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Watches
Hey all,
What kind of watches do you like for flying? Digital vs Analogue, Battery vs Pendulum/Automatic, Metal vs Fabric, any special features that make things easy? I was thinking of getting a Seiko 5 SNK805K2 (a google image search will show you plenty of results, I would post an image but I haven't posted enough comments yet). I like that the minutes are larger on the outside and the hours are smaller on the inside as we mostly need to announce times as minutes of the hour. Haven't seen this discussed before, thought it could be a good topic. Cheers, Jo. |
I expect many “interesting” replies about “pilot watches”- especially in relation to how big the watch needs to be! Personal preference, 100%. What someone else likes may not suit you. Some like smart watches and linking to their phones and setting their own time zones; but having to charge them often. Some (like me) just prefer an analogue that I can read easily. I don’t have a battery powered light in it, and I’ve not once been worried by the lack of such a function. Some like combo digital/analogue- one on local and one on GMT. I’m yet to find any digital watch (non-smart variety) where the user can create/name their own time zones outside of the pre-programmed ones. You don’t “need” a fancy watch with flight computers built in. Nothing stopping you getting one, if that’s what you want. A $100 Casio will do you just as well as an $8000 Brietling. If you’ve got the cash to splash then by all means buy an expensive watch, there are some very nice ones available. But give thought to the environment you’ll be wearing it in. Potential fuel/oil spills on it (I prefer metal bands for this reason, wipes clean), banging it against something and damaging it, scratching the glass etc. Some people are not happy risking their expensive watches daily; others are. |
My $9 digital Kmart watch works pretty well, it even shows UTC, wow!!
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Any combo dual time watch with analogue hands and minutes for local time and digital inset for UTC.
The brand / price / colour / construction can be modified accordingly to suit your fashion sense, ego and anatomical features. |
My hundred buck Casio shows UTC and local (world) time. That’s all I really want or need - something I can check at a glance (digital) and run my life by, as well as check local time when booking taxis etc. Flying deep nights it also helps answer that age old freight dog question: “what day is it?” as it clearly shows the date/day. A very dear friend, sadly now passed, had a citizen Navihawk. Lovely watch, and I have to say the built in Nav whizz wheel was kind of cool for working out times when trundling round together in GA aircraft, and in that respect did more than my old Casio ever could.... but using the old 1.5 miles a minute for 90 knots, 2 miles a minute for 120 or 2.5 miles a minute for 150 was just as good, and it was just a novelty really. |
Originally Posted by Car RAMROD
(Post 10654320)
A $100 Casio will do you just as well as an $8000 Brietling. |
I think the question you need to ask yourself is what do you need the watch for? If it is merely to tell the time, then a £10 Casio keeps better time than a 10K Rolex. Trust me, I know.
However, if you’re wearing it as a piece of jewellery, lifestyle statement, or a status symbol, then you may want to choose something else? Watches, clothing, personal grooming are all personal choices. |
Originally Posted by hunterboy
(Post 10654433)
I think the question you need to ask yourself is what do you need the watch for? If it is merely to tell the time, then a £10 Casio keeps better time than a 10K Rolex. Trust me, I know.
However, if you’re wearing it as a piece of jewellery, lifestyle statement, or a status symbol, then you may want to choose something else? Watches, clothing, personal grooming are all personal choices. |
IWatch. Before that, a G-watch style of thing that was solar powered.
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Some good thoughts here, yeah I know ultimately it's a personal choice. Currently I just use $10 Kmart watch which is perfectly fine. I'm thinking of upgrading though as it's getting a bit hard to read with all the scratches. Little insights like:
But give thought to the environment you’ll be wearing it in. Potential fuel/oil spills on it (I prefer metal bands for this reason, wipes clean), banging it against something and damaging it, scratching the glass etc. Cheers, Jo |
I’ve got a seiko prospex divers - dual time. Dead simple and unbelievably accurate. However, it’s kinetic and will indicate low power if I don’t wear it for aprox 4 days - which happens more frequently just lately.
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I use a cheap Casio digital, and keep a spare one in my flight bag. |
Another point you may not have though of is that many places you may night stop in the future may not be places that you’d want to walk around with an expensive watch on. So it is worth always taking a cheap Casio for street use while leaving your decent watch in the hotel safe.
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Something that displays day as well as date, with the irregular hours we work I often find myself having to check which day of the week it is as I often wake up with no idea.
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Here you go:
https://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_...0&_sacat=31387 The top display can be changed to Month and Day, as per notams. World time zones, and Daylight Saving adjustment. Arm time independent of digital time. Used mine for many years; does the job nicely. No sweep second hand; I use the one on the panel. |
G-Shock mudman used to be the goto for helicopter pilots. Now the Apple Watch is the new goto given the customizable watch face with gps time etc |
The story goes:
This pilot opened his car door into passing traffic and the door of course gets completely torn off it's hinges. Of course he's gone bananas when the other driver has pulled up on the roadside. "LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO MY NEW BEAMER!! YOU'VE TORN THE DOOR COMPLETELY OFF!!! "You're a pilot, aren't you?" the driver says. "YES, SO WHAT OF IT! LOOK AT MY BEAMER, IT'S ROOTED!! "Well" says the driver..." in all the excitement and fuss over your stupid BMW, you're completely oblivious to the fact that when I took your door off, your whole right arm went with it! "OH MY GOD...... WHERE'S MY ROLEX???" |
A Timex Ironman. Costs about $50 on Amazon and has the best backlighting for night flying of anything and has two timezones and a stopwatch. or if you have a smart watch, get an app. the other $7950 I saved by not buying a Breitling went to flying. |
On this occasion, Thunderbirds are not go...:}
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Bought a Lorus kinetic divers wdatch in 2002, still wearing it. tells the tiome and date and it works.
