When adventure calls, will you answer? Exactly two hundred years after its founding in 1826, Gallet returns — now manufactured by Breitling — with four collections built for what the brand calls a new era of wanderlust.
Founded in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Gallet created timing instruments for the pioneers of aviation, racing, sailing and exploration: its watches timed the Wright Brothers’ first powered flight and helped pilots track world time on the earliest intercontinental routes. Today it returns as a sibling brand of Breitling, with every watch built within Breitling’s infrastructure and dedicated safari-inspired Gallet corners appearing in select Breitling boutiques. “Gallet was born in an age of exploration and has followed that path ever since,” says Georges Kern, CEO of House of Brands. “We’re proud to bring Gallet back for a new generation.”
The Flying Officer — worn in its day by President Harry S. Truman — is the blueprint: a 40 mm world-traveller’s watch whose rotating city-ring bezel now pairs 24 major gateways with remote points of exploration, offered as a chronograph (Gallet 23 calibre, ~65-hour reserve) or a three-hand automatic, including an orange edition inspired by the patina of an aged original. The Multichron Pilot (42 mm) revives the 1969 element-proof exploration chronograph with a telemeter scale and second-timezone bezel, while the Multichron Sport (41 mm) channels the brand’s motorsport heritage with a tachymeter and vivid orange chronograph hands.
For the bicentennial itself, three hand-wound Gallet Classics tributes — Multichron Yachting Big Eye, Multichron 45 and Silverlight — are powered by Breitling’s manufacture Caliber B09 in compact 38 mm cases. Across the range, quick-release straps in leather, rubber, field and fabric swap in seconds without tools. Two hundred years on, the instinct remains the same: to leave the familiar behind.
