Watches

[noprobs]

My first aircrew watch was a rather nice but basic wind-up Omega, which would probably be worth a few bob nowadays. Having recently traded in a fairly snazzy Seiko, because its battery was flat and I couldn't get it replaced (well, I had actually done it myself until I wrecked the seal), I now have a utilitarian Pulsar. I see this exact same watch is on offer in today's Telegraph for £39.99. Quite a bargain, really, and as it keeps good time and has the functions I actually need to help me fly, I'm glad I haven't been tempted by those beatiful Breitlings. :hmm:

[GeeRam]

I'm glad I haven't been tempted by those beatiful Breitlings.

Horrid bling chavvy things they are too.......:}

Now this is a proper watch........replica Hanhart 1939 Luftwaffe Fliegerchronograph :ok:

Replika watches from Hanhart UK (http://www.hanhartuk.com/replika.htm)

[zedder]

Blimey. That things got a bigger knob than is up the front in a BA jet that Winco is flying!!;)

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

Having been used to the relatively wafer thin Seiko, do you keep smacking your Pulsar against doors and cabinets?

[advocatusDIABOLI]

'I'm glad I haven't been tempted by those beatiful Breitlings.'

Don't you mean, 'Can't Afford.......' :ok:

Just a thought,


Advo

[adr]

[...]on offer in today's Telegraph for £39.99.

Or 20p cheaper at Chav Central (http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=1500001001&productId=1500164297).

Exact same watch, though? The Telegraph online shop claims (http://shop.telegraph.co.uk/item-dd.9140-iw-1/clocks-and-watches/pulsar-military-style-chronograph-watch/) "This tough, stylish chronograph watch is based on the model that Pulsar supplies exclusively to the Ministry of Defence for the UK Armed Forces." [Emphasis added] Maybe the innards differ?

adr

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

The MoD one has fixed strap bars (not the springy breaky ones) and one of the hands (hour, I think) is slightly longer.

[Shadwell the old]

And of course the MoD will probably pay £399.99 for each of them

[airborne_artist]

And of course the MoD will probably pay £399.99 for each of them

But you won't be able to get one from Stores. In a few years time they'll sell the lot, and you'll be able to buy one from a Govt Surplus retailer for £19.99.

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

Shadwell the old. Always a good joke that; one of my favourites.


The MoD does not pay more than you can buy them for in Argos.

[CirrusF]

Casio Waveceptor Solar watches are the biz for me - keep perfect time from radio transmissions so are always to the exact second in synch with aircraft GPS time, and solar powered so never need to replace the battery (which at €100 a time, is one reason why I sold my last uber-bling Breitling).

[Saintsman]

Now this is a proper watch........replica Hanhart 1939 Luftwaffe Fliegerchronograph

There's a guy down the pub who sells replica watches too...;)

[D O Guerrero]

Advocatus, you're confusing money with either sense or style.

[tonker]

Just bought a Tissot pr50 gents titanium watch in the sales for £130. Has a titanium case like the Aerospace and exactly the same mechanism.Breitling Aerospace £1600!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Happy times

[Il Duce]

May I suggest that you check the "Junkers" range of watches by Point Tec.
I bought one about seven years ago and it has served me very well - keeps excellent time............unlike me.

[Dan Winterland]

From an Omega (availble in high end jewellers) to a Seiko (available in Samuels) to a Pulsar (available in Argos).

Says a lot about todays RAF!




PS. I left, so had to buy the obligatory Breitling Aerospace, as the RAF is the only employer which takes a watch from you when you retire!

[A2QFI]

Cirrus France. I have a Citizen radio controlled watch. Works in 3 radio areas and recently, when I was out of a reception area for 2 weeks it was 2 seconds out on return. Light powered, alarms, stop watch, multi time zones and very water resistant.

[Navy_Adversary]

Someones got to pay for the 2 new carriers:)

[Justin Cyder-Belvoir]

Is it true that the Navy only had 1 watch on each ship?

Hence "The Officer of the Watch"

Gets coat

[airborne_artist]

I have a Citizen radio controlled watch. Works in 3 radio areas and recently, when I was out of a reception area for 2 weeks it was 2 seconds out on return.

My £14.99 Sekonda quartz from Argos is accurate to 3 seconds every two months :ok:

[4mastacker]

My fake Rolex Oyster is exactly right twice a day!! :ok:

[I'm Off!]

Everyone knows the point of a watch is to look good. A £14.99 watch will never look good - who cares how accurate it is.......

Man up and spend the cash.

