Blancpain introduced the Air Command Flyback Chronograph, a well-received and somewhat unexpected revival of a rare, collectible pilots’ chronograph developed for the United States Air Force, in 2019 as a limited edition in steel. This year, following in the footsteps of its more well-known military-produced timepiece, the Fifty Fathoms divers’ watch, Blancpain brings the Air Command into its regular collection, its first non-limited version boasting a titanium case and a deep blue livery adorning its dial, strap, and bezel.

The modern Air Command takes its cues from a prototype made in the 1950s for the French Ministry of Defence, who requested a pilot?s watch with a black dial, luminous hour markers and hands, and a high-precision chronograph movement with a flyback function. The model that was eventually made for the United States Air Force ? shortly after the aforementioned Fifty Fathoms was adopted by the U.S. Navy ? was offered to USAF pilots through distributor Allen V. Tornek and is today, according to Blancpain, ?the most sought-after military chronographs of the late 1950s? due to its scarcity. The retro styling of the contemporary model includes a ratcheted, bidirectionally rotating countdown bezel (here with a blue ceramic insert), which enables an aviator to gauge the remaining time of his or her fuel reserve in flight, and a tachymeter scale for calculating air speeds based on a 1,000-meter distance. That scale encircles a sunburst blue dial...