The famous André Kuipers may count himself to the inner circle of Breitling. The Swiss manufacture introduced the Dutch astronaut, pilot and doctor as its new friend of the brand. Kuipers got presented to the Dutch press during the official Dutch launch of the Breitling Exospace B55 at Ace & Dik Jewelers in Amsterdam.
As a boy, André Kuipers dreamed of becoming an astronaut and he chased that dream successfully. In April 2004 he set course to the stars in a Soyez rocket as an ESA astronaut. Eleven days later he planted his feet firmly on the ground again. Kuipers returned to space in December 2011, which makes him the only Dutch astronaut who flew two missons. His second visit lasted 193 days. An other dream of Kuipers was to own a Breitling. How lucky that he’s the new friend of the brand, because the first Breitling Exospace B55 in the Netherlands was awarded to him.
Pilots and astronauts
Breitling has a close connection to both pilots and astronauts. The brand is known for its reliable pilot’s watches since the pioneering days of aviation. Both the Chronomat and Navitimer chronographs have become legends of the skies. The Breitling Cosmonaute with its 24-hour dial even reached higher and went to space with American astronaut Scott Carpenter in 1962.
