Airain Returns to the Skies with a Birthday Chronograph Worth Celebrating
Some watch brands flirt with aviation. Airain lived it. Founded in 1934, Airain became part of a very small and very serious club in the mid twentieth century when it was selected to produce pilot chronographs for the French military. These were not fashion pieces or desk divers. They were instruments built for timing manoeuvres, fuel consumption and missions where accuracy genuinely mattered.
Then Airain disappeared. No slow fade, just radio silence. Which only added to the mystique.
Fast forward to today and Airain is back, doing what it does best. Proper pilot chronographs with history in their bones and just enough modern refinement to keep things fresh. The latest release proves they have lost none of their edge.
Credit - Airain
Type 20 - 70 Ans
Seventy years young and still flying high
The Type 20 70 Ans is a birthday watch done right. Instead of balloons and novelty candles, Airain has marked seventy years of its Type 20 legacy with a chronograph that feels confident, handsome and quietly smug about it.
Front and centre is that Horizon Blue dial, a colour that feels perfectly judged. It is bold without shouting and vintage without looking dusty. The warm Arabic numerals and hands are instantly legible and glow beautifully when the lights go down. Everything is laid out exactly where you want it, because this watch was designed for function first and admiration second.
The chronograph layout sticks to classic proportions with small seconds at nine and a thirty minute counter at three. It is balanced, familiar and deeply satisfying to look at. This is one of those dials that gets better the longer you stare at it, which may explain why checking the time suddenly takes much longer than usual.
A movement with proper credentials
Inside the Type 20 70 Ans is a hand wound column wheel chronograph movement with flyback functionality. That means you can reset and restart the chronograph in one smooth motion, just as pilots needed back in the day. It is mechanical, tactile and wonderfully old school.
Power reserve stretches comfortably beyond sixty hours, which means you can take it off for the weekend and it will still be ticking come Monday morning. Flip the watch over and you are treated to a sapphire case back showing the movement in action, because Airain knows that if you have gone to the trouble of doing it properly, you might as well show it off.
On the wrist
At 39 millimetres the stainless steel case hits the sweet spot. It wears exactly as a pilot chronograph should, with enough presence to feel purposeful but slim enough to sit comfortably under a cuff. The pushers have a lovely positive action and the crown is easy to grip without digging into your hand.
It comes paired with a suede strap that includes a subtle flash of blue on the underside, a small detail that feels playful without being silly. It is the kind of watch that looks just as good with a flight jacket as it does with a knit jumper and trainers.
Why this one matters
The Type 20 70 Ans does not try to reinvent the pilot chronograph. It does something far more difficult. It respects the original spirit and executes it beautifully in the modern day. There is confidence here, restraint and a clear understanding of what made the Type 20 special in the first place.
For collectors it is a meaningful continuation of a genuine aviation legacy. For everyone else it is simply a cracking chronograph with bags of charm and credibility. Airain has not just returned. It has landed smoothly, right on target.
Case: 39mm
Movement: Calibre AM2 (Manufacture AMT) Manually Wound
Price: £3350.00
