Hands-On With The Newest Blancpain Air Command — A Green-Dial Version In Titanium Joins The Squadron
Blancpain aims for air superiority by strengthening its Air Command “squadron” with a new version of its reimagined 1950s US Air Force flyback chronograph. The 42.5mm model comes in a lightweight titanium case with a black bezel insert, an olive-green dial, a black bezel, and beige lume, numerals, and markings. Is this new creation pushing the retro envelope too far, or does it hit the sweet spot?
The sound of a propeller aircraft makes many weak in the knees. The same goes for pilot’s watches from the “propeller era.” Yes, the Jet Age made intercontinental traveling much more accessible. Slowly but surely, the romance of flying died. You could even compare the quartz watch with a jet airliner. Yes, quartz watches and jet aircraft are better when you stick to the numbers, but there’s more to life than cold, hard facts. That’s especially true when it comes to beautifully crafted machines, such as aircraft and mechanical watches. When it comes to owning either anachronistic machine, the vintage watch beats the vintage airplane. Although the €22,450 Blancpain Air Command is undoubtedly not a watch for the masses, it is within closer reach than, for instance, a 1950s Lockheed Constellation. The watch is also easier on the wallet regarding service intervals than the triple-tailed “Connie.”
The Blancpain Air Command reappears on the radar
The Air Command name allegedly has something to do with the 1955 film Strategic Air Command. Blancpain built 12 watches, a proof of concept delivered to the US Air Force and commissioned by Allen Tornek of Tornek-Rayville, Blancpain’s US importer and distributor. Tornek needed a name for the chronograph and thought of the action-packed film. It’s good that he didn’t think of The Court Jester with Danny Kaye, which also played in cinemas in 1955.
Anyway, the Air Command is a watch that belongs high up in the sky. Likewise, it ranks high on the lists of collectors and connoisseurs. Its legendary status is somewhat atypical. The Air Command’s origins or the exact reasoning behind the design are unknown, and it never made it to serial production but disappeared in a cloud of mystery.
The 1996 Air Command, part of the Fifty Fathoms Trilogy series, had little in common with the original watch. In 2003, that Air Command also disappeared from the radar. It wasn’t until 2019 that Blancpain launched an Air Command with a design based on the 1950s model.
Olive green and beige for either a retro or contemporary look
When Blancpain from Le Brassus, in the Swiss Vallée de Joux decided to put the Air Command back into service, it started with a steel version of the flyback chronograph. Three years later, blue-dial references in titanium and pink gold and different case sizes debuted, and now there are versions with a green dial. There’s the 36.2mm model and the 42.5mm iteration I had the chance to try out. This 42.5mm case executed in Grade 23 titanium, an alloy that can be finished more finely than Grade 5 titanium, is 13.7mm thick and 51mm long. The long and slender lugs remind me a lot of the Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3 that Blancpain released last year. I like these elegant lugs on both retro-styled watches.
Now it’s time for the big question: is the green dial retro? It is when you say that the hands, numerals, and other markings are done in “fauxtina.” However, it is fashionable when you say that the green dial is complemented with beige details. Since I’m not the biggest fan of faux patina, I chose the fashionable, contemporary option. Also, it matches quite a few of my favorite pieces from my wardrobe.
How does the Air Command “fly”?
You know about the size in numbers, but how do these translate to wrist comfort? The proportions combined with the lightness of the titanium case make the Air Command easy to wear. That’s what I think, at least. Due to the length of the watch, the strap drops down almost vertically on my 18cm wrist, and for it to fit and work properly, the strap’s leather needs a bit of suppleness. The green calfskin strap with beige contrasting stitching fitted to the watch is a great visual match, but it’s as stiff as a board. I suspect wearing it daily would solve that problem in a couple of weeks (or months?), but out of the box, it isn’t the comfiest strap.
Having said that, I applaud the choice to match the strap to a simple titanium pin buckle. While the watch’s price might justify a luxurious folding clasp, its spirit demands a functional, no-nonsense pin buckle.
I also wonder how nice the green Air Command with its bidirectional titanium bezel with black ceramic insert and luminous markings would look on a black nubuck strap that matches the bezel. Supple nubuck would also wear well right from the start.
A turbulence-free movement
Nothing’s new inside the 3-bar-water-resistant case. And that’s not bad since the automatic 297-part F388B caliber with a silicon balance and hairspring is a lovely piece of horological beauty and functionality. It’s robust and reliable, and it’s also precise because it beats at 5Hz. Its finishing is on a high level as well but also industrially styled so it takes more effort to recognize and appreciate. But because Blancpain decided to use a rotor styled like a propellor, there’s more room to look at the movement than in the 2022 models. The 2019 debutant also had a propellor-shaped rotor, but that one was executed in rose gold and was a bit flashy. The new propellor blends in with the rest of the rotor and the look of the movement underneath. And when the rotor is done winding the movement, you get 50 hours of power reserve.
Operating caliber F388B, an integrated flyback movement outfitted with a column wheel and vertical clutch, is a smooth and direct affair. Of course, a flyback function is hardly something anyone needs these days, but when playing with the chronograph, it does give you an extra dose of horological pleasure.
Daydreaming about a future Air Command
Today, the vintage Air Command is a legendary grail watch for Blancpain collectors because of its rarity and sporadic appearances in auctions. We don’t know a lot, but some stuff we know puts the watch brain in creative overdrive. The original watch, for instance, was outfitted with a Valjoux 222 flyback movement, of which only some were signed by Blancpain. Next year, the Air Command will celebrate its 70th birthday. What about a special 70th-anniversary edition with a 42mm case in white gold? Inside the case, you would find a reinterpreted version of the hand-wound Valjoux 222 with Haute Horlogerie finishing and signed Blancpain. Is that too expensive to develop? No, I don’t think so because Breguet will share the cost. The brand can use it, signed Breguet, in a future, special version of the Type 20, a watch I have considered.
Since the movement doesn’t have a rotor, the case would be slightly thinner (11mm?), adding to the watch’s historical allure. The dial would be black, preferably with eggshell-white numerals, hands, and details for a look that never gets old. What do you think? Also, what do you think of the green-dial version of the Air Command? Please let me know in the comments below.
