Which 'Pilot' watch
 

Apart from quartz watches, with digital displays, are there any good watches that can be used for VFR flying? I find the displays on traditional watches, with a stopwatch, too small to be of any use. I have a Seiko Sportura SNAF34P1. Looks nice but the stopwatch functionality is too small.

A series of throwaway $5 el cheapo digitals has done me proud over the years .. typically gain/lose a few seconds a month.

This has been asked a few times before ...

I use a £20 watch from a supermarket. Requirements for me were

- numbers 1-12
- tick marks for minutes/seconds
- second hand

There are stop watches in the panel (in various places depending on the aircraft), I don't need one on my wrist as well. Plus I find the ones on the panel are easier to incorporate into a scan than the one on my wrist.

Anything with a clear display and three hands.

A stopwatch is nice to have, but not particularly essential at PPL level.

I like a velcro strap, then it can go around the middle of the control column, but that's just me, and certainly not essential. I have an "Animal" leather and velcro strap from an outdoors shop - it gets replaced about every 3-4 years.


I do use a reasonably posh Seiko Military that I'm very fond of, but I didn't pay for it, it's 18 years old and I wouldn't necessarily pay for an identical replacement if it died. There are plenty of perfectly good watches out there which would do everything mine does, for around a tenner.

G

Postscript, my Seiko is a lot cheaper than it used to be - £99 on Amazon, and I am fond of it, so I probably would. However, the one on my wrist is still good as new (okay, one new glass, and probably 4 batteries and 5 straps in 18 years) so I shouldn't need to. This one. - or near as dammit anyhow.

Everyone loves a Rolex....
 

What people will do for one or even two of 'em:

Stolen Rolex watches recovered inside women?s vaginas at Las Vegas hotel: police - NY Daily News

That's the answer. The easier to read the better (so less distracting/confusing dial markings).

Which 'Pilot' watch
 

I think a Rolex is a must... Wouldn't live without mine never mind fly without it! No no I joke. Have a watch for a year now €55 it cost me!

Buy Timex Men's Gold Plated Black Strap Watch at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for Men's watches.


Under £25. Perfect for the job.


If you are of the feminine gender I'd still suggest the Men's watch as its bigger and easier to read in the cockpit.


(PS I am being serious with this post btw)

I found an easy to read watch invaluable for my nav exercises in my PPL. For me, the digital watches are quick to glance at and its handy if you want to set a couple of alarms for the odd mid-flight task.

I went for this:
Casio Men's Digital Twin Sensor Compass Watch

Big numbers, super easy to read if you're bouncing about a bit and under a little pressure doing a diversion exercise or something, and has an excellent backlight. Its got a reasonably good built in compass and thermometer too, pretty useless but it appealed to the nerd in me!

depends what you want to spend.

if you have the budget and wrist size this from tutima is hard to beat for a mechanical chronograph.
also keeps ticking at 7G if you ever go aeros!

Tutima | Military Commando II Chronograph | Titanium | Watch database watchtime.com

Pilot's watches (like all watches today) are jewelry and nothing else. Any half decent GPS and any half decent phone display the time, at satellite accuracy, and what pilot doesn't have both, or at least one of them?

That watch looks a deal more complicated than my aircraft!

I cannot think of anything that you actually "need" a pilot's watch for - apart from impressing the impressionable.

But then my vanity is served by having a Russian panel mount chronograph. It tells the time too, and irradiates the passenger!

The very best watch money can buy is . Keeps good time, easy to read, functional, water-proof enough, cheap, lights up when you need it. Brilliant and it doesn't say a wally of a pilot is wearing it.

PM

These looked nice and easy to read GX7 Pilots Chronograph :

And not too dear.

A watch, how very gucci....... I just take the times of the GPS.

My post from a previous thread: http://www.pprune.org/private-flying...ml#post7023456

I still like that one I got for £80. Just looked it up and if you want to get it now you can pay $550 AUD (£310GBP). I think I got a bargain! Not many watches increase in value over time!

Just makes you look like an SAS wannabee instead.

G :E

Dkatwa, you started by asking 'apart from quartz watches'. Although there appears to be plenty of enthusiasm for accurate time keeping in the answers offered there doesn't seem to be much enthusiasm for mechanical watches. Not knocking that at all; some pilots like fast cars, some like to booze hard, some have an enthusiasm for mechanical watches.

Have a look at Damasko or Sinn. Swiss movements in German built watches. Big clear displays, b*****d hard reliability and priced at a fraction of a Bertling or an IWC.

for posing use this is my watch of choice

Posing

For everyday flying you cant beat one of these.


Fats

My favourite.... THE Train watch
 

The Swiss Train Watch by Mondaine

Because the second hand touches the minute markers, reading the precise time is quick & easy.


Watches

Thanks for the replies...some of the watches mentioned do not have stop watch functionality, although the watches themselves look smart.
I was really wondering if anyone actually uses the stop watch functionality on their watch whilst flying. My Seiko would be difficult to make out to the nearest minute.
If my cheap digital watch, attached to my kneeboard, went AWOL, it would be good to have a back up...which means the one on my wrist should be easy to read. I hardly fly (my fault for losing a bit of interest after getting my PPL) and don't use GPS either. As for my phone, that is in my bag lest the police catch me using it:p

I was always told that a clockwork (stop)watch was preferable - it being almost guaranteed that the battery would give out, on my quartz timepiece, at the most inconvenient time possible.

