BASELNEWS 2011Inspirated by the countdown commander: Victorinox Swiss Army AirBoss
The inspiration for the Victorinox AirBossline is the countdown commander of an aircraft carrier — the “air boss” officer who decides every take-off and landing time. A task requiring pinpoint accuracy and an unswerving attention to detail. The 2011 AirBoss pays fitting homage to this inspirational source.
Simpler in its overall design to its predecessors, and slightly smaller in size (42mm), it marks a return to basics, to fundamental values. Function rules design, reflecting the spirit of an age where a new modesty prevails. The look — three hands, three circles of digit tracks, a date window at 6 o’clock— emphasises readability and functionality. The lines are sharp and clean. Every detail is sober, serious and stripped down. The finishes are superlative. Above all, precision and functionality are the governing forces.
The AirBoss is a classic example of a “second-glance” timepiece design. At first, everything seems obvious and apparent. Then you notice the detailing. The raised Arabic numerals. The luminescent metal skeleton-frames, reminiscent of pilot issue designs. The diamond-cut striations on the dial tracks. The overall effect is an unexpected richness, understated and deeply satisfying. Audacious in its simplicity, modern in its outlook, Swiss-mastered to a very reliable mechanical movement, the AirBoss is, as befits its name, a top-flight, no-nonsense precision instrument of the highest order.
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