The White-Dial Airain Type 20 ACE

Founded in 1934, Airain was well known for its Type 20 flyback chronographs in the mid-20^th century, supplying the French military along with brands like Breguet and Mathey Tissot. These chronographs could be instantly reset to zero by pressing the 4 o’clock pusher via the flyback function and had specific requirements like a bidirectional 12-hour rotating bezel, 35-hour power reserve (minimum) and lume on both the hands and Arabic numerals. Airain didn’t survive the quartz crisis and loss of French military contracts, but was revived in 2020. The Airain Type 20 ACE is the latest chrono model and introduces bold and modern styling from a collaboration with Dutch retailer Ace Jewelers.

The stainless steel case is 39.5mm in diameter and 10.85mm in height (without the double-domed sapphire crystal), which is close to the original at approximately 38mm in diameter. There’s a bidirectional 12-hour countdown bezel with black numbers and marks, and classic chrono pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock. The oversized push/pull crown is easy to manipulate and water resistance is rated at 50 metres. The screwed case back is steel with an engraving referencing the Ace Jewelers collaboration. Strap options include black leather with orange accents or a fabric orange NATO, and both have steel pin buckles. 

The dial is the big change compared to earlier models with a brighter, silvery-white finish and orange elements. The bulk of the aesthetic is monochromatic with black (outlined) Arabic numerals and matte black hour/minute hands, all filled with Super-LumiNova BGW9 Grade X1. A bolder orange Super-LumiNova is used for the central chronograph seconds hand, along with the minute hand/roulette minute track on the 30-minute sub-dial at 3 o’clock. The small seconds sub-dial at 9 o’clock is in black. A detailed minute/chronograph seconds track spans the outermost perimeter. 

Powering the Airain Type 20 ACE is the calibre AM2, which is a hand-wound column-wheel flyback chronograph. Developed by Manufacture AMT in La Chaux-de-Fonds, it has 24 jewels, beats at 28,800vph (4Hz) and comes with a 63-hour power reserve. Functions include central hours, minutes and chronograph seconds, 30-minute counter and small seconds with flyback reset. 

The Airain Type 20 ACE is not limited and retails for EUR 3,450 (with VAT). It’s available directly from Airain or the Ace Jewelers website, and also at the Ace & Dik boutique in Amsterdam and other select authorized dealers. For more information, please visit Airain’s website.