You are a pilot, flying the aircraft of your dreams. What do you need? Scarf? Check. Sunglasses? Check. Trusty copilot? Roger that, Ace.
Now, what about your watch? What does it look like? It’s highly legible. It can survive drastic changes in temperature and pressure and is protected from magnetic fields. If you’re a fighter pilot, you need to be able to read it in between strafing runs and shouting obscenities at Tom Cruise. A globe-trotting commercial pilot might want a GMT hand showing a second time zone; a solo explorer flying an ultralight might want a GPS function in the watch.
You are, presumably, only an imaginary pilot. But who cares? The best pilot watches mix and match all sorts of cool features. What was once the tool watch of choice for fighter jocks has a rich history and a wildly divergent set of uses. Pilot watches are all different, which means you have lots of chances to find just the right one.
The famous IWC Mark XI was made in 1948 for the British Ministry of Defense and worn by British pilots, and today the brand’s Pilot Watch line offers a link to that history and character. You can go big or complicated within the IWC Pilot Watch collection, but the Mark XX will be eminently practical and satisfying for modern daily wear. It offers an in-house automatic movement and pretty much everything you want in an IWC pilot’s watch.
With a fascinating history and distinctive look, the Breitling Navitimer is one of the most iconic pilot watches ever — scratch that: it’s one of the most iconic watches of any kind. First produced in 1954 to offer pilots a range of functionality via its slide rule bezel and chronograph, the Navitimer features a captivatingly busy dial like little else available (apart from its imitators). This modern version is powered by the brand’s excellent in-house B01 movement and features a bold-wearing case measuring 43mm.
Stowa makes a great example of the classic Flieger-style pilot watch in the same tradition as watches like the IWC Mark XI, and it’s got real history doing so. The Verus 40, however, is something a little different: that utilitarian military design has been ever so slightly tweaked to offer a more modern and refined product. The result still feels very much like a pilot’s watch but makes a lot more sense for daily wear. It also helps that the watch offers all this for well under $1,000, complete with premium features such as sapphire crystal and a Swiss automatic movement.
The Tianjin WuYi watch factory was one of the Chinese government’s most important watch factories during the Industrial Revolution. In 1963, it produced the first Chinese chronograph, the ST3. The factory privatized during an entirely different revolution — the quartz one — and today makes a number of movements, including tourbillons. It also makes the 1963 Chronograph an homage to the ST3 and an affordable mechanical chronograph featuring a column wheel, to boot.
Hamilton released its Khaki Pilot Pioneer Mechanical in 2019 as a modern interpretation of a watch it made for RAF pilots in 1973 commonly called the W10. The contemporary version is executed nicely, staying very close to the original design but with some interesting details like a textured dial that gives it a slightly more refined feel and strong legibility. Though measuring only 33mm wide, we can attest that it’s full of character and wears great on its NATO strap.
Notable Functions: Faraday cage for anti-magnetism
Since 2015, the British-based brand Farer has stood out by combining sharp mid-century looks with unexpected pops of color. Its Pilot Automatic watch is a funky take on the popular style of military watches referred to as B-Uhr (Beobachtungs-Uhren, or Flieger) based on those used by the German air force in WWII (yes, that German air force). While many brands offer their own version of the B-Uhr, Farer’s interpretation offers something that feels contemporary and fun while retaining a clear connection to the traditional design. And it helps that the price is right, too.
Young Slovakian brand Biatec might not be on your radar, but maybe it should be. The brand’s Corsair collection offers a refined take on a certain style of pilot’s watch, that often represented by Zenith’s former Type 20 collection. Biatec’s version, however, offers a bit more versatility at 40mm and a far more affordable option — not to mention its own personality. This is a pilot’s-style watch that’s not putting on airs of ruggedness and rather offers refined details and dashing style in three dial color options.
Ollech & Wajs made a strong comeback when it returned from obscurity with its P-104 pilot watch. With buckets of character and a genuine tool-watch feel, the P-104 also has a unique look that stands out on the wrist. Simple, three-hand time-telling is complemented by a rotating bezel with a slide rule scale that’s useful for all kinds of calculations — the kinds that will be useful to pilots and civilians alike. And the premium for the beads-of-rice bracelet options is well worth it.
Alpina has the mid-range pilot’s watch absolutely nailed down. Its dial finishing and style are legible and classic; its hands unique and elegant; the crown perfectly big. Any first-time pilot’s watch buyer should check out the brand’s entire line to consider everything from its chronographs to its affordable throwbacks. But the Startimer Pilot Heritage Automatic is a good place to start.
The watches made for German pilots in WWII have some of the greatest influence on modern pilots’ watches. The actual vintage examples are going to be hard to come by, but you can get something that at least looks like it’s 80 years old and has seen actual combat. Yes, the Erbstük line from Laco offers an artificially aged look — like, really aged. Going far beyond tame “vintage cues” and faux patina, these watches appear to have real patina replete with rust and dings, but you’ll know they’ve got modern construction and solid Swiss movements inside. They come in Type A and B versions as well as several sizes, but we like the Type B in 39mm for wearability.
Fortis is a Swiss brand largely focused on tool watches, so it’s no surprise to find a whole range for pilots. The Flieger series exists alongside more traditional aviation watches, but the new F-39 has a distinctly fresh and modern feel while remaining immediately recognizable as a pilot watch and connected to historical models. The F-39 is a time-only watch with a 39mm case, but the brand also released watches in the same collection offering other features and sizes including a very cool chronograph.
