Breitling Navitimer 806 James Bond Thunderball Watch

In the iconic James Bond movie Thunderball (1965), two Breitling watches are featured prominently. The first is the Breitling Navitimer, reference 806, which plays a significant role in the film. The watch originally belonged to François Derval, a French NATO pilot who was deployed to fly an Avro Vulcan loaded with atomic bombs. Tragically, Captain Derval is killed by Angelo, a SPECTRE henchman who disguises himself as Derval and straps on the Navitimer to complete his disguise. Angelo then sabotages the flight and sinks the plane, but is killed by Emilio Largo for attempting to extort more money. When James Bond (played by Sean Connery) discovers the wreckage, he takes the Navitimer from Angelo’s body and later gives it to Domino as proof of Largo’s involvement in Derval’s death.

As a pilot’s watch, the Navitimer 806 was a fitting choice for Derval’s character. The model seen in Thunderball was a mid-1960s 4th generation Navitimer, equipped with a Venus 178 movement and a black dial with three white subdials, a steel case, and a black leather strap with black stitching. At the time, the Navitimer was also sold through the Breitling distribution and was available with a ‘Twin Jet’ emblem, or through the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association with the AOPA logo on the dial. However, it’s unclear which logo is featured on the Navitimer in the film.