Later this month Revue Thommen is set to present the new member of its Airspeed family of luxury “aviators”: the new Airspeed XLarge Chronograph (16071.6877). Featuring a bland, even somewhat generic exterior, but being equipped with a robust caliber, the chronograph doesn’t offer much in the styling department, but gives you good “value”, especially if you will manage to find one with a good discount (or simply opt-in for a used one in mint condition.)
Although the design of the new time-measuring device just screams ‘Breitling’ with the overall shape of the case and styling of its rotating bezel, there is still some Revue Thommen’s brand DNA here.
Since the Swiss brand also produces avionics for the aerospace industry (and, as far as I remember, does that for a long time,) their watches are known for almost unrivaled legibility: the thing that Breitling with cluttered (and sometimes outright unreadable without a great deal of concentration) dials of their “aviation-inspired” pieces sometimes can only dream of.
As you can see in the photos, the timekeeper’s sand-blasted dial sports a Spartan black-and-white color scheme with distinctive red touches reserved for the three chronograph hands (as usual, the chronograph sub-dials are placed on the same vertical axis at 12 and 6 o’clock, while the small seconds indicator sits at 9 hours.)
The choice of colors makes it especially easy to read the current time and lets you find the small seconds sub-dial (at 3 o’clock) at a glance.
Being given a more contrasting appearance with bright white Superluminova (like the hour and minute hands) that, by the way, changes its color to green in the dark, it stands out over the matte black background of the dial, while the pointers of the 30-minute and 12-hour chronograph totalizers (at 12 and 6 o’clock respectively) that sport basically the same shape are bright red, as is the central chronograph indicator that, traditionally for Revue Thommen, looks like it was half-dipped into a can of the same bright red paint.
The matte black PVD treatment not only provides the case with a more menacing appearance but also makes it look more like “real” pilot’s watches that usually come with burnished cases in order to reflect as little light as possible.
While many products from better-advertised brands in this price range are equipped with simple three-hand movements with an add-on chronograph module, this one is surprisingly powered by the robust and reliable ETA Valjoux 7750 chronograph movement that offers tons of reliability and is easier to repair if anything goes wrong.
The Airspeed XLarge Chronograph will go on sale later this year at a minimum recommended price of $3600.
From my perspective, the Airspeed XLarge is a bit overpriced, even despite the accurate and dependable caliber that beats inside its large 43.50 mm case. However, if you are patient enough, I am sure that you will be able to find one online with a great discount (sometimes, online retailers slash the price by more than half of the MSRP.) Just don’t wait too long: as soon as the watch is discontinued, you will have a hard time finding one in a “new and unboxed” condition.
See also: Revue Thommen Airspeed Instrument RT1920
WWR Verdict
Originality 3.5/5
Build Quality: 4/5
Usability: 4.5/5
Overall Legibility: 4.5/5
Nighttime Legibility: 4/5
Value for Money: 3/5
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Photos: Revue Thommen
Revue Thommen Airspeed XLarge Chronograph 16071.6877 specification
Price: $3600 (MSRP)
Movement: Automatic, ETA Valjoux 7750, 25 jewels, 28,800 vph, Swiss Made
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, day, chronograph
Power reserve: 48 hours
Case: Stainless steel, black PVD
Shape: Round
Size: 43.50 mm
Case height: 16.00 mm
Dial: Black
Hands: Steel, luminous
Hour markers: Luminous, applied
Water resistance: 100 meters
Strap: Black rubber on stainless steel buckle
Crystal: Sapphire, antireflective
Back: Transparent