The M-52B AF evokes the exceptionally rare Ollech & Wajs B-905 'US Airforce’ – a watch that was custom made more than half a century ago for airmen serving in Vietnam. It also salutes the longest-serving combat aircraft in history.
The dial of the new M-52B AF bears the unmistakable silhouette of the most iconic combat aircraft of all time, the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. A stark symbol of the cold war conflict and, in engineering terms, a symbol of longevity and dependability. 2024 marks the 70th anniversary of the 1954 maiden flight of the first B-52 production model.
Three generations of US military aviators have flown the 750 planes, built between 1952 and 1962, 70 of which remain in service today.
When professionals place their trust in equipment, whether it’s a 220-tonne aircraft or a mechanical wristwatch, reliability is prized above all else. The M-52B AF, as all OW watches, is built around this prerequisite.
The new watch features a robust 39 mm M-type case and a PVD-coated chamfered-edge bezel, modelled on the streamlined nose cone profile of the B-52
Dimensions
39.5 mm × 12.5 mm; 47.5 mm lug to lug.
Case
39.5 mm × 12.5 mm; 47.5 mm lug to lug, brushed 316L stainless steel, screwed bottom, screwed crown, rotating steel bezel; made in the Swiss Jura.
Bezel
60-minute bidirectional friction bezel.
Glass
Sapphire with anti-reflective treatment.
Dial
Hands and indexes in Super-LumiNova®.
Water resistance
300 m/ 30ATM
Movement
Automatic, bespoke Soprod P024; date-only calendar, with semi-instantaneous changes and quick adjustment using the crown; stop seconds; 4Hz 28,800 vibrations per hour; 25 jewels; 38-hour power reserve; lncabloc. Bespoke OW Zurich 1956 rotor, OW-engraved platine, custom screws, assembled for OW and adjusted in three positions.
RAF strap
20 mm military-grade black nylon; finished in Switzerland; with a brushed stainless steel thorn buckle, signed ‘OWZ 1956’.