The Breitling Emergency has got to be one of the most unique watches I’ve ever seen. Breitling primarily makes watches for aviation professionals, and therefore outfits them with appropriate functionality like chronographs, circular slide rules, multiple time zones, etc. But these are all features designed to keep you in the air, on course, and on time. What about a feature designed to offer pilots and crew members assistance when they encounter the unexpected? That’s where the Breitling Emergency comes in.
The most salient feature of the Breitling Emergency is its ability to broadcast an emergency distress signal. Unscrew the protective cap on the right side of the case, fully extend the antenna, and the Breitling Emergency will broadcast on the 121.5 MHz aircraft emergency frequency for a full 48 hours. The range of the transmission is about 100 miles, which seems reasonably impressive for a watch. An interesting technique might be to outfit an entire crew with these watches, then in the event of an emergency, spread out to create a combined coverage area of several hundred miles.
Be careful when showing the Breitling Emergency to your friends, however. Apparently, the FAA will slap you with a $15,000 fine if you broadcast a false distress call which will probably result in you having to sell your expensive watch.
For more information, check the Emergency out on Breitling’s site.
By Christian Cantrell
anon
Christian, I hate to be the one to shatter your innocence but a watch company that primarily made watches for aviation professionals would have very low sales volume and go out of business. Breitling primarily makes watches for the luxury and fashion goods market, the aviation theme is just their marketing angle.