Black Sparrow

The story of aircraft is not just about planes, but the bold and the brave who would fly them straight to heaven, even when the bells of hell rang on the earth: the Great War.

WW1 Pilot wearing dark black leather jacket and light beige flying cap, holding a light grey watch.
WW1 Pilot wearing dark black leather jacket and light beige flying cap, holding a light grey watch.
WW1 Pilot wearing a leather biplane watch over Light, Medium & Dark Grey background

If You Want to Suspend Time, Explore the Sky

 Life is a perpetual take off…. Suddenly smashing you into the pilot seat, making your heart beat faster than the propeller outside the porthole. Bringing up your deepest fears mixed with excitement and thrills as the gear and the rubber fades the airstrip. Allowing the faceless pilot to suddenly give up solid ground for unpredictable winds. Letting your soul exit your body a few times as the plane finds its course. Questioning during these few seconds the very meaning of your existence before finding the answer in the clouds. And you never get enough of it.

Remember a time when every innocent human was afraid of heights and speed and embraced the fact, we’ve mastered it. Like a well-made watch, flying is a unique experience that combines technical expertise and the beauty of flight. It involves a great deal of focus, attention to detail, and technical skill, but it also offers a unique perspective on the world and a sense of accomplishment. Today this amazing ability to travel peacefully comes from a past of war. An innovation built brick by brick by the bravery of the first pilots that explored a hostile sky which yet to be conquered.

Enlist with a line of brave sky fighters

A Knight of the Legion of Honor, an African-American born in Georgia, USA in 1895, Eugène James Bullard was described as a “true French hero” by Général de Gaulle himself and through his bravery, earned the nickname… “The Black Sparrow of Death”.

At the young age of 8, Eugène Bullard observed his father, William Bullard’s, intimation that “Europe was a place where individuals were judged solely on their merit”. After running away from home in 1906 to seek a better life in Great Britiain, Eguène Bullard eventually arrived in France and on October 19, 1914, he enlisted in the French Foreign Legion to participate in the First World War at the young age of 19 where he was immediately sent into the combat zone. Bullard took part in the battles of the Somme and Champagne, serving in the 170th Infantry Regiment before being wounded in the Battle of Verdun in March 1916.

Declared unfit for the infantry, yet undeterred Bullard volunteered for the French Air Force in October 1916 where he officiated first as a artilleryman and then as a pilot. He carried out around twenty aerial combat missions during WW1, during which he shot down at least two enemy aircrafts, and thus became, with the Ottoman Ahmet Ali Çelikten, one of the first two African American fighter pilots in history. Bullard frequently flew with his mascot, a pet Rhesus monkey named Jimmy in his Nieuport 24 fighter jet. The motto inscribed on the fuselage of Eugène Bullard’s plane was “all blood runs red”. In 1959, French President Charles de Gaulle made Bullard a knight of the French Legion of Honour, the nation’s highest ranking order and decoration.

WW1 Pilot wearing a leather biplane watch over Light, Medium & Dark Grey background

#striving

The collection

The new collection of watches RESERVOIR BLACK SPARROW takes inspiration from the simple looking yet complex instruments from the first air fighter’s cockpits, and pay tribute to the heroic journey of Eugene Bullard, who was the first African American combat pilot enlisted during WWI in the French aviation army. Take flight with audacity, a time instrument from the past on the wrist, with a new steel or black PVD case, black or sand dial with Art Nouveau-inspired luminescent numerals, mounted on a black or brown Barenia leather strap, the retrograde minute and jumping hour being powered by the new RESERVOIR RSV-240 caliber. Delivered in a prestigious wooden box with an additional NATO leather strap.

