One of the surprise highlights from the recent Swatch-stravaganza that was Time to Move was Blancpain’s Air Command – a really neat reissue of an historic pilot’s chronograph. It’s fair to say that prior to this release, knowledge of the Air Command was limited to hardcore Blancpain fans and seasoned professionals. Well, the timing couldn’t have been better for the Phillips & Blackbird Sports auction, held in Hong Kong recently. As Lot 814 was an exceptionally rare original version. This 1960s chronograph was in impressive condition — with an evenly aged dial and a very crisp looking 42mm steel case. The watch had an estimate of $390,000 – 780,000 HKD (or roughly $72,000 — $144,000 AUD). And clearly the star of the Air Command is on the rise, as this example hammered in well above estimate at $1,125,000 HKD — or around $208,000 AUD. If one of these rare birds is out of reach (understandable), there’s still a chance at the new release, though I expect that even that piece, which is limited to 500 pieces, will be hot property as well.
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