Founded in 1934, Airain was well known for its Type 20 flyback chronographs in the mid-20th century, supplying the French military along with brands like Breguet and Mathey Tissot. These chronographs could be instantly reset to zero by pressing the 4 o’clock pusher via the flyback function and had specific requirements like a bidirectional 12-hour […]
Founded in 1934, Airain was one of the original suppliers of the iconic Type 20 chronograph issued to French military pilots in the 1950s and 60s. The brand was dormant until its resurrection in 2020 by Dutch entrepreneur Tom van Wijlick, who also spearheaded the 2014 relaunch of Lebois & Co, which brought back the […]
Dutch entrepreneur Tom van Wijlick has made a conscientious effort to restore revival-brand Airain’s name and image through carefully curated re-editions of historic watches. Not only has the Type 20 captured the hearts and minds of enthusiasts and collectors, but the Sous-Marine is set to do the same. Both collections are inspired by past designs […]
Towards the end of last year, Airain announced its second revival project, the Sous-Marine. This retro-cool skin diver comes from the archives of the brand, just as the reborn Type 20 has its origins in the past. In typical 1960s style, the Sous-Marine is yet again a faithful rendition and will be available in six […]
Three years ago, an enterprising Dutch watch enthusiast secured the trademark for Airain, a defunct watch brand renowned for its Type 20 Flyback chronographs made for the French Air Force in the 1950s and 1960s. As part of Tom Van Wijlick’s umbrella company (Compagnie des Montres Lebois & Cie) devoted to the revival of dormant […]
By now, most of you will probably know the name Airain and indirectly, the close link to Lebois & Co. Both names have been revived as part of Compagnie des Montre Lebois & Co, or CDMLEC, which is owned and run by Dutchman Tom van Wijlick. Over the past few years, we’ve seen the iconic […]
One of the most popular categories of watches in recent years is the revival watch. Bringing back a historic model and paying tribute in a very faithful manner can result in truly cool watches. And it’s not something done only by mainstream manufacturers like Longines or Tissot, but also by smaller, lesser-known manufacturers. And it […]
If the concept of pilot’s chronograph is today well-established, it bears its origins to a series of legendary watches. Think about the WWII Flieger Chronographs for the Luftwaffe, the 1953 Breitling Co-Pilot Avi 765 and, of course, the Type 20 Chronograph of the French Aeronavale. The latter has gained a proper cult status among military […]
If the concept of pilot’s chronograph is well-established today, it owes its origins to a series of legendary watches. Think about the WWII Flieger Chronographs for the Luftwaffe, the 1953 Breitling Co-Pilot Avi 765 and, of course, the Type 20 Chronograph of the French Aeronavale. The latter has gained true cult status among military and […]
Dutch watch enthusiast Tom van Wijlick has a weak spot for vintage watches. Combine this with a keen sense of entrepreneurship, and you can expect nice things to happen. After running off with an old but still attractive Lebois & Co. model, Van Wijlick rebooted Lebois with the introduction of two new watches, the Avantgarde […]