Reservoir AIRFIGHT Chronograph Watch

There is something about the design aesthetic of aviation-inspired watches that we can’t help but fall for here at The Coolector and when said watch is a chronograph and as eye-catching as the AIRFIGHT from Reservoir Watches it’s a real case of ‘shut up and take my money’. This is the very first chronograph timepiece that is dedicated to the world of aviation celebrating the legendary P-51 Mustang warbird with a purely operational dial and, safe to say, we’re loving it.

The Reservoir AIRFIGHT Chronograph Watch is available for $5750 and this effortlessly cool and adventure-ready timepiece is undoubtedly one of our favourites to date from this highly regarded French watchmaker. With a thrill-seeking attitude in its design, this magnificent-looking timepiece is right up there with the best of them in our opinion. The Airfight Chronograph will appeal to two categories of people in particular: namely, enthusiasts and pilots, who share the same love of aviation from slightly different standpoints. Enthusiasts will instantly recognise the myriad aircraft-inspired details on the dial: the iconic hours and minutes hands, black with a large white luminous triangle at their tips, replicate the aesthetic of the indicators used on the P-51’s instrument panel, for example.

Pilots will love the AIRFIGHT due to its nods to the ‘Badin’ airspeed indicator, the vertical speed indicator measuring ‘up’ and ‘down’ variations in feet per minute, the tachometer measuring rpm, and various other instruments. All of them are at the centre of the P-51’s instrument panel. At the same time, this spectacular timepiece from Reservoir has a dial that boasts sectors in green, orange, and black. Aviation aficionados will instinctively realise that each indicates a different status: normal (green), danger (orange), and prohibited (red). While this colour code is universal, pilots in particular will know of the more specific indications relating to rpm, stalling speed (VS) and carburettor temperatures (with the risk of icing in certain weather conditions triggering carburettor heating).

Each AIRFIGHT Chronograph Watch comes delivered in a prestigious wooden box with an additional NATO strap so you can change up the look and feel of the timepiece when you see fit. The hands and main indexes have applied Superluminova BG W9 for great visibility in low light conditions and the crown is inspired by warbirds cockpit potentiometers and switches with a water-resistance of 50m / 5ATM. It has a caliber RSV-Bi120 manufacture bi-retrograde chronograph movement, automatic mechanical winding and a column wheel with a 60-hour power reserve.

Leo Davie