Blancpain Air Command

AC02-12B40-63
Technical specifications

Functions

  • Hours
  • Minutes
  • Flyback Chronograph

Movement

  • Self Winding/Automatic
  • Manufactured
  • Swiss Made

Case

  • Round
  • Titanium
  • Brushed & Polished
  • 13.77mm
  • 42.50mm

Glass

  • Sapphire

Water resistance

  • 3.00atm / 30.00m / 100.00ft

Buckle

  • Pin Buckle
  • Titanium

Strap

  • Calfskin
  • Blue

Year

  • 2021

Official description

The Air Command collection is inspired by a highly sought-after 1950s Blancpain chronograph that was produced in tiny quantities. In the slipstream of its predecessor, the new Air Command model features sophisticated styling and offers two distinct timing modes: a chronograph with flyback function and a countdown bezel.

Born in the mid-1950s, the Air Command chronograph is probably the rarest Blancpain watch of its era. The only existing traces of its past are the few snippets of information sporadically gathered at auctions – where Air Command pieces have fetched stratospheric prices – and the scattered memories treasured by the descendants of the great 1950s Blancpain "family".

Blancpain's new Air Command, which is joining the eponymous collection, fully reflects the spirit of the vintage pilot's watch. It features a flyback chronograph and a countdown-type rotating bezel. The flyback function is a valuable element for pilots, as it enables them in a single press to reset the current timing operation and start a new one while the chronograph is running. With a conventional chronograph, each new measurement requires three presses – on two separate pushers – to stop, reset and restart the mechanism. The purpose of the countdown bezel is to indicate the time remaining until the destination is reached. Its numerals or hour-markers run counter-clockwise, unlike those on the bezel of a diver's watch. The Blancpain Air Command also has a tachymeter scale indicating ground speeds, a 30-minute counter with three elongated markers marking three-minute increments and a 12-hour counter.