The fact that SWATCH Group held back their new watches until May to be part of the Time to Move peripatetic tour of Switzerland, a three-day event of unrelenting salvos of 2019's horological power combined with endurance athletes' levels of travel, made for some entertaining speculation. Rolex Air King Replica Watches was one of the brands that really impressed. Full disclosure: I have always been a Rolex Air King Replica Watches fan. The Fifty Fathoms, which was introduced in 1953, is the first diving watch ever made. The Rolex Submariner, which was introduced in 1954, was designed to meet the needs and wants of recreational divers. However, the Fifty Fathoms, from its conception, was made to satisfy the demands of French military divers Les Nageurs Combat. The Fifty Fathoms was designed by Bob Maloubier, the founder of Combat Divers. It was a watch with a purpose-built authority, exemplified by features such as the unidirectional bezel which was larger and easier for the user to manipulate. The legendary Tornek Rayville Fifty Fathoms that were issued to US Navy dive watch divers (and rebadged by the brand's US distributor Allen Tornek due to important government restrictions) are to me the most storied, hallowed and desired vintage military diving watches.
TR-900 with compass presented to Sergeant Major Jacques, USMC
Marc Hayek, the CEO of the brand, has been able to tap into the legacy of this magnificent timepiece while injecting it with new materials. These include a sapphire bezel with luminous minutes indexes - a first for high watchmaking - and a ceramic case which perfectly replicates the feel and look of steel but at a fraction the weight. It also has a much higher surface hardness. The Fifty Fathoms MilSpec Re-issue from 2017 is one my most prized watches. It is so beloved that I would have to remove it from my wrist if you tried.Rolex Air King Replica Watches Now that you understand where I stand on B to the P, you will be able to appreciate that my expectations were high. As high as I set my ceiling for what they could do with the Fifty Fathoms this year Marc Hayek, and his team, basically smashed it right through, blew right off the roof and continued to blaze a rocket like trajectory into the sky with what I consider one of the most cool, well-executed and stunningly handsome vintage tribute military watch of all time. The Rolex Air King Replica Watches Air Command. It's just that epic.
It's OK to say that the Air Command is a "military watch" but it brings some controversy. The Fifty Fathoms is a watch that has a direct and unmistakable connection with the elite diving units of the US Air Force. However, the Air Command is shrouded by mystery. To me, that only adds to the mystery of this rare creature. According to the story, Rolex Air King Replica Watches produced 12 Air Command watches in the 1950s at Allen Tornek's request. These were then placed with USAF Pilots. Tornek may have thought, after the Fifty Fathoms' success in the Navy that he would be able to create a similar hit by creating the attractive, functional flyback Type XX/Bundeswehr styled pilot chronograph. The Air Command powered by Valjoux 222 (Audemars Piguet Replica Watches) never really took off.
The Phillips, which sold an Air Command watch for US$143k at their May 2019 Hong Kong auction, claims that "the Air Command was not commercialized or serialized." They also suggest that Rolex Air King Replica Watches, when hit by the Quartz Crisis in 2013, may have sold the cases and components necessary to make a few more Air Command watches. No one is sure how many Air Command watches are in existence. Marc Hayek, who has conducted extensive research, says, "It is very, very rare, and we believe that we are talking about several tens."
Marc, as you can imagine, was well placed to know that the Air Command, which sat on his arm while he spoke to me, Nick Foulkes, and Ken Kessler in perfect condition, was the only one of its kind. It is amazing that when I post images side-by-side of the vintage watch next to the 500-piece reissue, even I and the viewers will not be able to tell which watch it is. Hayek laughs and says, "The goal was to create a watch with an incredibly authentic appearance that also showcased the most advanced technology of the SWATCH Group and the brand."