3 Daredevils Who Wear Breitling Watches
Tuesday - 26 March 2013
Famous for its tough, sturdy and reliable watches, Breitling are the first choice for some of the most famous adventurers and stunt artists.
Let's take a look at three of the most well-known daredevils who've made their name by plunging themselves into dangerous situations.
Bear Grylls, Daredevil
“The difference between ordinary and extra-ordinary is so often just simply that little word - extra."
Adventure and wild man Bear Grylls is best know for his TV series Born Survivor (also known as Man vs. Wild). Dropped into extreme locations, Grylls draws on a vast range of skills to ensure his survival.
His stunts on the series include ice climbing, running through a forest fire, wrestling alligators, parachuting from helicopters, wading rapids and climbing cliffs.
When filming the series, Grylls wears a Breitling wristwatch.
Ben Fogle, Endurance Adventurer
“Every time I get back from one of these [adventures], it changes me for the better.”
Ben Fogle rose to prominence during the reality TV show Castaway, when he was one of 36 people marooned on a Scottish island for a year and left to fend for themselves.
Since then, he has rowed 3,000 miles across the Atlantic in a pair with Olympic rower James Cracknell. For the 49 day journey, both Fogle and Cracknell wore a Breitling watch. Fogle has also cycled a rickshaw 423 miles nonstop from Edinburgh to London, and completed a six-day 160 mile marathon in the Sahara desert.
His favourite poem, To Risk by William Arthur Ward, includes the lines: "To live is to risk dying. To believe is to risk despair. To try is to risk failure."
Felix Baumgartner, World Record Breaking Skydiver
"As a little kid, I climbed a lot of trees because I always loved the bird's-eye view."
On 14 October 2012, Felix Baumgartner smashed three world records. In a helium balloon, he climbed 24 miles into the sky, breaking the world record for the highest manned balloon flight. He then jumped out of the helium balloon, establishing a new world record for the highest parachute jump. During the jump, he fell to earth so fast he broke the sound barrier, hitting a speed of over 843 miles per hour. This broke the record for the fastest freefall speed.
Baumgartner is also famous for his BASE parachute jumps from tall buildings, and set the world record for the lowest BASE jump when he launched himself from the 19 metre high statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro.
Baumgartner has been noticed wearing Breitling watches during many of his stunts.
Have you got a daredevil spirit? Browse our Breitling Collection.
Image Sources
Bear Grylls: Wikimedia; Ben Fogle: Jo-H; Felix Baumgartner: Alexandre Inagaki.
