150
Blancpain
Air Command
An extremely rare and oversized stainless steel fly-back chronograph wristwatch with black dial, tachometer scale, rotatable bezel and research documents
- Estimate
- CHF30,000 - 60,000€32,300 - 64,600$36,700 - 73,400
CHF95,250
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Blancpain
- Year
- Circa 1960
- Case No
- 15011
- Model Name
- Air Command
- Material
- Stainless steel
- Calibre
- Manual, cal. Valjoux 222, 17 jewels
- Bracelet/Strap
- Suede, accompanied with extra tropical strap
- Clasp/Buckle
- Stainless steel pin buckle
- Dimensions
- 42mm diameter
- Signed
- Case and dial signed
- Accessories
- Accompanied by Blancpain Vintage Service Report confirming the authenticity of the watch, service invoice dated 2021.
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
Blancpain’s Air Command model is one of the most legendary collector’s wristwatches – but equally myth-enshrouded and elusive.
For years, no documentation surrounding this timepiece could be found; scholars are of the opinion that it was never commercialized or produced in series. Following the firm’s success within the divers community and supplying, amongst others, the US Navy, Blancpain decided to enter the market for pilot’s watches and apparently proposed the Air Command to the US Air Force. No orders were placed and the Air Command project was not pursued.
However, recent discoveries have unearthed documentation showing this timepiece. In the Revue Internationale d'Horlogerie 1958 the Air Command is illustrated under the Rayville brand (Blancpain's American subsidiary through which the brand sold watches to the US military), furthermore, in their April 30, 2024 auction lot 625, auction house Reeman Dansie features a letter on Rayville/Blancpain letterhead dated November 21, 1967 showing the Air Command signed Blancpain and mentioning its specifications: steel chronograph, waterproof to 3 atm, with 30 minute-recorder, tachometer (sic), black luminous hands and dial and outside revolving bezel.
The present example furthermore is accompanied by Blancpain's research document confirming the authenticity of the watch. The arrival on the market of a Blancpain Air Command is a rare and thunderous moment, the fact that the present watch is an example that comes with a Blancpain Vintage Service Report makes it an incredibly rare and covetable timepiece of mythical stature.
For years, no documentation surrounding this timepiece could be found; scholars are of the opinion that it was never commercialized or produced in series. Following the firm’s success within the divers community and supplying, amongst others, the US Navy, Blancpain decided to enter the market for pilot’s watches and apparently proposed the Air Command to the US Air Force. No orders were placed and the Air Command project was not pursued.
However, recent discoveries have unearthed documentation showing this timepiece. In the Revue Internationale d'Horlogerie 1958 the Air Command is illustrated under the Rayville brand (Blancpain's American subsidiary through which the brand sold watches to the US military), furthermore, in their April 30, 2024 auction lot 625, auction house Reeman Dansie features a letter on Rayville/Blancpain letterhead dated November 21, 1967 showing the Air Command signed Blancpain and mentioning its specifications: steel chronograph, waterproof to 3 atm, with 30 minute-recorder, tachometer (sic), black luminous hands and dial and outside revolving bezel.
The present example furthermore is accompanied by Blancpain's research document confirming the authenticity of the watch. The arrival on the market of a Blancpain Air Command is a rare and thunderous moment, the fact that the present watch is an example that comes with a Blancpain Vintage Service Report makes it an incredibly rare and covetable timepiece of mythical stature.
Blancpain
Swiss | 1735As the watchmaking brand with the earliest founding date, Blancpain remains close to tradition, concentrating on classical mechanical watches. Established in 1735 by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, the Le Brassus manufacturer today continues to innovate with the development of high-quality calibres and is proud of their heritage, having never made quartz watches. One of the firm's greatest successes was the Fifty Fathom wristwatch introduced in 1953 — the vintage models of which are now highly coveted by collectors. The earliest dive watch available to the market, Fifty Fathom came out a year prior to Rolex's Submariner. Another key model is the Air Command from the 1960s, considered one of the most mythical collector's watches due to their extreme rarity. Today, the firm specializes in creative innovated complicated timepieces.
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