AVI-8 Pays Tribute to the Spitfire with their Latest Special Edition

AVI-8 has announced their first new watch of 2020, a tribute to the Spitfire aircraft with an automatic movement. We’ve covered AVI-8 at length here at Worn & Wound, and their watches inhabit an interesting niche that’s worth exploring. Since their inception, AVI-8 has produced a series of watches that serve as tribute collectibles that honor important aircraft while simultaneously offering a contemporary spin on aviation watch design. They harness the idea of classic Flieger watches and add tons of color and explicit references to aviation history in the design of their timepieces, and this type of storytelling through their unique watches is one of the things that really set them apart. Let’s take a closer look at the new Spitfire Type 300 Automatic Edition.

AVI-8 Spitfire Type 300 Automatic

• Case Material: Stainless steel 
• Dial: Blue, green, black, gray
• Dimensions: 42 x 13.6mm
• Crystal: Sapphire     
• Water Resistance: 5 ATM
• Crown: Push/pull         
• Movement: Miyota 8218
• Strap/bracelet: Stainless steel bracelet
• Price: Approximately $435 – $490
• Reference Number: AV-4073-11, AV-4073-22, AV-4073-33, AV-4073-44

The Supermarine Spitfire was developed in 1934 and would eventually become one of the most recognized and important aircrafts ever created. It was a pillar of the Royal Air Force throughout World War II, and continues to capture the imagination of history buffs, pilots, and watch lovers alike. This, of course, is not the first watch to bear the Spitfire name – IWC has produced a line of pilot’s watches under the Spitfire name for many years. AVI-8’s tribute to the Spitfire is of course very different from IWC’s series of wattches, which are really designed as tools for aviators. The Spitfire Type 300 Automatic Edition is more akin to a history lesson in the form of a physical object. 

As with other AVI-8 watches, the Spitfire Type 300 Automatic takes many design cues right from the famous fighter plane on which it is based. Some of those design cues are obvious (the winding rotor is cut in the shape of the Spitfire), and some are much more subtle (the shape of the crown is a reference to the nose of the propellor). The most important design element is likely the lines of the case itself, which are modeled after the shape of the plane, something that should be easily identifiable to anyone who has spent time studying the Spitfire. In practice, what that means for the watch is a quite elegant case shape, that appears would hug the natural curvature of most wrists with ease. 

AVI-8’s dials are always a great opportunity for the brand to get incredibly specific with references to the planes that are the inspiration for their timepieces. Naturally, the dial has an instrument like appearance, using gauges and readouts from vintage Spitfires as inspiration for the design. The hands have been designed with legibility in mind (fitting for any watch that has anything at all to do with aviation) and key dial elements are covered in yellow lume (or white, depending on the dial variant chosen), providing an appropriate vintage aesthetic for a watch of this type. 

Four color variants are available, and all are actually quite subdued. You can have your choice of dials in blue, green, black, or gray, and all are available on three-link oyster style bracelets. Some of these AVI-8 editions can go well over the top with on-the-nose tributes to aircraft visible right on the dial, but the Spitfire is more sober, and more obviously suitable as a normal watch than some of its counterparts. This was the right move by AVI-8 – the Spitfire is so iconic, it simply doesn’t need lavish treatment that other, less familiar aircraft might have received. 

The Spitfire Type 300 Automatic will retail between $435 and $490 depending on the dial and bracelet configuration. AVI-8 will be officially launching the watch soon, so be sure to sign up to receive more information as it becomes available via their website. AVI-8