Rawad Sleem | @itsrawadsleem
Two really cool releases caught my eye this week, one being another military reissue and the other from a brand I love, Nomos.
Airain Type 20 Vert Militaire
To be honest, this is my first time hearing about the Airain watch company. A company that has recently been revived, Airain was a french brand seen mainly during the '50s, known for their Type 20, similar to the Dodane and their divers.
Airain has now been reborn by CDMLEC, based in the Netherlands. They have already come out with a few mecaquartz reissues but this features a caliber AM1, developed and made by Manufacture La Joux-Perret S.A. in Switzerland. The AM1 features a 60 hour power reserve and a flyback chronograph that can time up to 30 minutes.
The watch itself is a 39.5mm 316L stainless steel case with a domed hesalite crystal. The dial is in a light shade of olive green which looks great with the faux patina lume and steel bezel. The strap, with a 20mm lug comes in a green, matching the dial, with a cream stripe going down, matching the lume.
Limited to 134 makes this a pretty limited piece. These have released already and as of today, July 24th 2022, there are only 9 left out of the 134. If you want to add this Type 20 Reissue to your collection, the price tag for one will be $2860 . In that price range, falls Longines' Heritage collection and for less there are a hand full of brands, like tissot, that feature reissues from this era. On the other hand, you are getting a beautiful movement and a fairly limited watch. Their last Limited Edition, Brown Dial, Type 20 did sell out quick. Limited to 134 also and priced at a higher $3080, that tells you people are willing to spend that kind of money for it and none are on the secondary market.
In my opinion, I wouldn't add it to my collection for around $3000; however, I understand why it has the given price tag. With a limited release, a great case size and amazing movement, it makes sense. For me, with a $3000 budget, there are just too many watches out there (vintage and modern) that I would rather add to my collection.
To try and get your hands on one.
Nomos Glashütte: Ahoi Atlantic
I have always had a love for the Nomos brand. My personal favorite being the 36mm Club, a piece that reminds me a lot of my vintage chubby case Seamaster.
Nomos has already been releasing some of the nicest watches this year with the Club Campus in a handful of crazy cool colors. This time around, Nomos made a few updates to the Ahoi. With a 200m water resistance, this watch might be all you need this summer. Similar to Seamasters back in the day, this watch is perfect for Land, Sea, and Air. This watch can be worn to the pool then out for dinner dressed in a collared shirt and nice blue dress pants.
Now keep in mind, aside from the update to the deep blue dial and red second hand, the Ahoi collection comes in a few different colors. Now with a choice of a see through caseback or closed caseback (price will vary $300) you have a dial choice of silver/white and an aqua blue in 40.3mm. The aqua color will be priced at $4660 because of the date at 6 and the white dial at $3760 ($4060 with sapphire caseback). The dark blue dial has a choice of both date and no date and same for the caseback. For the 36.3mm case you can choose from the same three dial but with an addition coral red color.
As always you have a choice between straps for the watches, with the 2 piece nato or nato. I love the deep blue dial with the red seconds hand. If I was making this my summer watch I'd go for the 40.3mm because of the water resistance and keep it on the 2 piece nato. I wouldn't worry about the sapphire case back or the date window because why would I need the date, I'm on vacation.
Check out the whole Ahoi Collection
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