Airain

The present watch belongs to the famous Type 20/21 family of watches issued to the French military. Contracted to 6 watch manufactures in the 50s and 60s, these chronographs are easily identifiable thanks to the large lumed Arabic numerals and large round case for maximum legibility along with a metal rotating 12 hour bezel to track a second time zone, it is clear that these watches were made for pilots.

Military issued watches often garner a cult following in the watch community, but what makes these watches even more special is the inclusion of the ‘flyback’ function in the chronograph, requested by the French military for faster operation for their pilots. Normal chronographs need to be paused, reset to zero and then restarted again to time a new event, but a flyback will restart the chronograph instantly without the need to pause and restart, saving pilots' precious seconds in the cockpit.