The January-February 2022 issue of WatchTime is available at retailers now. Among the highlights of the issue are our cover story, a hands-on review of the new Blancpain Air Command Flyback Chronograph in titanium; a comprehensive history of the dive watch and how it has evolved with the times; and in-depth tests of new models, from Rolex, Omega, IWC, and many other makers. more. Read on for details.

Blancpain entered the rarefied air of aviation-inspired luxury with its original, limited-edition Air Command, a revival of a 1950s military model that recently joined the manufacture’s regular collection. For the cover feature “Command Performance,” Mark Bernardo test-piloted one of the first examples of the new version, with a titanium case and sunburst blue dial.
For many collectors, the history of the dive watch starts in 1953 with the introduction of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms and Rolex Submariner. Divers, however, already had to rely on water-resistant watches, decades before the commercialization of these two iconic models. In “Reaching New Depths,” Roger Ruegger takes a deep dive into how the history of underwater exploration and the evolution of the wristwatch are connected.

Rolex is “Off to New Heights” with its updated Explorer II, which marks the model’s 50th anniversary. Jens Koch takes a look at what the most recent version of the watch can offer collectors, explorers, and adventurers, in a hands-on tes...