UAE Air Force display team, Fursan Al Emarat visits home of Breitling

• Fursan Al Emarat makes first ever visit to home of luxury Swiss watch maker
• UAE team in Switzerland for AIR14 PAYERNE Air Show
• Visit takes place days after Breitling world first live launch on-board Emirates A380

(Dubai, 14 September, 2014) The United Arab Emirates Air Force aerobatic display team, Fursan Al Emarat took time off from its daredevil aerial exploits this week to make a special visit to the home of luxury watch maker, Breitling, where the team saw how the Swiss brand produces some of the world’s most advanced chronographs.

The team members were hosted by Jean-Paul Girardin, Vice President, Breitling, during their first ever visit to Breitling Chronometrie, which is located in the Swiss town of La Chaux-De-Fonds. The ultra-modern facility is dedicated to the development and production of mechanical chronograph movements all of which undergo testing by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC). Breitling is the world's only major watch brand to submit all of its movements to COSC - the highest benchmark of precision and reliability.

Fursan Al Emarat (The Knights) was in Switzerland to participate in one of Europe’s top air shows, AIR14 PAYERNE, where the team demonstrated its aerial prowess alongside some of the world’s top aerobatic display teams, including the Red Arrows, Patrouille de France and the Breitling Jet Team. Founded in 2010, the team flies seven Aermacchi MB-339A jet trainer aircraft, which are painted primarily in black and gold to represent the desert's golden sands and the black oil that lies beneath it.

Breitling has a long and rich aviation heritage, including supplying timepieces to the Royal Air Force during World War II and providing the first wrist chronograph to travel in space in 1962. All team members of Fursan Al Emarat wear the Aerospace model, following in the footsteps of other famous Breitling partners such as Patrouille de France, Frecce Tricolori, Red Arrows, Russian Knights, and US Navy Blue Angels.

The team’s inaugural visit took place two days after Breitling achieved another global aviation first, when they held the Middle East launch of the Chronomat Airborne on-board an Emirates Airbus A380.

Aed Adwan, Breitling, Middle East, said: “Aviation is Breitling’s passion, and as one of the world’s leading Aerobatic display teams, and representatives of the UAE, it is a real honour to welcome the Fursan Al Emarat team to Breitling Chonometrie for their first official visit.”

Breitling has 98 Breitling retailers across 13 countries in the Middle East, in addition to nine Breitling Boutiques in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq and Jordan.