Limited to 877 pieces / 29 left in stock

X4009
Midnight Blue

2,295.00 USD
USD EUR GBP DKK

The X4009 Midnight Blue is a limited edition timepiece made from Mk1a Spitfire aircraft X4009, flown by Australian fighter-ace Pat Hughes during the Battle of Britain.

  • This is a Pre-Order item. Customer deliveries expected from SEPTEMBER 2023.
  • Free worldwide shipping. Customs/duties for non-EU orders not included. Read More
  • 36-month sales warranty & 30-day returns from date of delivery. Read More
  • Secure payments with credit card, Paypal or in monthly installments with Splitit
  • Need further help with this item? Contact us
29 left in stock
2,295.00 USD
Limited to 877 pieces / 29 left in stock
2,295.00 USD
USD EUR GBP DKK

The X4009 Midnight Blue is a limited edition timepiece made from Mk1a Spitfire aircraft X4009, flown by Australian fighter-ace Pat Hughes during the Battle of Britain.

  • This is a Pre-Order item. Customer deliveries expected from SEPTEMBER 2023.
  • Free worldwide shipping. Customs/duties for non-EU orders not included. Read More
  • 36-month sales warranty & 30-day returns from date of delivery. Read More
  • Secure payments with credit card, Paypal or in monthly installments with Splitit
  • Need further help with this item? Contact us

A piece of world history on your wrist

The X4009 Midnight Blue is a limited-edition timepiece made from Mk1a Spitfire aircraft X4009, flown by Australian fighter-ace Pat Hughes during the Battle of Britain.

Paterson Clarence Hughes, DFC, was an Australian fighter ace of World War II serving with the RAF, and is today perhaps the greatest unsung hero of the Battle of Britain.

Hughes is credited with as many as 17 aerial victories during the aerial campaign of summer 1940, ranking him sixth in the “Ace of Aces”, as well as making him the highest-scoring Australian of the battle.

The X4009 aircraft wreckage was discovered in 2020, and is currently undergoing a complete restoration overseen by the Hunter Fighter Collection charity organisation.

Recognized for its combat history and unique record with one of the Battle of Britain’s most successful pilots, makes it one of if not the most famous and significant Spitfire aircraft restorations ever undertaken.

Original and authentic aluminium from the fuselage, deemed unfit for the on-going restoration, have been donated and incorporated into the small-seconds subdial at 6 o’clock.

Customers will actively take part in bringing Spitfire aircraft Mk1a X4009 back to her former glory, as we donate a portion of the sale from each timepiece back to the restoration fund.

– Pre-order from APRIL 2023.
– Delivery expected from SEPTEMBER 2023.
– Limited to 877 pieces, all individually numbered.

Tech. Specs
Dimensions
  • Diameter Case: 41,0 mm
  • Diameter Bezel: 41,5 mm
  • Lug-to-lug: 48,7 mm
  • Height: 13,6 mm
  • Opening diameter: 34,0 mm
Movement
  • Caliber SW461-1 SELLITA movement w. customized rotor, ruthenium anthracite plating & tempered blue screws
  • Automatic & manual winding
  • Hours, minutes and small second at 6 o’clock
  • Date with quick setting at 3 o’clock
  • Frequency 28’800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz)
  • Power reserve +40 hours
  • 31 Jewels Incabloc
  • Accuracy ±5 sec per day
Key Features
  • Midnight blue sunburst dial with repurposed Mk1A Spitfire X4009 fueselage aluminium integrated at 6 o’clock
  • Swiss-Made certified
  • Self-winding – 3 hands – small second – date
  • “Office GMT” rotation bezel with lume marker at 12 o’clock
  • Luminescent hands, indexes and rails
  • 10 ATM / 100 meters water resistance
Case
  • 3-piece case, 316L Stainless steel
  • Exhibition caseback
  • Top glass Sapphire Crystal with 3x layers of anti-reflective (AR) coating
  • Caseback glass Mineral Crystal
  • Onion crown with crownguard
  • Serial number placque
  • Brushed rotating bezel (counter clockwise) with debossed
Strap
  • Dark-gray double calf leather strap with white stitches, stamped inner lining
  • Quick-release strap system
  • Stainless steel butterfly clasp with pushers – polished and sandblast finishing.
  • Width (lugs) 20,0 mm
  • Width (clasp) 18,0 mm
  • Length 125/75 mm
Materials
  • Top glass: Sapphire crystal w. 3 layers of AR coating
  • Caseback glass: Mineral Glass
  • Case, Caseback & Crown: 316L Stainless steel
  • Strap: Calf leather strap w. quick release system
  • Clasp: 316L Stainless steel

History & Creation

WINGS OF WARTIME

Pat Hughes & Mk1a X4009

Originally developed by Reginald Joseph Mitchell in the early 1930s, the Supermarine Spitfire is now a well-known icon recognized as an aerodynamic marvel that helped change the course of history.

Designed as a short-range, high-performance interceptor aircraft, the “Spit” quickly took on the crucial role of engaging German fighter planes in the battle for air supremacy over the English Channel, most famously during the Battle of Britain in which the RAF repelled large-scale attacks by the Luftwaffe. It was the first major military campaign fought entirely by air forces.

