Airain Introduce Type 20 Furtivité Limited Edition with Anthracite DLC Case

Airain’s Type 20 Vert Militaire was one of the coolest military style pilot’s chronographs of the last few years, with its military aesthetic combined with a retro pilot’s chronograph design. It took the baseline of the Type 20  and pushed it further. And now that the modern version of the Type 20 Re-Edition is available to order, Airain have again pushed the design further with a new limited edition, the Airain Type 20 Furtivité.

The name Furtivité, as you may be able to gather from its similarity to the English word “furtive”, is French for stealth. And stealth is the entire theme of the watch, presenting a darker, stealthier interpretation of the established design. What that means in practical terms is that the steel case has been treated with an anthracite coloured DLC coating to match the new anthracite dial and dark beige accents.

At first your question might be, why isn’t it black? Most watches that lean into the stealth aesthetic have all black designs. However, if you actually consider the principles of camouflage and tactical stealth, pure black isn’t a colour that gets used very often because it’s not a colour that occurs all that much in natural or urban environments. A solid block of black colour stands out while grey blends in.

Beyond the new colourway of the case and dial, the structure is that of the Type 20 we already know. 39.5mm diameter case with pump pushers and a bicompax chronograph layout. However, there are some changes on the inside, as Airain have begun working with a new movement provider for the model. Previous editions of the Type 20 used movements from La Joux Perret, but LJP have since discontinued the base movement Airain was using. As such, the new Type 20 uses movements from AMT, the high spec division of Sellita. Specifically, the Type 20 Furtivité Limited Edition houses the calibre AM2 flyback chronograph with 68-hour power reserve.

In terms of availability, the Furtivité is pretty exclusive with just 134 pieces being produced. They’re priced at €2,900 (approx. £2,550) and are up for pre-order now with delivery expected in Q4 this year. Whether you prefer this edition or the Vert Militaire is a matter of personal taste, but both are stylish watches. If you don’t manage to pick up the limited edition, the long-awaited standard Type 20 Re-Edition in steel with a black dial is now available too.