RickWoodall

RickWoodall

Well Known Member
My wife asked me if I would like a pilots watch for a gift. I gave it some thought and decided yes, that would be kind of cool. So...i started looking. I got somewhat lost in the maze of offerings. I am looking for advice. Of course different things for different folks but.... if someone was going to buy you a watch with a pilot theme....what would you pick? Seiko, Citizen etc all make some good offerings. Ideally a really good fake breitling navitimer would make me very cool if nobody looked to closely, but i just could never justify spending thousands on a real one. For somewhere in the $150 to $500 range i would like to know who has one that serves well as a bit of aviation jewellery and functional watch.
 
I've got a Tissot T-Touch that I really like. The band is titanium so its really light. While its not specifically a "pilot watch", it can also function as a stop watch, a compass and a altimeter...... I wouldn't want to rely in the accuracy of hte compass or altimeter for primary navigation, but nice to have as a last ditch back up. I think they are in the $400 - $500 range at legit online dealers.

http://www.tissot.ch/index_offer.php?c=eu&l=en

Jason
 
UnPossible said:
I've got a Tissot T-Touch that I really like. The band is titanium so its really light. While its not specifically a "pilot watch", it can also function as a stop watch, a compass and a altimeter...... I wouldn't want to rely in the accuracy of hte compass or altimeter for primary navigation, but nice to have as a last ditch back up. I think they are in the $400 - $500 range at legit online dealers.

http://www.tissot.ch/index_offer.php?c=eu&l=en

Jason
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I've found that the size of most pilot's watches are inversely proportional to the pilot's age, or their hours and years of experience.

Here's one that's easy to see in the cockpit:
http://www.bluedial.com/BM8180-54A.htm
 
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I have a Citizen ECO Skyhawk and a Blue Angel version, and a couple of Seiko Chrono's I collect watches so I can jusify it:rolleyes:...cool watches lots of functions easy to operate. I also have a Brietling B-2, great piece but it's the reason my left arm is bigger than my right. It's the most uncomfortable watch to wear that I own. I'm amazed at how many people ask me if it's real, it has a very good E6 on the face, I just play with it hardly ever use it but everytime I look at the date a hand is in the way. I've worn a TAG sportsmen almost everyday...for the last ten years or so, two battery changes at $70 a pop over that time but this watch looks darn near as good as the day I bought it, the crystal has no marks and that includes riveting up my RV with it on unless I couldn't fit and it nevers loses a second.

This could develop into a really fun thread...almost as varied as what primer to use. Honestly the best flying watch I ever had was just a basic USAF issue, big hands, big luminas and easy to read, always used the cockpit timer for flying, go figure.
 
Form or Function

I guess it depends if you want style of function. For style my choice would be Brietling. For function I have an Eddie Bauer that is like a Casio.

In my job flying medical helicopters we have to log, call time, launch time, leg time, arrival time and finally the two minute cool down time for the turbine. I have two stop watch functions that work great for the flight time and the cool down.

Not a bad deal for around $80. Get the one that meets your needs.
 
captainron said:
I've found that the size of most pilot's watches are inversely proportional to the pilot's age, or their hours and years of experience.
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:D Here's what I wear: http://tinyurl.com/652zzr Works great for any kind of flying I've done. It's not sexy (or "look at me") by any means though.


41UYWxMzvWL._SX242_SY292_SH45_.jpg
 
Old Jokes...

captainron said:
I've found that the size of most pilot's watches are inversely proportional to the pilot's age, or their hours and years of experience.
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Ron, you are showing great restraint, you know that there is more to the story not to mention several old pilot lounge jokes. Never mind... :eek: :D

John Clark
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA
 
Luminox is the Answer

I find that flying I don't want to be messing with buttons and timers on my watch, especially at night. What I do find to be very useful is being able to see that time at a glance or or time elapse with a simple twist of the bezel. Analog watches tend to have ridiculously low level luminous hands or like many digital watches you have to press a button with your hand and many times the ensuing light is actually so bright that you negatively effect your night vision.

I prefer the Luminox solution: Tritium gas tubes that emit a nice glow for about 25 years, on each number, all three hands, and the top of the bezel. The top of the bezel and the 12 o'clock position are a different color than the the rest. This illumination is far superior than your normal glow-in-the-dark watches. Just a glance out of the corner of your eye in night conditions and you know what time it is, you don't have to hold the watch in front of your face.

They make all kinds of watches, including some pilot oriented models, but I prefer the Navy Seals Dive Series 2, because these models are a little smaller, a lot lighter with a polymer case, and come with a very comfortable velcro strap. It is a very comfortable watch.

Other models have cases made out of stainless, black PVD coated steel, and titanium.

Hans out.
 
