To apply to be a Red Arrows display pilot you must have completed at least one operational tour in either a Tornado, Harrier or Typhoon jet; have accumulated a minimum of 1,500 flying hours; and have been assessed as above average in your operational position within the RAF. Even then, you’ll be up against more than 10 other wannabe stunt pilots, such is the demand for each of the Red Arrows’ 11 flying positions.

The requirement for owning Breitling’s new Avenger Royal Air Force Red Arrows Limited Edition watch is a little less demanding. All you have to do is ensure you’re one of the first 220 people to register your interest in the collectors’ timepiece – for that’s the number of units the Swiss aviation watchmaker will be putting into production.

As official partner of the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, Breitling is the only watch brand allowed to feature Red Arrows emblems on its wristwear – a privilege it has exercised on its new 45mm stainless-steel Avenger by printing the display team’s Diamond Nine formation at 9 o’clock and engraving the Red Arrows’ crest on the watch’s case-back.

Other nods to the famous stunt team include a red-tipped second-hand and a ‘Red Arrow’ GMT hand. The Avenger RAF Red Arrows Limited Edition is powered by an in-house, a COSC-certified chronometer movement, providing a 42-hour power reserve, and, impressively for a watch designed for the sky, is water-resistant to 300 metres.

To get hands-on with the timepiece, head to 198 Regent Street where the watchmaker has recently cut the ribbon on the Breitling Townhouse. Spanning eight floors, the townhouse will become the new headquarters of Breitling UK and is home to the brand’s largest European boutique.

Chocks away.