The Albishorn Type 10 Officer is the latest expression of the brand’s “imaginary vintage” philosophy, reworking the familiar codes of the mid-century military chronograph through the lens of a hypothetical Type 20 predecessor. Conceived by founder Dr Sébastien Chaulmontet, the cream-dialled Officer pairs its distinctive, parchment-like textured dial with a proprietary monopusher movement derived from a re-engineered Valjoux 7750 architecture, combining COSC-certified performance with thoughtful ergonomic and aesthetic refinements at a price that undercuts many conventional aviation-inspired chronographs.

Initial thoughts

Military aviation-inspired watches are a cornerstone of the luxury watch market, but most pay homage to specific historical references like the famed Type 20 of the 1950s. In contrast, the Albishorn Type 10 proposes to ‘recreate’ a hypothetical Type 20 predecessor. The cream-dialled Officer takes this idea further, suggesting a “missing link” is the aesthetic development of the military chronograph, with a lighter-coloured dial for open-air usage away from the front lines.

When the Type 10 debuted with black and green dials, I was a bit skeptical of the texture, which reminded me of asphalt. The Officer’s dial features a similar texture, but the off-white colour transforms the look. To my eye, the new dial looks like vintage German etching paper, which is an appealing texture that suits the theme of the watch.

Inside, the Officer is as competent as ever, with its proprietary ALB02 M movement. Since the last time I wrote about Albishorn, I’ve gotten to spend more time with the collection and can confirm expectations about the pusher feel. Dr Chaulmontet reimagined the classic Valjoux cal. 7750 architecture to improve the mechanical leverage, resulting in a monopusher calibre with a short, crisp break when cycling through start, stop, and reset.

In terms of pricing, Albishorn is not rocking the boat. The Officer is priced in line with prior editions, at CHF3,950 before taxes and tariffs. Given that this pricing is roughly the same as what other brands charge for unimaginative Type 20-inspired watches with off-the-shelf movements, the Officer stands out as a good value.

Signature details

The Officer carries forward several familiar elements from earlier Albishorn models, namely its concave bezel and annodised aluminium monopusher on the left side of the case. The mushroom-shaped crown, this time in bronze, is remains in its now-familiar 10:30 position, echoing earlier models. The choice of bronze for the crown means that it will patina over time, a detail that should enhance the Officer’s vintage impression.

The embossed dial is really where the Officer stands apart. Compared to the green and black dials the Type 10 has used previously, the cream-coloured dial with its black-painted logo and dial markers has an appealing, parchment-like quality that, while more elaborately textured than most vintage pieces, fits the brand’s ‘imaginary vintage’ theme.

This theme is further supported by the choice of brown Super-LumiNova in a shade that mimics aged radium. Interestingly, all of the hands are lumed, including the lollipop hand for the elapsed sections, and the leaf-shaped hands for running seconds and elapsed minutes. The hour markers, which appear simply black in the daylight, are also lumed with a transparent coating.

A proprietary calibre

On paper, Albishorn looks like many other so-called ‘micro-brands’ but one look at the Type 10’s movement reveals there’s more to the story. That’s thanks to the technical aptitude of Dr Chaulmontet, who is also the head of marketing and innovation at Sellita, who started with the familiar architecture of the Valjoux cal. 7750 and, quite literally, trimmed the fat.

Concealed behind a closed case back, his redesign reduced tolerances and shortened the height of pivots, resulting in a movement that requires a more skilled hand for assembly, but that offers much of the famed performance (the ALB02 is a COSC-certified chronometer) and reliability of the cal. 7750 in a smaller package. Dr Chaulmontet’s redesign extends to the design of the pusher as well; located on the left side of the case where it can be engaged by the user’s right thumb, the action is short and crisp through start, stop, and reset.

These functions are also revealed through a small window above the Albishorn wordmark. The window reveals a colour-coded disc beneath that turns red when the chronograph is running, white when it’s stopped, and black when the next action is reset. This cockpit-inspired indicator adds to the technical feel of the watch, and doesn’t complicate the look since most of the time, when the chronograph is not running, it sits neatly concealed behind the seconds hand’s lollipop.

Key facts and price

Albishorn Type 10 Officer

Diameter: 41.7 mm
Height: 12 mm
Material: Steel
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 100 m

Movement: ALB02 M
Features: Hours, minutes, chronograph, and chronograph operating indicator
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Winding: Manual
Power reserve: 65 hours

Strap: Leather strap with pin buckle

Limited edition: 99 pieces
Availability: Available directly from Albishorn
Price: CHF3,950 before taxes

For more, visit Albishorn-watches.ch.