RV7Guy said:
In my job flying medical helicopters we have to log, call time, launch time, leg time, arrival time and finally the two minute cool down time for the turbine. I have two stop watch functions that work great for the flight time and the cool down.
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Flying??? 2 minute cool down??? Go fly a real helicopter that only takes 30 seconds to cool down the turbine....... (sorry old friend, couldn't resist). Glenn
 
Citizen ECO Drive Skyhawk

I would never have bought it but it was a present from my sister. At first it was too big but after a year I decided to use it. I LOVE this thing! I know most watches do time zones now but the ability to look at the face and see 3 times zones at once is really nice. Now I do cross a lot of time zones for work and need Zulu time all the time. This also lets me see what time it is back home with just a glance, no buttons to push.

Also others at work have this and they have sent it back in for minor repair and have gotten the watch returned in brand new condition free of charge, I will have to see if I am as lucky when that day comes.

Only down side is it has no light, hands glow but it's hard to see in the dark.
 
I have a Torgoen T5 that I like a lot. The numbers are very easy to read, and the second hour hand for Zulu time is a nice feature. It doesn't have backlighting, but I've found that the glowing hands are still readable in pitch darkness.

http://www.torgoen.com/model.php?pid=61

mcb
 
John Clark said:
Ron, you are showing great restraint, you know that there is more to the story not to mention several old pilot lounge jokes. Never mind... :eek: :D

John Clark
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA
Click to expand...

Long time ago, I had to fly with a guy whose own plane (Warrior) was in for maintenance, so he rented a Grumman Tiger from our FBO. He was small in stature, but made up for it in embellishments. He was wearing a leather flight jacket marked Confederate Air Force and covered with squadron patches, "Colonel's" insignia name tags, etc. He had a huge "Pilot's" watch that could have probably held a small mess-kit inside its housing. He knew everything, and grumbled that our insurance required me to be along on his trip. He wanted me to just sit quietly in the right seat and offer no advice or assistance, please.
I watched as he attempted several times to start the Tiger's engine. He finally asked me what was wrong with the plane, so I offered him the checklist which he glanced at, and then continued cranking the engine. I finally decided to push in the mixture knob while we still had some battery left, and the engine roared to life. He complained that the Tiger's push-pull knobs were not the same as the quadrant controls on his Piper.
We were cleared to take-off and fly runway heading. Immediately after take-off, he began fiddling with stuff inside the plane, so I kept watch outside. As we were climbing, he managed to make a shallow banked left turn, and after 270 degrees of heading change, I finally asked him where he was going. He curtly replied, "Runway heading"! I still think it was the weight of his pilot's watch that caused us to fly in left circles!
We were flying VFR (thankfully) from an airport in Rhode Island to the Philadelphia area, pretty much following the coastline. He finally leveled at 5000' and set-up for cruise. I finally mentioned something about flying at VFR altitudes appropriate to the direction of flight. He said that only applied when you are flying above 3000' AGL. I asked if he knew what the elevation was of the terrain he was flying over; he didn't and started looking at charts to try to find a clue. I offered that since we were flying the coastline, that might tell him something. He continued along at 5000' MSL, until I strongly suggested he try 4500', and that I would talk with NY when we got near the TCA.
After we got back, he complained to management that I hadn't been much help, and that he should be allowed to fly solo from now on.

It was a spiffy looking watch, though!
 
I dunno about a pilot's watch, but I do a lot of hiking and I've always loved the Casio pathfinders. I used to use them in my model sailplanes, too, as a recording altimeter. My latest iteration has compass, barometer, and altimeter along with the usual watch functions and is also solar and auto set by the atomic clock signal. In the cockpit, a panel chronograph is more useful than one on my wrist.
 
Ouch

gbrasch said:
Flying??? 2 minute cool down??? Go fly a real helicopter that only takes 30 seconds to cool down the turbine....... (sorry old friend, couldn't resist). Glenn
Click to expand...

Who has all the Bell time??? YOU!!!! You've got more time on cool downs than some of the guys have actual flying time!!!!

The Eurotrash training continues Saturday!!!!

But who really cares, we're not paying for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Chase-Durer

I have two favorite watches

The first is a Chase-Durer Pilot Commander with the Swiss movement (now called the squadron commander). I have worn it for almost 10 years as an every day watch. The only visible wear is on the e6b part of the bezel. I wear this thing doing everything from working on old jeeps to scuba diving. I managed to break the pin that holds on the band once and thats it. I don't know where you can get a solid stainless watch with a sapphire crystal and swiss movment at such a great price. I think I paid about $400 for it.

http://www.chase-durer.com/

The second is a Casio wave ceptor/tough solar G-shock that I picked up at Wally world for $70 bucks. It is solar so it doesn't need batteries and it has the atomic receiver in it so it's always on time. I keep the second time zone set on GMT which is real handy.
 
"I don't know where you can get a solid stainless watch with a sapphire crystal and swiss movment at such a great price. I think I paid about $400 for it."

