While the logo of the Swiss high-end watch brand Breitling has been modified more than once throughout its more than 130-year history, many versions have shared a common motif – aviation.
The brand was founded in Saint-Imier, Bernese Jura, in 1884. It’s hardly possible to trace each and every version of the logo the company has used for its products since then. Not only has the pictorial part of the emblem been subject to drastic change, but also the typeface and color scheme.
While an older version of the Breitling logo featured an elegant looping script, it was later replaced by a simpler, better readable type. However, respecting its heritage, the company preserved the distinctive script “B” in its emblem. Now, it’s placed over the anchor symbol seen in the top part of the logo. The anchor is positioned between two spread wings.
The font called Copperplate Gothic 32 AB looks pretty close to the one used for the Breitling logo. The glyphic serif type was developed by Frederic W. Goudy and published by Adobe. Its distinctive feature is the size of the serifs – they are so small that can hardly be seen at smaller sizes. This element emphasizes the attention the brand pays to each and every detail of the watch, even if it is as tiny as can be.
While the Breitling watch logo can be often seen in black-and-white, the signature palette is actually black on a gold background. Other colors that have been used for the emblem are gold and silver.