Sopwith Nieuport 28 Limited Edition GMT (41mm)

The case of the Nieuport 28 Limited Edition GMT is manufactured from the steel of a Gnome Monosoupape 9 Type N rotary engine that powered an American Nieuport 28 fighter plane in 1918.

The color combination of the Nieuport 28 Limited Edition is reminiscent of the paint scheme used by the 95th Aero Squadron in World War I. The Camouflage Green dial and bezel represent the lighter shade of the official pattern used on fighter planes of the United States Air Service. The Fjord Blue outline of the hour and minute hands celebrates the background of the 95th’s famed “kicking mule” insigina that was painted on the fuselage of its Nieuports.

The hands themselves are diamond cut in the shape of the needle on the Nieuport 28’s only dash instrument – the altimeter. The lumed twin dots at 12 o’clock instantly identify this timepiece as a genuine Sopwith product with an in-house case of historic steel. The GMT chapter ring reflects the longstanding tradition of framing early 20th century aviation instruments in bronze, angled at precisely 25 degrees for flawless readability with a font style reminiscent of the Nieuport’s original instrumentation.

The bookshelf presentation box in which each Nieuport 28 Limited Edition GMT is delivered has been carefully crafted from Honduran Mahogany, the same wood used by Hélice Levasseur de Paris in 1918 to make the original propellers for America’s first pursuit plane. The fighters were fitted with padded, hand-stitched leather grip rails around the cockpit, reprised in the Aero Marquis’ stitched, hand-cut leather strap. The tri-bar at six o’clock represents the French origin of the Nieuport’s design.

Every detail of this watch design finds its genesis in the airplane from which it is made. Sopwith is proud to present an extraordinary piece of aviation history sourced directly from the Western Front in World War I.