Breitling Emergency II is one-of-a-kind lifesaver for adventurers
The Breitling Emergency II is a one-of-a-kind lifesaver for stranded adventurers.
How long have you wanted to own something that seems straight out of a hardcore superhero-cum-action movie? You can covet the unabashedly gorgeous Batmobile or the sleek and deadly Goblin Glider, but each time you find yourself reluctantly drawing the line between reality and fantasy.
Don't lose all hope yet though. Leave Batman and the Green Goblin to their narrow escapes (we won't keep wishing that for the latter though) and find your own trusty sidekick who can bail you out in the direst of situations.
The Breitling Emergency II could well find place in any comic book because apart from being a watch it also has the full-time job of a life-saver. The brilliance involved in the manufacturing of the veritable masterpiece can make your jaw drop.
The Emergency II, which weighs 140 grams without the strap (yes, it is a wee bit heavy on your wrist), has a PLB Category 2 beacon micro-transmitter packed into a sturdy titanium case.
Notwithstanding its weight, the watch exemplifies sheer technological ingenuity. Considering that it has to run for 24 hours and be battle-ready in any emergency, the bulky watch has a bespoke battery that punches out enough power for a satellite to pick up. The accoutrements that make this possible are a super-powered rechargeable battery and transmitter tester.
The Emergency II takes microphysics to a whole new level and works on two different frequencies - the analog 121.5 MHz, which is received on land, water and sea and the more advanced digital frequency of 406 MHz. Breitling decided to come up with this challenging upgrade, incorporating a dual-frequency microtransmitter, when the official SOS frequency 121.5 MHz became overloaded. It was then that the restricted frequency of 406 MHz, which can carry more information, was adopted as the wavelength to carry signals.
The 121.5 MHz wavelength, however, has been retained as search and rescue systems still use it for last-minute location fixes before visual contact is made.
Personifying smart technology, its integrated antennae system is designed to be used by someone who has broken bones - the beacon gets turned on when the right-hand antennae cover is unscrewed, which automatically unscrews the left-hand cover. Once the antenna is pulled out, the signal starts getting transmitted.
In August 2012, a Breitling Emergency owner Mark Spencer from Alaska found himself stranded and hypothermic during a grizzly bear hunting expedition. He activated the watch's Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT), a rescue crew picked up the signal, located him, and lifted him to safety by helicopter.
The Emergency's almost miraculous functionality also came to the rescue of two British pilots in 2003. Forced to ditch their helicopter off the coast of Antarctica, they deployed their Emergency watches and after eight hours in a life raft, were picked up by a rescue-plane.
Don't lose all hope yet though. Leave Batman and the Green Goblin to their narrow escapes (we won't keep wishing that for the latter though) and find your own trusty sidekick who can bail you out in the direst of situations.
The Breitling Emergency II could well find place in any comic book because apart from being a watch it also has the full-time job of a life-saver. The brilliance involved in the manufacturing of the veritable masterpiece can make your jaw drop.
The Emergency II, which weighs 140 grams without the strap (yes, it is a wee bit heavy on your wrist), has a PLB Category 2 beacon micro-transmitter packed into a sturdy titanium case.
Notwithstanding its weight, the watch exemplifies sheer technological ingenuity. Considering that it has to run for 24 hours and be battle-ready in any emergency, the bulky watch has a bespoke battery that punches out enough power for a satellite to pick up. The accoutrements that make this possible are a super-powered rechargeable battery and transmitter tester.
The Emergency II takes microphysics to a whole new level and works on two different frequencies - the analog 121.5 MHz, which is received on land, water and sea and the more advanced digital frequency of 406 MHz. Breitling decided to come up with this challenging upgrade, incorporating a dual-frequency microtransmitter, when the official SOS frequency 121.5 MHz became overloaded. It was then that the restricted frequency of 406 MHz, which can carry more information, was adopted as the wavelength to carry signals.
The 121.5 MHz wavelength, however, has been retained as search and rescue systems still use it for last-minute location fixes before visual contact is made.
Personifying smart technology, its integrated antennae system is designed to be used by someone who has broken bones - the beacon gets turned on when the right-hand antennae cover is unscrewed, which automatically unscrews the left-hand cover. Once the antenna is pulled out, the signal starts getting transmitted.
In August 2012, a Breitling Emergency owner Mark Spencer from Alaska found himself stranded and hypothermic during a grizzly bear hunting expedition. He activated the watch's Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT), a rescue crew picked up the signal, located him, and lifted him to safety by helicopter.
The Emergency's almost miraculous functionality also came to the rescue of two British pilots in 2003. Forced to ditch their helicopter off the coast of Antarctica, they deployed their Emergency watches and after eight hours in a life raft, were picked up by a rescue-plane.
