The Hurricane Family of timepieces welcomes the AV 4044 with a tribute to Sir Douglas Bader the famed flying ace, war hero of the RAF who flew his Hurricane to devastating effect during WW2. Perhaps even more remarkable a feat than his exploits in the cockpit was that he achieved a level of military gallantry, excellence and heroism having lost the use of both of legs in 1930 well before hostilities broke out. He was credited with 22 aerial victories but more importantly he stood as a defender of the rights of the disabled, and continued as an outspoken, sometimes brutally honest man unafraid to cause a stir both in the air and back on land. The 4044 Hurricane is perfectly proportioned with a raft of aviation detailing on the dial. Besides 40s era typography found on the Hurricane, the intriguing horizontal register day display adds a level of technical cockpit inspired design to proceedings. Lastly in a subtle tribute to the 242 RAF Squadron, which was the first that Bader commanded, the "LE" markings as seen on his Hawker Hurricane IIc are subtly etched above the 6 o'clock index. A pumpkin style crown further adds a nod to pilot watch design of the era and nonetheless fuses effortlessly with the otherwise bolder lines of the case in keeping with the aesthetics of other Hurricane timepieces from Avi-8 Strapped with a robust, ribbon like Nato strap further nods to the ribbons as awards and tributes to the RAFs finest and still creates a stylish vintage inspired timepiece that is nonetheless utterly modern in function and build.