Emergency | Designer Watch Store

Breitling Emergency

March 30th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Emergency

Breitling wristwatches have been the de facto standard for aviators across the entire planet for over 100 years now, and with good reason. Not only do they look the business but they have a whole range of features built in that just make a pilots life easier.

The Breitling emergency watch, as well as being a very attractive chronometer, uniquely has a built-in transmitter that operates on the international aviation distress frequency of 121.5 Mhz. The transmitter has an effective range of about 100 miles that, in the event of an emergency, can be picked up by search and rescue crews and used to pinpoint its exact location. Simple to operate, the stricken airman simply has to unscrew a protective cap and pull the small antenna out, this Breitling wristwatch really can be a lifesaver.
To underline this fact, a story was reported recently of two RAF pilots who's helicopter crashed in Antarctica. Both were wearing Breitling emergency watches and the distress signals were picked up by the Chilean Coastguard who tracked them down and rescued them from the icy waters of the South Atlantic. Both pilots owe their lives to this remarkable Breitling watch.

The Breitling Emergency also has a radio transmitter for military purposes. It operates on a frequency of 243Mhz and has an effective range of up to 90 nautical miles.

There are a couple of downsides to this amazing technology however. Firstly, you have to send the watch back to Breitling if it is triggered. This can take some time, so you should be sure that you really do need to be rescued!

Secondly, if you do not hold a valid pilot's licence, then you need to sign an agreement stating that you will bear the full costs of a rescue mission should you trigger the distress signal accidentally. Misuse of the emergency beacon can also bring a fine of up to $100,000 from the Federal Aviation Administration, making the cost of the watch seem cheap by comparison.

There are 11 watches in the range costing from $3000 up to $55,000.