[Tester07]

I have spent the last three days watching the Breitling airshow - L39 and SF260 aerobatic display teams (flown entirely by ex-members of the Patrouille de France and the Frecce Tricolore), wing walkers, the Constellation and a parachute display team, wonderful! I would not like to hazard a guess at how much it costs. Not open to the general public, you understand, but thanks to all you Breitling buyers who paid for it! It is on again next week................

[Silent Witness]

I bought a Breitling Emergency, nice to know its there if you need it. Service costs are horrific, £375.00 last time. Still like my old Seiko though, simple but effective. And the straps the same colour as my Tonka. Cool.

[Jetex Jim]

Vacheron Constantin commemorated its 250th anniversary in 2005 with the unveiling of the “Tour de l’Ile” watch, "the world’s most complicated double-face watch." Its movement, composed of 834 parts, and the two dials represent sixteen complications including an hour, quarter and minute repeater, tourbillon, moon phases and age of the moon, perpetual calendar, equation of time, sunrise and sunset times and a representation of the night sky.

Now that's a watch

http://www.hautehorlogerie.org/IMG/jpg/large-1-556.jpg

[LowObservable]

A buddy of mine (many years ago) was loaned a Frecce Tricolori special edition Breitling to play with.

I couldn't help remarking that "water resistant to 100 m" was not a ringing vote of confidence in anyone's talents as an aviator.

(USD70 Seiko automatic military from eBay, myself, after several more expensive watches demised one way or the other.)

[311 fan]

Just out of interest what is the current issue G10 watch . Is it the CWC with the date window and the snap on back with no battery hatch or the CWC with no date function and the battery hatch?

Which members of the aircrew get these issued and who gets the Pulsar chronos?

Are these issued for the duration of the service with the RAF or do they have to be handed in after each tour?

Many thanks

Peter

[False Capture]

By the time you're wealthy enough to buy a Breitling:

i) your eyes are too old to read it
ii) your ears are too old to hear the alarm

[ProfessionalStudent]

"the world’s most complicated double-face watch."

Ideally suited for the upper echelons of the military and the government then... :E

[orca]

My Breitling tells the date perfectly.

[Blacksheep]

Is it true that the Navy only had 1 watch on each ship?

Hence "The Officer of the Watch"Stuff and nonsense!

Ships have two Watches, Port and Starboard :rolleyes:


The Omega Seamaster has been accurate within a second or two since I bought it back in January, the Seiko Premier Chronograph is accurate within five or six seconds a month. Both are nice looking watches. Discrete too. :suspect:

[JackRyan]

I love my pulsar - if I could have one with a squadron badge or wings emblazoned on the face I would be made up. I asked this of Seiko (Pulsar owners) and it sounded too much unfortunately. Then the only difference from a Breitling would be it telling the time correctly. Oh, and £2000.

[Farfrompuken]

Seiko Flightmaster GMT Kinetic.

Great looks. Near perfect Time-keeping and rare as hens teeth.

Have no idea where my issue one went but was rubbish anyhow!

[tonker]

If you have recently bought a Breitling Aerospace at £2200 i sudgest you move on. The Aerospace has a 986.333 movement with a titanium case and strap.

And so does this.....

Amazon.co.uk: Tissot Titanium Dual Display Watch: Jewellery & Watches (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tissot-Titanium-Dual-Display-Watch/dp/B00197HLQO/ref=pd_sbs_jw_44)

[FCWhippingBoy]

Alternatively, go for one of these ...

Citizen Skyhawk (http://www.citizen-watch.co.uk/citizen/jr3060-59f-citizen-skyhawk-pilots-watch-large.jpg)

Titanium, Solar (any light really!) Powered and mine only loses a couple of seconds every few months!

[Greenleader]

Or get a job where you get given a Breitling! ;) The Aerospace is the cheapest watch they make, which is why they give it away to some people. They make their money on the high end watches - eg the special edition Bentley watch, which costs a little more than the car you bought to match it!! :yuk:

[Pontius Navigator]

Alternatively, go for one of these ...

Citizen Skyhawk (http://www.citizen-watch.co.uk/citizen/jr3060-59f-citizen-skyhawk-pilots-watch-large.jpg)

Titanium, Solar (any light really!) Powered and mine only loses a couple of seconds every few months!

ou have a duff model then. Mine is in years not months.

[The Real Slim Shady]

One of the guys at work has a BUGLARI watch he bought in Turkey for $10. Tells the time, not necessarily the correct time tho.

[gareth herts]

I love my Formex - best watch I've had. And it was a gift from a mate in Switzerland so very reasonably priced! :}

formex - Home (http://www.formexwatch.com/)

[brit bus driver]

If you have recently bought a Breitling Aerospace at £2200 i sudgest you move on. The Aerospace has a 986.333 movement with a titanium case and strap.

And so does this.....

