Albishorn Type X-Graph Pilot's Watch
Starting from 4.550 €The Albishorn Type X-Graph is a military aviation chronograph conceived as the prototype of a model that never existed: the first official chronograph the French Army might have commissioned in 1948, ahead of the famous Type 20. True to the Swiss brand's “Imaginary Vintage” concept, it combines a deliberate period spirit with resolutely contemporary solutions. Its translucent dial hints at a proprietary hand-wound calibre, COSC-certified as a chronometer, while a single red pusher controls all the chronograph's functions. Limited to 99 pieces and delivered with two leather straps, this pilot's watch is aimed at fans of pilot chronographs, enthusiasts of military history and collectors drawn to independent watchmaking.
Albishorn Type X-Graph pilot's watch
Albishorn is an independent Swiss watchmaking brand based in Baar, in the canton of Zug, founded by Sébastien Chaulmontet with designer Fabien Collioud. Its concept carries an evocative name: “Imaginary Vintage”. The idea is to create period watches that never existed, genuine missing links in watchmaking history. After the Maxigraph, the Marinagraph, the Thundergraph, then the Type 10 Chronograph and the cream-dialled Type 10 Officer, the Type X-Graph extends this narrative into the world of military aviation.
Its starting point is a major figure of pilot chronographs: the Type 20. Built for the French Army by houses such as Breguet, Vixa, Auricoste and Dodane, it paired flyback function with a rotating bezel, to the point of becoming an unavoidable reference among military watches. Yet the Type 20 has no direct predecessor. Albishorn therefore imagined the Type 10, a hypothetical ancestor that could have been commissioned in 1948 as the army's first official chronograph. The X-Graph would be its demonstration prototype.
This scenario gives the watch a very particular identity. It borrows from onboard chronographs their dashboard-style layout, their running indicator and their concern for legibility, while embracing unprecedented choices, such as a translucent polycarbonate dial. The name itself has a story: it was suggested by SJX during an early discussion about the project. Produced in a run of 99 pieces, the Type X-Graph presents itself as a collector's item as much as an instrument designed for the pilot.
Technical specifications Albishorn Type X-Graph
- Brand: Albishorn
- Model: Type X-Graph
- Indicative price: 4.550 €
- Movement: Mechanical single-pusher chronograph, hand-wound
- Calibre: ALB04 M
- Diameter: 39 mm
- Thickness: 12 mm
- Water resistance: 100 m
- Materials: 316L stainless steel
- Crystal: Box sapphire
- Dial: Translucent textured anthracite polycarbonate
- Strap: Black calfskin and taupe calfskin
- Warranty: 2 years
- Box contents: Two leather straps, COSC certificate
The Albishorn Type X-Graph pilot's watch
The Type X-Graph takes on the look of a late-1940s pilot's chronograph, but in a form no one had seen before. Its 316L stainless steel case measures 39 mm in diameter for 12 mm in thickness, crystal included, measured proportions that honour the spirit of period chronographs. The alternation of polished and satin-brushed surfaces, combined with bevelled and polished edges, brings a careful finish not always expected on a tool watch. The eye is immediately drawn to the translucent anthracite polycarbonate dial. Smoked and textured, it reproduces the look of a metal dial while letting the skeletonised movement beneath show through.
This play of transparency gives the dial an unusual depth. The Super-LumiNova numerals stand out clearly against this dark background. The layout is inspired by an aircraft dashboard: small seconds at 4:30, a 30-minute counter at 7:30 and a chronograph running indicator at 12 o'clock. Around the dial, a bidirectional rotating bezel in gun-metal PVD-coated steel, graduated over 60 units, heightens the contrast with the case. On the left flank, a red anodised aluminium pusher placed at 9:30 and a crown at 10:30 define the silhouette of this unusual military watch. The whole is protected by a box sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment, whose curve recalls the domed crystals of period watches.
A chronometer-certified single-pusher chronograph
Beneath the smoked dial beats the proprietary ALB04 M calibre, a patented mechanical hand-wound chronograph designed and manufactured in La Chaux-de-Fonds. COSC-certified as a chronometer, it runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour, counts 21 jewels and offers a 65-hour power reserve. Its height of just 5.70 mm largely explains the slimness of the case. It also features a stop-seconds function, useful for precise time-setting. Operation relies on a single pusher, thumb-actuated, which successively controls start, stop and reset. This simplicity of use suits a pilot's instrument perfectly.