Here is a great website for a watchmaker who makes his own watches and sells them very reasonably. You can get a watch with a Swiss ETA movement, the same as in an Omega, with a sapphire anti-glare crystal, screw-down crown, etc. for around $500. He runs a watchmaking forum and is happy to answer all questions.
http://www.masterwatchmaker.net/
 
Watch

My .02 cents.... I wear a black Citizen Eco Drive Skyhawk. It has a black face and outside with a black band. The E6-B is black with silver numbers so it is quite easy to see yet subtle. I do use the E6-B a fair amount and the hands are glow in the dark and easy to see. I love it. The story about the small guy with all the patches is funny and it reminds me of several people I've met over the years that have really scared me with what they do or do not do.... It's the ones with all the patches and loud announcements on their clothing that tend to scare me. The real pilots and mechanics are the ones that dress normal and don't try and compensate for anything. I work with a lot of cream of the crop people who don't talk about what they do but you hear it from the grapevine... and it's amazing what these people have done with their life.
Best
Brian Wallis
404-405-1315
 
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Rich had a Seiko With all the dials and stuff. It was around 500. It worked well but the gold plating wore off a bit. His Rolex GMT Master has faired well and matches my Lady Datejust, but they are a bit pricey.:p:D:)

Roberta
 
Citizen watches

How good are your eyes? <BG> Those skyhawk watches are good for the young guns with good eyes. ;-) (smallish) They have everything you need. For me I've noticed the older I get, the less gadgets I want cluttering the face of the watch. ;-) I just want to see the time. Can't buy anything bigger without being the butt of jokes. <BG> I wear a citizen promaster. Don't think you can get it in the US just yet, but soon I'm sure. There are other brands that are just as user friendly though. Just a basic simple analog face with hands that glow in the dark for a while after you expose them to some light. No buttons to push etc etc.
my $.02
 
I had a Citizen Navihawk for the past 9 years, and liked it a lot. It finally croaked, so I bought the updated version, the Citizen Skyhawk. I believe these are the only watches with:

- analog with glow juice on the hands
- digital stop watch
- alarm
- count down timer
- multiple time zones

The only complaint is the digital numbers got smaller from the old to the new (while I got older...).
 
Two Things

groucho said:
:D Here's what I wear: http://tinyurl.com/652zzr Works great for any kind of flying I've done. It's not sexy (or "look at me") by any means though.

Is this the watch you wear during your "day-job"? Also, I was thumbing through a book at our local bookstore about Red Flag excercises at Nellis AFB, and came across a pic of a pilot giving a briefing to several pilots. The caption read "Major Bryan Duke goes over last minute . . . " Could this be you?
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stopped wearing a watch when cell phones came out/ even changes with time zones and daylight savings time. jewlery is for women.
 
06-18-08
HI RICK
YOU MIGHT LOOK AT THE "CASIO DATABANK"
CALCULATOR.
ALARM
LAPSE-TIME 24HR
STOP WATCH
TIMER
ALARM
24 TIME ZONES
GMT
UPTO 300 PHONE NUMBERS
DATE
APPOINTMENTS
OH YES IT TELLS "TIME" AM-PM OR 24HR FORMAT
IT ALSO HAS A NICE NURDDY LOOK
WAL-MART APX. $55.00 U.S.
GOOD LUCK
MIKE ZELLER
 
g zero said:
stopped wearing a watch when cell phones came out/ even changes with time zones and daylight savings time. jewlery is for women.
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And men who think jewlery is for women, com'on...you got an earring don't ya!! :D, you can't really think a cell phone replaces a watch do you? Must be retired because the only time I look at my phone is when it tells me I have an appointment, message or call.

Funny, my new "smart" phone doesn't update the date and time by itself...gotta tell it the time and date from time to time.
 
Rick S. said:
Funny, my new "smart" phone doesn't update the date and time by itself...gotta tell it the time and date from time to time.
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Check the "source" for date & time. My new Blackberry came with the source as the phone. I changed source to "network" and it now changes automatically.

After this, you must say the phrase, "Computers are our friend, computers are our friend." and repeat as necessary.
 
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Holy Smokes!!

MEL has a Blackberry?!?!

Next thing you know, he'll be installing one of those fancy Fuel Injection thingies.....;)
 
watches

Reminds me of a conversation I heard years ago. We were flying a DC-8, night freight, middle of nowhere, radios were quiet... The Captain is giving the F/E the business for wearing an expensive watch. (F/E had a Rolex, Capt had a casio) The Capt. went on and on about the superiority of his (then) $20 casio versus the F/E's Rolex. It had all the time zones, a back light, a timer, three different alarms, calculator, altimeter etc etc. The F/E listened quietly and respectfully to the midnight rant. Finally the capt. concludes with the fact that his watch can also store 100 phone numbers... He looks at the F/E and sez, "So what can your watch do?" The F/E thinks for a moment, holds the Rolex up and says, "with this watch I can actually GET 100 phone numbers..."
I think I spit out my coffee laughing...
Sometimes the watch has nothing to do with what time it is... LOL.
DM
 
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