For a brand that is virtually synonymous with diving watches, thanks to its iconic Fifty Fathoms line, Blancpain has an authentic history with pilot models, which always come to collector lists …
About seventy years ago, the watch brand was created by a flyback chronograph of high precision for American aviation, and the model was offered to military pilots. Known by the name of the Air Command, this pilot watch from the late fifties was, in all likelihood, produced in very limited numbers. He was never commercialized.
Blancpain Air Command
Today, in accordance with the nostalgia for the past in the world of watchmaking, as well as the power of vintage trend among customers, Blancpain has re-created the Air Command in a five-model edition that will be very faithful to the original.
The model has a rotating base, which was once used by pilots to read the exact time at moments in which the amount of fuel that was available was compromised. Indexes, cursors and scale on the base were made with SuperLuminova’s layer in orange color, to remind us of the original indicators.
However, not everything on the new model is the same as on the old one. Contemporary piece, which comes with a 42.5 mm diameter case made of steel, this model also has a protective sapphire crystal on the dial as well as on the back of the model, with a sophisticated high frequency F388B tuned mechanism.
The price of this model, which comes with a patinated leather belt, is $19,800.
Blancpain Air Command