Aeronautic watches

Pilot watches from WW1 figher plane : symbols of courage

In the name of adventure and aviation, BLACK SPARROW timepieces are inspired by the instruments used in World War I fighter planes. In the early 20th century, Eugene Bullard was an American citizen who was born in Georgia but moved to Paris with his family at age five. During World War I, Bullard joined the French Foreign Legion and served as an infantryman on the front lines. In 1917, he volunteered for the Lafayette Flying Corps, a squadron of American volunteer aviators who flew combat missions on behalf of France. He became the first African American combat pilot enlisted during WW1 in the French aviation army. The Black Sparrow collection pays tribute to Bullard’s heroic journey with audacity – a time instrument from the past on your wrist. The retrograde minute and jumping hour being powered by a new RESERVOIR RSV-240 caliber, an automatic movement oscillating at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4Hz). These watches are designed with steel or black PVD cases and dials with Art Nouveau-inspired luminescent numerals mounted on a black or brown Barenia leather straps.

WW1 pilot wearing a leather jacket and flying a biplane, holding a light greyish beige watch against a dark black and medium greyish blue sky.
WW1 pilot wearing a leather jacket and flying a biplane, holding a light greyish beige watch against a dark black and medium greyish blue sky.
Dark brown, bright red, and light olive green pattern on fabric.
Dark brown, bright red, and light olive green pattern on fabric.

Fail or prevail,
but Make It Bold

Mission : Bring boldness back to life and make every minute count, so every hour counts.

passion for adventure

a radical way
to read time

Creation

Swiss made

STAY UP TO DATE WITH RESERVOIR.

Be the first to hear about RESERVOIR’s exclusive events and new product releases.

By signing up to the RESERVOIR newsletter you are agreeing to allow us to email you and process of your personal data as described in the privacy policy.

Watches

Accessories

Services

The brand

Stores

news

Delivery / Currency

Discover all the collections

Media editorial of luxury RESERVOIR watch in shades of dark charcoal, light grey and medium grey.

Car

Media editorial shot of luxury RESERVOIR watch in dark charcoal, light grey, and muted grey-lilac.

Aeronautic

Media: Luxury RESERVOIR watch with light grey, very dark grey and dark brown colour scheme.

Marine

Media editorial of RESERVOIR watch in luxury shades of dark charcoal, light grey, and light lavender.

Partnership

Need help ?

Call us

Visit Us

FAQ

Email Us

Media Editorial RESERVOIR Watch - Luxury Timepiece in Jet Black, Light Grey & Steel Grey

Watches

Media editorial of luxury RESERVOIR watch in shades of dark charcoal, light grey and medium grey.

Car

Media editorial shot of luxury RESERVOIR watch in dark charcoal, light grey, and muted grey-lilac.

Aeronautic

Media: Luxury RESERVOIR watch with light grey, very dark grey and dark brown colour scheme.

Marine

Media RESERVOIR watch editorial in luxury colours of dark olive green, light grey, and light mint green.

Music

Media of black, light greyish beige, and light grey RESERVOIR watch, an editorial luxury.

Comics by Reservoir

Dark olive green, light beige, and light blue-grey luxury RESERVOIR watch editorial media.

Partnership

Explore

#RACING

#exploring

#striving

#iconicwatch

You may also like

Accessories

Longbridge Vintage Car Watch with Jet Black, Light Grey, and Teal Blue Leather Strap

Straps

Media editorial of a luxurious RESERVOIR watch with a jet black and light greyish beige with light grey accents.

Watch winder

Car

Media of RESERVOIR watch in luxury editorial featuring dark olive green, light beige, and light grey shades.

GT Tour

Vintage luxury car with rpm counter and watch in light grey, dark black, and dark red.

Supercharged

British Mini Car in Contrasting Light Beige, Dark black and Dark Grey-Blue at Longbridge

Longbridge

356 Porsche Car with Light Grey, Dark black, and Medium black Watch

Kanister

WW2 Battlefield Scene with GI in Car, Watch in Dark Olive Green and Light Grey-Brown.

Battlefield

Explore

#RACING

#exploring

#striving

You may also like

Aeronautic

Airfight Watch with Jet in Dark black, Light Grey, and Medium Grey

Airfight

Leather-clad WW1 Pilot wearing a black, light beige, and light grey watch in a biplane.

Black Sparrow

Explore

#RACING

#exploring

#striving

You may also like

Marine

Luxury Diver's Watch with Dark Navy and Light Grey-Blue Manometer.

Hydrosphere

Luxury submarine tiefenmesser watch in light beige, dark black, and dark rust brown.

Tiefenmesser