One of the rarest and most epic vintage pilot’s watch models, Blancpain’s Air Command model is shrouded in a haze of myth, legend and glory. As a matter of fact, no official documentations can be found about this mysterious model, and scholars have asserted that it was never serially manufactured or commercialized. At the turn of the 1950s, Blancpain decided to enter the market for pilot’s wristwatches, and offered the Air Command to the U.S. Air Force. No orders were placed and the Air Command project was not pursued.

When the quartz crisis struck Blancpain in the early 1970s, the brand had to sell many of its properties, including some of its unfinished examples. This speaks volumes for the unmatched rarity and originality, especially also considering that only an extremely small number of specimen are known to have survived. With its history, the Air Command is one of those rare cases when the watch is truly deserving the moniker “icon”.

The thick and robust 42 mm case houses the Valjoux caliber 222 featuring the ultra-desirable fly-back function. This function provides improved accuracy for aviators by no longer requiring the wearer to use the stop function prior to resetting the chronograph. Preserved in excellent condition, the present watch is only 26 numbers apart from another example that was sold at START-STOP-RESET: 88 Epic Stainless Steel Chronographs.