OC619

You don't need a stopwatch for visual flying.


If you're flying on instruments you've got enough instrumentation that that functionality is somewhere on the panel, so you don't need a stopwatch for instrument flying either.


If you had one, what would you use it for?

Having owned good quality mechanical and electronic watches, I'd say that the chances of a quartz watch dying at a bad time are considerably less than a mechanical watch. I have absolutely no urge to ever own a mechanical watch again, except for decoration with a suit.

I use a stopwatch quite often, including visual flying, but to be fair - yes, rarely for anything you'd do in normal PPL flying. A second hand does the job well enough.

G

You probably want a quartz watch. To get a mechanical watch you are going to need to spend at least £2k. And even then, it won't have stopwatch complication. Just buy something cheap and basic.

Just keep in mind with your watch purchase that the size and complexity of your watch can be viewed as inversely proportional to the pilots ability :E

watches -
 

I spent months looking around for a suitable 'pilots watch'..


In the end I plumped for a £35 Sekonda - model 3341. ( Black face silver bezel)


Supremely easy to read - to pinpoint exact minutes and a big face.
The vast majority of 'pilot watches' are worn by wannabees and 99% of their functions are of no practical use.( that's the watch not the wannabees,,,)


Forget the rubbish on here about batteries running out - that happens maybe once every 2 years and the average PPL is flying for perhaps 40 hours / year.
..So I make that less than 1 in 400 chance

There is a stopwatch in the radio controlled clock in the plane, there is one in my iPhone, there is a stopwatch in the iPad and one integrated into the Moving Map Software, there is a stopwatch function in my XPDR, I don't even bother whether there is another in the GNS430, so why should I carry another one on the wrist?

Buy a huge watch which says PILOT on it. Buy some epaulettes and white leather gloves, nasty white nylon shirt and shiny black trousers - then nobody will mistake you for anything other than a PILOT. :ok:

Seriously though, if you want a fancy 'Pilot Watch' because it looks cool, then, by all means buy one.

If you want to know what real pilots have on their wrists, take a walk through a busy airport and ask to see their watches. You will find that, almost invariably, they wear an inexpensive watch with a second sweep hand and a large, clear, simple dial that is easy to read in turbulence.

I still wear a 'FILA' watch made by 'Swatch' That a friend found in a scrap car he was stripping about 20 years ago. It keeps great time, has a second hand, and is very clear to read.


MJ:ok:

I have had several students turn up for their first cross country navex without a watch. It seems very common nowadays for young people to rely on their iPhones for time - not very convenient in flight. On one occasion the lack of watch was not realised until we arrived at the first checkpoint. I had to lend him mine

You don't need a stopwatch for PPL nav, but it is useful to have one available.

My current watch of choice is a Citzen Ecodrive. Black face, nice big white numbers and a built in stopwatch. Cost around £200, but worth it.
-

I personally use a Casio Retro Digital watch W-59-1VQES like these:

http://www.watchstreet.com/img/users...59-1vqes-1.jpg

I think I paid about £10-20 on Amazon for mine.

It has a stopwatch (not yet used in flight!) and it tells the time, and ... its waterproof... incase... well, just in case.

For engine start/stop times and approach times etc the seconds are not important so dont need a huge needle to tell me them.

For Nav timed legs ... well who after their PPL uses timed legs and DR anyway (apart from us CPL students!)

Infact over the years I have owned many of these - since my early childhood competition canoeing days... right up till now (36!)

I only ever wear a watch for flying and on RNLI Lifeboats cause the rest of the time Im slumped infront of a Mac Computer or have the iPhone near me.

If it tells the time. It will do for flying...

I still use timed legs and DR to get around.....I fly so infrequently that a GPS is not worth the expense just yet.

I recall that which we used to say in the Royal Air Force:

A co-pilot's watch; big, and mouth to match.

seiko make a black faced watch with quartz movement that is solar recharged through the face.
1 and a half seconds a month accuracy.
never needs a battery replacement for years.

I noticed that the nipper who flies passenger jets now went out and bought himself the identical watch after he saw mine.

http://www.yorkshirewatches.co.uk/ek...95p1-132-p.jpg

Slightly sweeping statement! I happen to wear a breitling emergency, I didn't buy it though, my wife did but I'm very happy to have it. After racing my little 0-200 engine at 3500rpm for a week in Spain I can't think of a better watch to have on my wrist for the flight home over the Pyrenees. Pretty sure it doesn't make me any less of a pilot for wearing it.

Prior to that I had some cheap Casio job with big clear hands that glow in the dark and a rubber strap which doesn't get scuffed or absorb fuel or oil.

Wear what works for you basically, if anyone thinks your any less of a pilot because you have a big fancy watch then thats their issue.

Regards

UA

Same here. The wife bought me a Garmin D2 for my 40th and I love it. I'm not not going to wear it for fear of looking like someone that hasn't a clue.

Had to treat myself to a new watch recently.
Eventually chose this one.
https://shop.laco.de/en/Pilot-Watches/Aachen.html

Others have stopwatch function but I just love the simplicity, clarity, history and heritage.

I ordered on monday afternoon and received the watch before noon on tuesday! That's service.

Miserlou I love the watch.

I have been contemplating getting a watch like this for a while, albeit from Stowa. I have to admit to a preference for the sheer clarity and simplicity of the type A though.