Best Pilot Watches of 2016

Best Pilot Watches of 2016

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Sharply angled hands, slide rule, simple to read dial, accompanied by a resistance to losing time or stopping completely when exposed to centrifugal force, vibration, and changes in gravity. That’s what one expects from a pilot watch. In recent years GMT function has also been incorporated into pilot watches and helps keep track of a second-time zone. Hiren Kumar Bose on the year’s eight best pilot or aviation watches

TIMEX Quartz Aviator

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This fly-back analog chronograph 44mm watch ((T2P103DH) in a black ion-plated finish with slide-rule top ring function, date window, and Indiglo night light is backed up by the full quartz movement and the ability to go 330 ft into the deep blue before giving up the ghost. It’s a little on the large side but uses unique semi-Chronos at 45-degree angles for measuring minutes and hours. Push buttons flank the crown, which beeps during rotations. Water resistant to 100 m (330 ft) it’s suitable for swimming and snorkeling, but not scuba diving.

SEIKO Prospex

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Powered by light alone, this remarkable watch delivers what pilots need most, complete reliability throughout their flight. This 44mm (SSC423P1)chronograph quartz watch has split time measurement, energy depletion forewarning function, and overcharging prevention function. Thanks to its stainless steel its lighter in weight than compared to others. It has a power reserve of 6months appx.

CASIO Men’s G Shock

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The Smart Access feature of this 54mm watch (GWA1000-1A G-Aviation) provides simple, intuitive access to vital information be it Multi-Band Atomic Timekeeping, countdown timer, beeper alarm or thermometer. Its electronic crown operations let you instantly change the city setting, switch between home time and world time city, or access Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). An innovative quick-lock mechanism supports both reliable locking and easy release. The hour, minute and second hands are driven by separate, independent motors, so hands instantly move to the required positions no matter what type of operation you are performing. Black resin analog watch with a black & white face. A countdown timer with a fly back can keep you on schedule by knocking the hands out of the way of the LCD monitor. Chronos, neo-brite luminous hands, and markers, and the ability to take 660 feet of water. What more do you need in a pilot watch?

VICTORINOX Airboss

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A three-hand model and two chronographs make up this 42mm watch. Reliability and readability shape the design via touches ranging from a Victorinox red second hand and printed military time under the glass, to luminescent hands and numerals for nighttime performance. Functionality is easily and quickly accessed via strategically placed buttons and pushers. It fuses aviation history with everyday calculation needs by means of a practical circular slide rule. It also integrates convenient stop-thumb operation thanks to 180° movement rotation. Its water resistance till 330 ft.

BREITLING Navitimer 1884

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This limited series 46mm watch combines the famous 1952 aviation slide rule with a calendar featuring a pointer-type date display and twin day/month apertures for which the brand was renowned in the 1940s. Useful, user-friendly functions, with a complete calendar displaying the day and the month through twin apertures at 12 o’clock, and the date by means of a central pointer tipped with a moon crescent: a system known as Datora that became a 1940s Breitling bestseller. This model features an interesting practical detail
in the shape of a 9 o’clock small seconds subdial providing an additional 24-hour “military-time” display much favored by pilots and which also facilitates calendar adjustment by distinguishing between day and night.

IWC Big Pilot’s Heritage Watch 48

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The 48 mm watch makes more concessions to modern-day aesthetics and concepts of comfort. And that, of course, begins with its size. On the wrist, the 48-mm case is particularly impressive and is guaranteed to attract inquisitive glances at the office or the dinner table. The watch is suited for everyday use thanks primarily to its light titanium, which reduces its weight to 120 g. The IWC hand-wound 59215 calibre gives the owner the convenience of a 192-hour power reserve that guarantees accurate running for 8 days before it automatically stops. Just how much energy remains can be seen on the power reserve display visible through a small aperture covered by sapphire glass on the back of the watch. Despite the aperture, this Pilot’s Watch also has a soft-iron inner case that guides magnetic fields safely around the movement. The 48 Heritage Watch features a friction clutch against overwinding and is limited to 1,000 pieces.

The Longines Avigation Watch

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This exceptional chronograph watch (Type A-7 1935) with an elegant vintage style, combines the performance and precision necessary to this field. The watch sets itself apart with its dial angled at 40° to the right, displaying 12 large honey-coloured Arabic numerals. These allow perfect legibility and contrast with the polished white lacquer dial. Lastly, a “train track” chapter ring ensures the minutes can be easily read and the timepiece’s case is elegantly equipped with a fluted crown. Developed for the watch to be worn on the inside of the wrist, the particular orientation of the dial allows pilots to read the indices without having to release the plane’s control yoke, while the crown was designed to be easily manipulated, even while wearing gloves. The 41 mm stainless steel case houses a self-winding L788.2 calibre, a column wheel movement exclusively developed for Longines which enables control of the different chronograph functions (power, stop, and reset) by simply pressing the single push-piece inserted into the fluted crown. Elegant “pear skeleton” hands in blued steel and honeyed varnish complete the remarkable aesthetic of this piece.

ROLEX Oyster Perpetual Air-King

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It’s characteristically shaped middle case (40mm) is crafted from a solid block of particularly corrosion-resistant 904L steel. The fluted case back is hermetically screwed down with a special tool that allows only Rolex watchmakers to access the movement. Fitted with the Twinlock double waterproofness system, the winding crown screws down securely against the case. The crystal is made of virtually scratchproof sapphire. The Air-King is equipped with calibre 3131, a self-winding mechanical movement entirely developed and manufactured by Rolex. The oscillator, the true heart of the watch, has a blue Parachrom hairspring patented and manufactured by Rolex in an exclusive alloy. Insensitive to magnetic fields, the Parachrom hairspring offers great stability in the face of temperature variations and remains up to 10 times more precise than a traditional hairspring in a case of shocks. It is equipped with a Rolex overcoil, ensuring its regularity in any position. The escapement features a paramagnetic escape wheel made from a nickel-phosphorus alloy produced via UV-Liga (micromanufacturing by electroforming). Calibre 3131 is equipped with a self-winding module featuring a Perpetual rotor and offers a power reserve of approximately 48 hours. The Air-King is covered by the Superlative Chronometer certification symbolized by the green seal that comes with every Rolex watch and is coupled with an international five-year guarantee. The watch guarantees waterproof to a depth of 100 m (330 feet).