The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hi everybody, I'm a student studying "branding" and "brand design" and I'm currently writing a paper on Breitling and their design throughout their history, but I'm having trouble finding information about where the typical "BREITLING Yellow" color comes from, which is appareant in both the display boxes and the logo itself.

Please if anybody know where it comes from, why they use it, and maybe when they started using it, it would be of great help to me.

Thank you!

Interesting question. Whilst some yellow was used as far back as the 1970s, I would guess it was the early 1990s when the yellow boxes were introduced and yellow/black became Breitling's house colours. Why yellow? No idea! Maybe the yellow is process yellow so easy for printers? I've never seen a Pantone ref for it.

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Thank you for replying, interesting about 1970! I also noticed a turn in Box color from wood and other types to the yellow and bakelite boxes etc. And right now you can't avoid seeing the Breitling yellow!

Please anyone else have an idea about the origin of this yellow tone?

No knowledge, but some speculation.

Breitling have always been associated with aviation and airfield vehicles (at least in UK, not sure about elsewhere) always used to be painted black and yellow so the colours became associated with flying.

I do some graphic design stuff on the side and I came across a link that helped me out when choosing colors:

http://www.usabilitypost.com/2008/09/29 ... our-brand/

Many companies and designers are tapping into our emotions and subconscious for marketing. If the color can make you happy, then you'll buy it. Simple and brilliant.

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Kevin

Thank you, interesting speculation, is there perhaps other things about aviation or maybe airports that are connected to the black and yellow combination? Any pilots here who might know? Do pilots feel that the yellow color is very much associated with aviation and if so, why?

Still the question also remains if anybody iknows exactly what it comes from.

Thank you everybody, good info so far!

Some images for you


1962 catalogue




1973 catalogue




1977 brochure




1996 box/papers





By 1999, the yellow inner box had changed to a black bakelite box with the same yellow aeroplane outer box. These have changed design over the last 10 years.


With Breitling's aviation heritage, if I had been design consultant, I would have been thinking along blue and yellow lines (sky and sun). Indeed, the Breitling Jets aerobatic team use these colours.

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specialk22 your absolutely right, although I have a strong feeling that such an established brand as Breitling has other motives for using the yellow color. I belive it has something to do with their brand values, meaning: Aviation, Precision, Quality, Heritage and so on. If it wasn't so widely used it wouldn't have such a significant meaning but since it is everywhere around Breitling nowadays it must be something.

At least that's just my guess, it could just be a random design choice which they just stuck with, like Coca-Cola red.

But I hope not=)

I agree with you as well. I'm sure there is an underlying reason they went with that. I'm sure they used this marketing strategy as well. I'm anxious to find out when you get the answer. Sorry I don't know. <- see, the yellow just made you happy.

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Kevin

Sharkmouth, Thank you, amazing pictures really helps alot. it got me thinking when I saw the 1962 catalogue. Maybe there was a certain model that somehow incorporated the yellow color and made it stay??

I have researched and found that the first models of the classic Navitimer originally had a yellow AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) Logo on them instead of the Breitling "B". I also found an ad in AOPA's magazine from 1961, check out the colors!

Anyone know if this maybe could be the connection??

You could be on to something here

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For more information on identifying Breitling replicas, please visit my web site
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If it's AOPA then you need to look at the early 50s for colours. The Navitimer appeared in 1952 and for the first few years was very closely linked to AOPA so that's where I would ecxpect any colour association to come from. I am travelling this week so don't have access to any of my reference material, but most of it is black and white anyway so not much help.

Yes I looked around the internet for pictures of some scans from APOA magazine around and before the 50's but couldn't find anything. Although, at the same time I saw the yellow and black color scheme on other things related to APOA and Aviation in general. Especially a certain aircraft model named the J-3 Cub made 1938-1947 by Piper Aircrafts, appareantly one of the most well known light aircrafts of all time.

It's standard color was Yellow with a black lightning! the yellow color was later called "Cub yellow" or "Lock Haven yellow" which is a bit darker and very much resembles the Breitling yellow! but searching on google gives no appareant relation, it might just be this aircraft that gave the yellow+black combination it's aviation reference?? any speculations?

this is the standard model in "cub-yellow"


this has the darker "Lock Haven yellow"


and a breitling color on a "Stampe" airplane, don't know when it's built or anything, but notice the black lightning bolt!!

Getting close! It's like a treasure hunt!

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Kevin

because it matches most emoticons? j/k...interesting thread, tho.

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