Amazon.co.uk: Tissot Titanium Dual Display Watch: Jewellery & Watches

I have the previous model which, imho, is a better looking watch than the current model. Fine timepiece.

[Farfrompuken]

Apparently no longer in production, so if you can get a 'pre-owned' one you may be lucky. Makes it an even better prospect as it'll always gain value.

By a long shot the best time-piece I've owned.

[Horror box]

OK, quit messing about - got to have a Rolex sub for the general "Rolex factor", keeps crap time, but somehow still one of the worlds most collectable watches, and it is hard as nails. Mine has been everywhere with me and survived more than many other watches. Fakes look almost identical though.
Then get a Sinn (Sinn Spezialuhren zu Frankfurt am Main (http://www.sinn.de)) for true german engineering and pure quality of build. A BMW or Audi of watches for sure, and better quality than the marketed Breitlings or Tags, but at a more affordable price.

[Farfrompuken]

Horror Box,

Always lusted after a Sinn-very understated but great watches.

But reckon it's a GMT Explorer for my next 'significant' birthday.

[Wessex Boy]

I have had the Pulsar Watch for about a year and like it, although the stop-watch is a bit small to use in flight. Ocassionally it stops for a few hours and re-starts all by itself, when it does that I revert to my Vostok Amphibian:

Vostok Amphibian: Vostok Amphibian Automatic AM 420634 @ www.sovietwatches.co.uk (http://www.sovietwatches.co.uk/item--Vostok-Amphibian-Automatic-AM-420634--VAM+420634.html)

31 jewel automatic movement, designed to survive EMF pulse of a Nucleur blast...even if your arm isn't;)

[twentytoofifty]

have to agree with Horror Box... love my Rolex Sub (prez from wife), not the most accurate time keeper but good to have if stuck on desert island waiting for local beauty to turn up (self winding, no battery..!)

am sure it would survive nuclear blast, but too nice to take into cockpit.... for that, my £15.99 Casio does the job..

for 1.4G... yes you're right, sad world isn't it, we're meant to be trained killers?

[luffers79]

The stewardesses in my last airline confidentally predicted:-
BIG Watch - little dick. :=

[country calls]

I used my first Op Bonus to buy a TAG Heuer Formula One. Always wanted a posers watch, and I wanted my bonus spent on the beggar who earned it getting shot at rather than the latest gucci kitchen gadget demanded by CinC Domestic Front.

It is sat in a cupboard again with the hands wobbling around the face not attached to the spindle for the SECOND time.

Thats what a guilt complex gets you, should have spent the whole bonus (and some) on a Breitling etc, rather than a TAG and conscience jewellery for her who must be obeyed.

[Busta]

luffers79

I think the full text is "big watch, small cock, pays by cheque"

Nothing matters very much, most things don't matter at all.

[kluge]

1.4g has it right - what next "things to wear when flying" ?
I think there was a similar veined thread.

[Farfrompuken]

Having had a mid-det failure of my 'det digital' Watch, I got a $60 G-Shock from the BX.

3 Time Zones.
Solar powered so no battery faffs
decent back light
stacks of alarms, stopwatch & timer functions.

Cheap as chips and I'm wearing it pretty much all the time as I don't have to worry about it.

You can get a radio synchronized one for double the price, but I'm not sure it works in the desert.

[Captain Sensible]

I'm still absolutely traumatised from having to hand in my faithful 20 yr old Hamilton when I retired - I tried to explain to the F/S behind the counter at Stores that most firms give you a watch when you go, not take one off you; he didn't geddit! He allowed me to keep my sunglasses though, which was nice, but I promptly lost them in a snow drift in Zermatt, and I still have a pair of flying gloves somewhere they didn't want back. Sigh!

[Roadster280]

Alternatively, go for one of these ...

Citizen Skyhawk

Titanium, Solar (any light really!) Powered and mine only loses a couple of seconds every few months!

That's the old model. Later generation (AT model) has WWWV reception like the Waveceptor et al. Never need to set it, or change the battery.

Lots of variations in materials and colours:

Citizen Skyhawk Watches - Citizen from Princeton Watches (http://www.princetonwatches.com/shop/skyhawk.asp)

I found the titanium felt too light, almost plasticky. So I went for the stainless, though I can see why some might not, it is a bit heavy.

I'm fcuked if I understand how the slide rule works though. I can use it, but I don't understand how it works with non-linear divisions.

[Wessex Boy]

I have come across this place:
Werners Flying Watches, aviation watches, aristo web watches, wenger watches, seiko watches, elysee watches (http://www.wernersflyingwatches.com/default.asp)

Both the Aero 1912 and the Astroavia ranges look nice, anyone seen/tried/bought one?