Air Command

While no-one knows the exact circumstances surrounding the creation of the Air Command chronograph, developed by Blancpain in the 1950s for U.S. Air Force pilots, one thing is for sure: very few were produced, making this a unicorn for collectors. For those who aren't fortunate enough to unearth an original, Blancpain presents a 500-piece limited edition that looks every inch the part: 42.5mm steel case, ratcheted "countdown" rotating bezel, box-type sapphire crystal, numerals and markers coated with orange "old radium"-type Super-LumiNova® and 30-minute and 12-hour chronograph counters at respectively 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock on the black dial. Bringing this Air Command bang up to date, Blancpain has fitted it with the high-frequency (5 Hz) Calibre F388B with flyback mechanism, that measures elapsed times with 1/10th of a second precision. Turning the watch over reveals the lovely snailed finishing on the movement, and a distinctive propeller-shaped rotor in red gold.