Denis Martinet, Director of Asia for Graham Watches, at the Time Kulture exhibition at Pavilion in July 2017.

Hardcore history and aviation fans will be familiar with nose art, but the rest of us won’t immediately associate heavy military artillery like bombers and fighter jets with any kind of art.

So it’s apt for Graham Watches to introduce a classic, World War II era, army-man tradition into their latest rendition of the Chronofighter Vintage as reminder of its heritage: nose art of bodacious, ’40s pinup women, each clad — somewhat provocatively — according to her own style.

For background, nose art refers to the personalised decorations that air servicemen placed at the fuselages of their aircraft. Functionally, the paintings or decorations proved a useful way of distinguishing from friend or foe while airborne. Sea monsters, sharks and prancing horses were common, as were raunchier illustrations of women. It was the Germans who began the tradition, but became so popular that when it reached the Americans, it created a niche industry for professional artists like Donald Allen and Hal Olsen to make a name for themselves.

We had a chance to admire the limited edition Chronofighter Vintage Nose Art up close, at the Revolution by Time Kulture Exhibition in Pavilion, ongoing till July 16. Four different women — Sally, Anna, Nina and Lilly — feature on black or blue sun-brushed dials. Each of the ladies are skillfully and painstakingly lacquered on using featherline tools (visit their booth to watch a mesmerising video fo the process.) Calf leather straps come in black, green and blue, and of course, not to be missed is the fast-action start/stop trigger that made waves at Baselworld 2016 for its distinctiveness.

Only 100 of each design is available, according to Denis Martinet, Director of Asia for Graham Watches. Get your girl before she’s gone? We hope so.