The 100-year-old traditional company Glycine Watch SA is a renowned specialist in mechanical aviators’ and diving watches. To mark its 60th birthday one year ago, Glycine relaunched its legendary pilot watch AIRMAN – the first 24-hour watch in the world with a second time zone – in a unique trilogy of yellow, red and white gold with the original “Felsa 692” movement.
The market response was extremely positive, which encouraged Glycine to reintroduce the AIRMAN No.1 in its original dimensions as a 36-mm steel version and to permanently include it in the collection as a genuine vintage watch.
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The flying legend was born back in 1953. Sam Glur, then the enthusiastic Sales Director of Glycine SA, was sitting in the cockpit during a flight from Bangkok to Calcutta listening to the pilots explaining the ideal requirements of a pilot watch. The results of this stimulating discussion were then sent in a neatly handwritten letter to the Glycine factory. As they were always crossing several time zones, the pilots wanted a watch with a 24-hour display but not just an ordinary 24-hour watch, they wanted one with a second time zone so that they could see the time at the arrival airport as well as the time at the departure airport. The Airman concept was born a few months later: a compact automatic watch with rotating bezel, double 24-hour display and date. The watch became an instant hit in the market and gained cult status among US Air Force pilots in particular.
With loving care, watchmaking expertise and great attention to detail, the “AIRMAN No.1” is now being manufactured for the second time on the basis of the original plans and is presented in the legendary Airman wooden case, just as it was in 1953.
Following in the footsteps of the Felsa 692 (1953-1960) and various movements by A. Schild (1960-1978), the “AIRMAN No. 1” is now powered by a GL 293 calibre which ideally meets contemporary requirements. The legendary pilot watch is available in the original version as a double 24-hour watch and as a 12-hour watch with two 24-hour GMT displays.