Vickers Supermarine Spitfire Mk1a aircraft RAF serial X4009, construction number 945 was built at Supermarine’s Eastleigh factory after the outbreak of war. Her first flight took place on 24th July 1940, on the 18th August 1940 was issued to RAF Squadron No. 234 and flown by Paterson ‘Pat’ Clarence Hughes.

Pat Hughes is today perhaps the greatest unsung hero of the Battle of Britain. Ranked sixth in the ‘ace of aces’ of the aerial campaign of summer 1940, he shot down at least fourteen enemy aircraft.

As a flight commander he advocated bold, close-in tactics and during July 1940 scored the squadron’s first victories of the epic battle for air supremacy. Squadron No. 234 was transferred to the south-east of England, where he endured the heaviest and most sustained period of fighting of the Battle of Britain.

It is believed that Paterson Clarence Hughes, was the sole pilot to utilise the X4009 Spitfire aircraft operationally, flying it on a total of 21 sorties from the 18th of August 1940 until the 7th of September 1940. On these 21 sorties Hughes claimed a total 9 victories on 5 separate engagements.

Hughes was lost in action in X4009 on the evening of 7th September 1940 after attacking a Dornier Do17 bomber during a large-scale raid on London. His Spitfire crashed and, although he apparently bailed out, his parachute failed to open. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, and was buried in England.

The number of victories scored, probable shooting down of German fighter-pilot Oberleutnant Franz von Werra, the famous “One That Got Away” combined with the fact that the aircraft was only flown operationally by Hughes makes it one of the most famous and significant Spitfire restorations ever undertaken.

REPURPOSED ALUMINIUM

Your piece of world history

Eighty years after its role during Battle of Britain, in 2020, Ross and Ann-Maree Pay of Vintage Fighter Restorations secured the ownership of the wreckage and identity of Supermarine Spitfire Mk1a X4009 from excavations of its crash site in the UK.

The aircraft’s remains were donated by Ross and Ann-Maree to Hunter Fighter Collection Incorporated, a registered Charity in Australia, who are undertaking the complete restoration of X4009 to the exact condition she was in when she left the factory at Eastleigh in 1940.

Stage 1 of the project to restore and rebuild Spitfire X4009 has now been completed including the manufacturing of the fuselage frame components and longitudinal structural members by Airframe Assemblies on the Isle of Wight UK.

Stage 2 is now commencing. Items in Stage 2 are the completion of the fuselage structure, commencement of the wing and tail assemblies, commencement of sourcing of mechanical and electrical components and the purchase of the engine and propeller cores.

An impressive number of X4009’s original parts are being used to restore the airframe. Even so, many of the aluminium parts from the salvaged fuselage were not suitable for restoration.

These parts – authentic pieces of world history still bearing their original marks and dents – have been directly incorporated into the design of the X4009 Collection at the 6 o’clock subdial.

Sadly, of the approximately 20,000 Spitfires built between 1938 and 1948, fewer than 100 original aircraft are currently estimated to be operational and in airworthy condition. X4009 will be the only 4th flying “Mk1a” type.

As part of our commitment to help prepare X4009 for her “second maiden flight”, we donate a portion of the sale from each timepiece to the restoration team so that she can soon return to where she belongs: the skies!

THE DESIGN CHALLENGE

Capturing the spirit of the skies

Creating the X4009 Collection was a fascinating challenge.

Building upon our RJM series from 2018, we set out to create a watch design which reflects both the mechanical prowess of a Spitfire aircraft and the unique history of Mk1a X4009, whilst simultaneously showcasing the original aluminum from her fuselage and reflecting the era in which she was active.

Starting with the case, we wanted to incorporate part of what made the Spitfire such an aerodynamic masterpiece – the wing shape and structure. This distinctive feature is captured in the crown guard, which adopts the elliptical form of the wing as seen from above, decorated with the internal spars and ribs that made the wings so light yet strong.

In turn, the large onion crown is inspired by the aircraft’s nose cone. On the opposite side of the case, a small plaque contains the serial number of your watch. The rotating bezel is brushed with debossed numerals and indication at 12 o’clock, allowing for “office GMT” usage.

In contrast, we wanted the dial to provide a nod to the watches worn by RAF pilots of the era – a modern interpreation of the so-called ‘Dirty Dozen’ watches, the name given to a group of 12 watches commissioned by the British Ministry of Defense during the War:

Clear Arabic numerals, luminous hour and minute hands, luminous hour markers, a shatterproof crystal and a traditional broad arrow reference to the government-issued watches of the day. A written testimonial to Pat Hughes and the X4009 aircraft are found at 9 and 3 o’clock respectively.

The large exhibition case-back reveals a highly customized Sellita caliber SW-461 movement, complete with ruthenium anthracite plating, tempered blued screws, and a customized rotor presenting the X4009 aircraft in its most fearsome capacity; flying head-on towards you.

Finally, we placed the battle-scarred aluminium centre stage in the design, right above 6 o´clock integrated in the small-seconds subdial, adding depth and uniqueness to each timepiece and ensuring that no two X4009 watches will ever look exactly the same.

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