Introducing the REC Watches RJM Bluebird

REC Watches is back with a new addition to their RJM collection, celebrating the legacy of Spitfire aircrafts. The RJM 04 Bluebird represents the final piece in this very limited collection, which utilizes material from actual Spitfire airplanes in the watches themselves. Let’s take a closer look at what makes the Bluebird unique.

REC RJM Bluebird 

• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Dial: Blue
• Dimensions: 40mm
• Crystal: Sapphire 
• Water Resistance: 30 meters 
• Movement: Miyota 9015
• Strap/bracelet: Felt/Leather
• Price: $1,295
• Expected Release: Available now for pre-order

As with all REC timepieces, the importance of the watch is intrinsically related to the salvaged airplane or vehicle that is being used in its construction. For the Bluebird, REC is using a truly special Spitfire with an amazing backstory. The PT879 was built in England and later used by a Russian squadron, crashing in the tundra in the spring of 1945, in the wake of a dogfight. Lots of Spitfires, of course, went down in World War II, but the PT879 had the good fortune of not being completely destroyed upon impact, and it’s been preserved largely complete over the past 70 years. It’s currently being restored with the hope of one day flying again, and REC has incorporated aluminum cut from the aircraft into the dial. The border material surrounding the date window is actually salvaged from left wing the PT879, and has been carefully fit into each of the 334 pieces in this very limited edition.

The salvaged material used in the RJM Bluebird isn’t the only way that the timepiece pays tribute the Spitfire and those that flew it in the war effort. The dial is a deep blue that’s reminiscent of the uniforms of the Royal Air Force. The tip of the crown was designed to resemble the shape of the Spitfire’s nose, and the decoration visible on the rotor through the transparent case back is inspired by the distinctive rivet construction of the Spitfire. And, of course, the dial aesthetics are very much in the traditional aviation realm, with a triangular marker at 12:00 well lumed indices elsewhere, all in a sandwich dial construction. The case shape is simple, with classic subtly curved lugs, and although it has been upsized for modern tastes, it’s very much in the spirit of pilot’s watches of the 1940s.

It would be really easy to turn your nose up at what REC does as a gimmick. They’re certainly not the only watch brand to use salvaged material in the construction of a watch. It’s been done for years, at all price levels. Pieces of everything from the Titanic to the Wright Flyer have found their way into watches. REC, unlike some brands, seem guided by a genuine interest in making useful something that otherwise would have been discarded, and telling the story of the historic things that go into their timepieces. REC