Blancpain is expanding its Air Command line with two new 36.2 mm executions, one in red gold, one in grade 23 titanium. This collection is rooted in Blancpain’s history of military-aviation timepieces that took to the sky in the 1950s. Comprising of pink gold, titanium and stainless steel executions, the line of luxury pilot’s chronographs with flyback function, countdown bezel and tachymeter scale have been dressed in a 42.5 mm case so far. Now the squadron is joined by two 36.2 mm versions in rose gold and titanium. With their reduced size they cater to aficionadas and fans of smaller watches.

The rare 1950s chronograph that inspired the Air Command collection is beautifully reflected in the vintage look of this new model. The layout of the counters and tachymeter scale on the blue sunray dial, as well as the shape of the luminescent hands and hour-markers, the piston-type chronograph pushers and the glassbox-type sapphire crystal are truly faithful to the original.
At the heart of the new timepieces is Blancpain’s F188B self-winding movement whose vertical clutch ensures stutter-free activation of the chronograph seconds hand, as well as smooth and optimal stop/start functions. Equipped with a silicon balance-spring, the caliber also features a column-wheel system guaranteeing a smooth feel when starting or ending a measurement and resetting the hands to zero.

The back of the watch reveals the beauty of this high-end mechanism and...