The patented indicator at 12 o'clock displays the chronograph's status through three colours: black when reset, red when running, white when stopped. At rest, the chronograph's lollipop hand covers it, then reveals it as soon as timing begins. At night, the dial's luminescent numerals preserve time legibility. With a water resistance of 100 metres, the Type X-Graph remains above all a pilot's chronograph and makes no claim to diver status. It is delivered with two straps in black and taupe calfskin, each fitted with an Albishorn buckle, allowing the look on the wrist to be varied. Produced in a run of 99 pieces over three years and sold exclusively online, it clearly targets collectors rather than the general public.
Albishorn Type X-Graph pilot's watch: the chronograph of an imaginary past
A limited-edition aviation chronograph of 99 pieces, the Albishorn Type X-Graph combines a 39 mm, 12 mm-thick 316L stainless steel case, a bidirectional rotating bezel in gun-metal PVD steel and an anti-reflective box sapphire crystal. Its translucent anthracite polycarbonate dial reveals the proprietary ALB04 M calibre, a hand-wound single-pusher chronograph with COSC chronometer certification and a 65-hour power reserve. Water-resistant to 100 metres, the watch comes with two calfskin straps, black and taupe, and carries a two-year warranty.
Movement
The Type X-Graph is powered by the patented proprietary ALB04 M calibre, a mechanical single-pusher chronograph with hand winding, designed and manufactured in La Chaux-de-Fonds. COSC-certified as a chronometer, it beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz), counts 21 jewels and delivers a 65-hour power reserve. Skeletonised on the dial side, it measures 30 mm in diameter and 5.70 mm in height. It includes a stop-seconds device and a patented chronograph running indicator at 12 o'clock.
Diameter and materials
The 39 mm 316L stainless steel case measures 12 mm thick with its crystal, 11.1 mm without. It spans 47.7 mm lug to lug, with a 20 mm lug width. Its polished and satin-brushed surfaces and bevelled edges give it a careful finish. The bidirectional rotating bezel in gun-metal PVD steel, 41.7 mm across, carries a 60-unit scale. The anti-reflective box sapphire crystal protects a translucent anthracite polycarbonate dial with Super-LumiNova numerals, while the pusher is made of red anodised aluminium.
Water resistance
The Type X-Graph offers water resistance of 100 m / 10 ATM, a level consistent with its purpose as a pilot's chronograph. It was not designed as a diver's watch, and its bidirectional rotating bezel, graduated over 60 units, belongs to the world of the pilot rather than the diver. Legibility in the dark relies on the dial's Super-LumiNova numerals, which stand out against the smoked anthracite background. An anti-reflective box sapphire crystal completes the dial's protection.
Accessories
The Type X-Graph comes with two interchangeable straps: a black calfskin strap and a taupe calfskin strap, each fitted with an Albishorn buckle. The first plays on military sobriety, the second on a more vintage look. The watch also comes with its COSC certificate. A steel bracelet is additionally offered as an option, with a double deployant clasp, hidden extensions and a quick-fit system, which brings the price to around €5,030.
Warranty
Albishorn grants a 2-year warranty from delivery. It covers manufacturing defects and hidden flaws, but excludes straps and accessories. As the Type X-Graph is a limited edition of 99 pieces, the right of withdrawal does not apply: the purchase, made exclusively online, must therefore be carefully considered. The listed price is also understood as excluding tax for buyers located outside Switzerland, who must add VAT and customs duties, namely 20% VAT in France.
ALbishorn Type X-Graph The pros
and cons
- Proprietary COSC-certified chronometer calibre
- Unprecedented translucent polycarbonate dial
- 65-hour power reserve
- Simple-to-use red single pusher
- Limited run of 99 pieces
- Hand-winding only
- Divisive translucent dial style
- No right of withdrawal
- Steel bracelet charged as an extra
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Prices and technical specifications are subject to change. Content and photos are not contractual.
