Alright, gentlemen, let’s face it. Most of us aren’t breaking the sound barrier on a daily basis, unless you count the sheer velocity with which we hit the snooze button. But that doesn’t mean our wrists can’t dream big. Enter the AVI-8 BELL X-1 Machbuster Chronograph, a timepiece that’s less about telling the time and more about making a statement that screams, “I dabble in supersonic achievements… or at least, I’m thinking about it.”

For a mere £223, you’re not just getting a watch; you’re strapping a piece of aviation legend to your arm. Designed to honour the iconic Bell X-1 – yes, that Bell X-1, the one that famously shattered the sound barrier and probably gave a lot of birds a severe existential crisis – this Machbuster Chronograph is a bold nod to power, innovation, and precision. It’s essentially a miniature, wrist-mounted tribute to Chuck Yeager’s sheer audacity.

With its advanced Japanese meca-quartz chronograph movement, this watch offers the satisfying mechanical sweep of a traditional automatic with the bulletproof accuracy of quartz. It’s like having your cake and eating it at Mach 1.06. The 41mm stainless steel case (because anything less wouldn’t be adequately “machbusting”), the striking blue dial, and the applied indexes with Swiss Newlite luminous material mean you can tell the time even in the darkest of cockpits (or, more likely, a dimly lit pub).

The 22mm blue rubber/leather strap suggests a versatility usually reserved for secret agents or extremely well-organised dads. Whether you’re navigating hostile airspace (the morning commute) or just trying to time your perfect brew, this watch is built for those who “dare to exceed limits.” Just try not to get carried away and start demanding a B-29 air-launch from your local airport. After all, breaking barriers is one thing; explaining a large hole in the airport fence is quite another.