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Get this
This is my watch and I reckon it makes an awesome pilot watch: https://www.citizenwatch-global.com/...16/20160317-4/ As a pilot, you’re required to have the current time to within 30 seconds. This watch determines its time from GPS, so it always displays the ACTUAL time, ie the time without the error of the time source you may have utilised; or errors you may have put in to the watch during synchronising. Furthermore, it has an independent analogue display inset on its face that can display UTC. Another awesome feature this watch has is that its an ‘eco-drive’. That’s one of the Citizen series of watches that are recharged by light.. so no inconvenient flat batteries. Its a very large watch, so probably not the best if you don’t have large wrists.. or if you don’t like getting harassed by loads of sexy women you’ll be turning on with it. (Or men.. or whatever you’re into). Despite it’s large size, it is made of titanium so it’s actually very light.. and very strong too. Like most watches of its ilk, it has a circular calculator on the outside for conversions, but, although they look great they’re not really practical. Just use the calculator on your phone. Citizen advertise it for about $3000, but I actually picked mine up at Costco for $1600 and I’m sure you’ll be able to find it online at about that price point. Don’t buy a Breitling.. but if you have the coin, I’d recommend an Omega Speedmaster Professional. For one of these watches, you’ll be paying about $6000. Although a gorgeous bit of hardware, in many ways it’s not as practical as the watch I’ve already raved about.. and if you scratch it during a pre-flight, it’ll ruin your day at the very least. (Buy one of these watches to supplement your work watch when you’ve made it to the top, and you’ve put kids through school!) |
I got a Casio CA-53W-1, 39 bucks, makes me look smarter than what I am.
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To get back to basics, I have found over the years that when I fly IFR in GA and need to do that holding and approach stuff in a minimally equipped bug smasher that a sweep second hand is vital. Just see where the second hand is and then your minute is up when it looks the same. As for 1:15, not hard to add a few degrees. I don't do digital really well in these situations coz I have to read them and think.
In the jets they have timers at the push of a button and the autopilot works - too easy, who needs a watch? I have used el cheapo Casio or similar analogue watches with velcro bands which can be attached to the control column for easy reading and setting. You forget to take it when you sign off - so what, it's only worth $25 or so. I do have a really excellent dress watch but only wear that when I'm going out properly dressed up, not to work. |
Have a steel Submariner as a daily watch but don't wear it flying. For flying, £30 Sekonda - larger face, easy to read hands & date. And carry a spare Sekonda in case battery goes (which it does about every 18 months).
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I don't know why lots of pilots think they need a special watch. Sometimes I don't even wear a watch. I have my cellphone, and in the cockpit I use the clock.
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It's ironic that pilots aren't generally the market for pilot watches. Also by the time you can afford the watch with the circular slide rule you have lost the visual ability to read it.
The iWatch seems to now be the ultimate watch. The Swiss must be very upset, first accurate Japanese watches, now computers on wrists, clockwork seems very old school now. I'm thinking of selling my analogue watches because I doubt I'll ever wear one again. Having said all of that I like the watch the OP put up. Clear, easy to read, cheapish. Pretty much perfect especially if you are one of those people who doesn't do Apple. |
Hey!
My working “tool” watch is a 2004 Breitling Aerospace. Otherwise, when I’m not working; Seiko 5 (SNK809) Samsung Galaxy Active 2 Vostok Amphibia (Zissou) Casio Protrek Its not a bad idea to leave the flash watch behind in a slip port... take a drinking watch. |
I found any math I needed to do in a cockpit was easy enough to do in my head or on a notepad. Very analog. The other thing I often use is a stop watch. And thirdly, the only thing I consistently stuff up is time zones. And for that, I can recommend a beautiful analog representation such as this: https://www.patek.com/en/collection/...ions/5930G-010 - if you have $70k or so to spare that is. :-)
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I can recommend a beautiful analog representation such as this: https://www.patek.com/en/collection/...ions/5930G-010 - if you have $70k or so to spare that is. :-) |
"Its not a bad idea to leave the flash watch behind in a slip port... take a drinking watch."
Yep, agreed. The aerospace stays safely on the bedside table in the hotel..... Oh, wait........ |
Hidden inside soiled underpants, deep within my suitcase. This theft will come at a human cost...
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My free omega seamaster pro given to me by an ex employee, into pearls, after 10 years of service after 22 years of being employed by the one company. Still wear it daily 14 years later. 👍
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It's ironic that pilots aren't generally the market for pilot watches. |
I wear a diver but don't dive (certainly not to 300m :)). But I do find it useful in that I know I don't have to worry about it being immersed in water and, being a diver, it is very robust. Also, I find I use the bezel quite a lot for timing things. So I'm no Jacques Cousteau, but do make use of the functions.
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What good is a pilot watch without pilot shoes/socks/slacks/underpants? Pilot underpants have a special smaller genital area, also an elastic band to tuck your pilot shirt into. What happens if you loose a button on your pilot shirt? Can you buy pilot buttons?
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How about the iPhone watch - the multi purpose millennial tool that does soo much more!! Haven't watches (pilot ones) become a fashion statement?
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Any watch with Mickey Mouse hands
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Rolex GMT Master or Explorer II. Both bullet proof, never need batteries and will pretty much hold their value for life. Expensive but it’s the last watch you’ll ever buy.
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Defiantly get the Breitling, that way everyone will know you are a very important Pilot, making the kind of decisions ordinary people can't & far too busy to add 8hrs to UTC work out the time in Sydney.
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Originally Posted by stevieboy330
(Post 10656519)
far too busy to add 8hrs to UTC work out the time in Sydney.
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