Blancpain

What do you think of this Air Command? Notes Unknown to the market, this smaller cased Air Command was only recently re-discovered. The current owner inherited the watch from his father, who discovered this watch with another Blancpain Fifty Fathoms in Ma...  

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What the hell are you digging out Very interesting watch and history. Do you have more photos of the watch or of the owner with the watch on the wrist. Thanks for posting Stephan

Hello This watch is on selling at Antiquorum Genève on the 12th of November 2017

I like the marking on the dial (Blancpain Since 1735) it's a joke !!

At antiquorum Geneva, November 12, 2017 lot 492. Does anyone recognize the case? Brian ...  

This reminds me a lot of the Breguet Type 20. Including case size and Valjoux movement. Of course, they did not have a Base 1000 chapter ring.

My small reptilbrain did not click when I was first reading this. But XX-FF is right. It sounds like a joke. I found this in the www. Very similar to the Cousteau watch. I would like to see the papers from Blancpain Marseille. ...  

They just swapped the bezel with a mid size bp. Very good.

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Strange this chronograph ordered in 1949 which has a case similar to Aquastar Deepstar released in 1963 for Pre-Continent III? ()

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that this watch ( specific this watch with a Bakeliteluenette for divers or any diviving watch? ) was ordered in 1949, also 4 years bevor Bob Maloubier invented the classic scuba diving watch with the rotating bezel! Anything is not round here.

That does just not make sense to me. Brian

. To his astonishment, the letter stated that the watch had been ordered by Jacques Cousteau, the famed oceanographer in 1949.

Close call that he would have ordered a watch in 1949

This watch was ordered 1949 and released 1962 as Antiquorum tells us on the auction page. I cecked all photos I found in the web wearing Jaques Cousteau a watch. I found him with Omega, Rolex and different others, but no one with wearing this specific wat... 

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I want to thank Bill for getting me a clear scan. ...  

An indecipherable and anonymous signature.... Oh! Oh !

I tried to translate but got nowhere. Does it sound like its Jacques watch??? Brian

" After having seen your Blancpain Chronograph ref case xxx movement xxxx Cal 222Valjoux Flyback, black dial with the mention " Blancpain since 1735 and arabic numerals, we certify the authenticity of this watch in all its parts. " Made in our workshop up... 

on older watches, but never on a diving watch and why selling an aviators watch when ordered a scuba watch. ... to many questions for an old man.... ...  

The stationary has no embossing that one might expect from a significant watch maker. It also does not look like anything official. I think someone photocopied a letter and made it up. No surprise I know.

I think the one of Cousteau is not from that film. ...  

i just checked the Antiquorum auction results. Item 492—our AC—is not listed. However, I watched that lot sell. It opened and was immediately bid to 80.000chf from the floor. In well under a minute they declared it sold and moved on. I did not have audio... 

... not a big surprise, possibly better this way 😉 Cheers Henrik

I thought Bonhams was serious????? To come back to this "command air" It has already been sold at Dorotheum in Vienna a few years ago. Despite my report it was not withdrawn from the sale.