clockwise approximately 40 times, as specified in the manual.
- Pull the crown to position 2 and set the calendar to the day before the desired date.
- Pull the crown to position 3. Advance the hands until the date changes at midnight, then continue to the correct hour and minute.
- Push the crown back to position 1. Do not adjust the calendar or move the time backward from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Breitling’s instructions are in the Navitimer Automatic 38/41 manual.
Navitimer 8 Automatic Day & Date
- Unscrew the water-resistant crown counterclockwise, then wind approximately 40 turns clockwise.
- At position 2, set the day and date to the day and date before the target.
- At position 3, advance the hands until the current date changes at midnight, then set the correct time.
- Return the crown to position 1 and tighten it gently until resistance. The manual says, “Do not force!”
Do not adjust the calendar or move the time backward from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. for this model. See Breitling’s Navitimer 8 Automatic Day & Date manual.
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Navitimer 8 B01 Chronograph
- Unscrew the crown and wind approximately 40 turns clockwise.
- At position 2, set the calendar to the day before the desired date.
- At position 3, advance the hands until the correct date changes at midnight, then set the hour and minute.
- Push the crown back to position 1 and tighten gently until resistance; do not force it.
Consult the Navitimer 8 B01 Chronograph manual for the model’s complete instructions.
Navitimer 1884
- Wind the watch by turning the crown clockwise about 40 times.
- Use position 3 to set the hour and minute, checking the 24-hour display to distinguish day from night.
- Use position 2, turned anticlockwise, to set the month and date. The watch also has a day corrector at 10 o’clock.
The manual warns against calendar adjustment or moving time backward from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. Follow the Navitimer 1884 manual, since its controls differ from the other examples here.
Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual Calendar
Do not use the conventional calendar warning or another Navitimer’s steps for this watch. Breitling’s B19 manual says this movement’s adjustments can be made at any time without risk to the mechanism and gives a specific order for setting the time, year/month/date, moon phase, and day. Follow that complete sequence in the Navitimer B19 Perpetual Calendar manual.
Navitimer World
The World has its own crown-position sequence. For versions with date, day, month, and moon-phase indications, its manual includes the 8 p.m.–3 a.m. calendar warning. Use the instructions for the exact version in Breitling’s Navitimer World manual.
Why several manuals set the day before the target
For the Automatic 38/41 and the two Navitimer 8 examples above, the manual’s procedure is to set the calendar one day early, then advance the hands through midnight so the mechanism changes to the target date. This also helps establish whether the displayed time is a.m. or p.m. Follow this approach only when your exact manual calls for it; other Navitimers arrange their calendar controls differently.
Quick Recap
If the crown or calendar does not behave as expected
- The crown will not turn or pull out: Check the manual to see whether it is screw-locked and how to release it. Do not force the crown.
- The date changes at noon instead of midnight: The hands may be set to the wrong half of the day. Where the manual instructs you to advance through midnight, continue until the date changes, then set the correct time using the 24-hour indication if provided.
- The date or day corrector is unclear: Stop and consult the exact model manual rather than trying another Navitimer’s position or corrector.
- The calendar or crown appears stuck or fails to operate normally: Avoid applying force or repeatedly attempting adjustments; seek guidance from Breitling or a qualified watch professional.
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