Introducing the AVI-8 Hawker Harrier Retrograde Chronograph Blue Nylon LE, Made From Parts of a Real Harrier Jet

AVI-8, a brand best known for their budget-friendly watches inspired by all aspects of aviation, have teamed up with Jet Art Aviation for their latest release, the Hawker Harrier Retrograde Chronograph Blue Nylon Limited Edition. While the name of the watch doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue (we’ll just call it the Blue Nylon for short) it’s a fair description of the watch’s main features. Let’s take a closer look at this interesting and collectible chronograph.

• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Dial: layered gray/green dial
• Dimensions: 45mm x 12mm
• Crystal: Mineral
• Water Resistance: 5 ATM
• Crown: Normal
• Movement: Miyota FS80 quartz chronograph
• Strap/Bracelet: Genuine leather and nylon strap
• Price: £245
• Expected Release: Available to order now on AVI-8 website

The Blue Nylon celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Daily Mail Trans-Atlantic Air Race, which itself was organized to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first non-stop transatlantic flight by John Alcock and Arthur Brown. On May 5, 1969, Squadron Leader Tom Lecky-Thompson flew the Harrier XV741 from St. Pancras Railway Station in London to the Bristol Basin in New York City in 6 hours and 11 minutes, capturing worldwide attention with the dramatic vertical liftoff of his Harrier aircraft. 

The Blue Nylon (named for the military code name given to the operation to get the unique airplane in the race) contains actual pieces of the historic, race winning XV741’s fuselage on the inside of the case back, making it a truly limited collectible. Other small design touches noting the history of the watch include an engraving on the outside of the case back (complete with the watch’s individual number out of 300) and an engraving of the coordinates of the race’s start and finish on the case band. A full collector’s box with display stand is also included in the package.

The Blue Nylon is a retrograde chronograph powered by a quartz Miyota movement. It features a retrograde 30 minute counter and a very tool-ish day display. The dominant color in the piece is a muted gray, but there are big splashes of green on the multi-level dial, and the chronograph start/stop button and crown each have red accents. There’s also a barely noticeable date window tucked away between the day and running seconds indicators.

Yes, there’s a lot going on with the Blue Nylon, and if you’re not into busy dials, this is not the watch for you. But everything is executed in a thoughtful and legible way, and the history here is genuinely interesting. And, come on, there’s a little piece of a harrier jet hidden inside of this thing. I promise you, the guy down the street, or across the table at your local watch meet-up, doesn’t have a piece of a harrier jet in his watch. AVI-8