Notable Functions: GPS timekeeping and time zone adjustment; world time; dual time; perpetual calendar
Seiko’s innovation and pragmatic values are expressed in many different forms — and not only in its popular automatic dive watches. Take, for instance, the modern Astron collection: Its GPS function allows for accurate timekeeping no matter where you are. It calculates your position and, when you cross a time zone boundary, adjusts the watch’s time for you anywhere in the world based on signals that make it more or less atomic-clock accurate.
Longines has some of the most notable aviation heritage of any watchmaker. They outfitted pioneers like Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart, after all, so nothing could have seemed more natural than when the brand finally launched a dedicated pilot watch collection in 2020. The Longines Spirit collection offers a luxe-feeling modern pilot watch with a few dial variations and a couple of case sizes for automatics (as well as a chronograph).
Hanhart made one of the most legendary pilot’s chronograph watches back in the 1950s, and it’s known simply as the 417 ES. For many people, this watch’s cool factor is amplified by having been worn by actor and “King of Cool” Steve McQueen. Toward the end of 2020, the brand brought it back (they’d be crazy not to), and they kept it close to the original with a thin (for a chronograph) case courtesy of a manually wound movement and offered on a bund-style watch strap just as worn by pilots — and Mr. Steve McQueen.
Oris is regarded as a brand that punches above its price range, and the Big Crown Pointer Date makes one of the best cases for that reputation. The Big Crown has been in production continuously since 1938, and this version maintains a vintage take on the line with a coin-edged bezel and a fourth hand that points to the date around the edge of the dial. With the unique combination of bronze case, bronze bracelet and striking dials in blue, green, red and brown, it’s a damn well-executed watch. It’s reasonably priced as well, though bronze commands a premium over steel versions.
Junghans was making clocks for planes all the way back in the 1930s and wristwatches for the West German military in the 1950s. Those ‘50s chronos looked a lot like the Meister Pilot Chronoscope. The watch’s surprisingly modern-looking angularity comes from the watch’s bezel, which is deeply scalloped. It also features a column-wheel chronograph and a dial with two sub-dials at 3 and 9 o’clock. In black and stainless steel, it’s mid-century and brutalist at the same time.
Notable Functions: Bidirectional rotating bezel with inner marker
Resurrecting a design from 1935 made for the Chekoslovakian air force, Longines’ pilot’s watch has a twist you might not notice right away. There’s a little triangle at the edge of the dial which, despite being under the glass, rotates when you turn the bezel thanks to some clever engineering. Compared to the original, it’s got crown guards, is 2mm larger, and has some other design features that make it feel more like a modern sport watch.
The 103 is one of the most representative watches from German tool watchmaker Sinn. The brand makes all kinds of tough sport watches for professional use, and this is its pilot’s chronograph. It draws on the history of military pilot’s watches and has a traditional design that combines the busy look of subdials and scales alongside a rotating bezel for added functionality.
The Airain Type 20 Re-Edition is yet another modern remake of a vintage pilot’s watch, but the newly resurrected brand seems to have done a solid job and kept it faithful to the original. It looks great largely because the original watch was so cool, but of course the Re-Edition is upgraded with modern goodies like a manually wound La Joux-Perret flyback chronograph movement. For a genuine retro feel, however, Airain used Hesalite crystal rather than the more modern choice of sapphire. (If out of stock, the next run should be forthcoming.)
Bell & Ross is famous for its square BR03 watches that mimic an aircraft’s dashboard instruments. This dark, monochromatic version takes that concept a step further by applying the look of an instrument panel at night to its dial with ample lume and legibility. Against a black dial and housed in a matte-black ceramic case, the hands and indices stand out even more and result in strong legibility and a very tactical look indeed.
Bremont was in no small part founded based on a love of aviation. The English brothers behind it are known to take journalists and visitors up in their monoplane, and watches taking inspiration from military aircraft are core to the brand’s lineup and identity. The Vulcan is a perfect example: though it’s a badass daily watch, details (and its name, of course) pay tribute to the historic Avro Vulcan bomber. When you buy one you also get cufflinks containing recovered “material from the original airframe of Avro Vulcan XH558 ‘Spirit of Great Britain'” airplane.
Notable Functions: UTC + 2 time zones; alarm; perpetual calendar
If you want to really capture the funkiness of the late sixties and early seventies in a sci-fi kind of way, the Omega Spacemaster Z-33 is your choice. Its tonneau-shaped case is brushed titanium, with an extra-thick titanium case back that supposedly helps its alarm sound extra loud. Its dial features UTC time plus two additional time zones and a perpetual calendar. And yes, it’s quartz — because let’s be honest, the void of space doesn’t care about your nostalgia for mechanical gears.
Notable Functions: GMT, rotating bezel, date magnifier
As Rolex lore has it, sometime in the 1950s, PanAmerican airlines requested a watch for their pilots that would allow them to track both GMT and local time. The result was the Rolex GMT Master, with a half-blue, half-red bezel. Though the classic “Pepsi” configuration is perhaps best known, other configurations give the GMT-lover even more choice — why not go for the funky, left-handed model? It’s an icon that’s far outlived its vintage airline roots.
Notable Functions: Flyback chronograph, grand date
Zenith has long been known for its Pilot range — and, fun fact: they’re the only brand legally allowed to use the word “Pilot” on their dials. Though the brand’s collection long looked to early pilot’s watch styles, 2023 saw a completely novel and modern reinterpretation which has the feel of a luxury sport watch more than anything retro or toolish. Trying the flyback chronograph in person at Watches & Wonders, the level of quality and feel of the pushers left us highly impressed. If you want a contemporary feeling but elevated pilot’s watch for daily wear, look no further.
Notable Functions: Flyback chronograph, rotating bezel, silicon balance spring
One of the original makers of the Type 20 (or XX, if you prefer Roman numerals) watches, Breguet is by far the most notable. With their modern recreation, faithful to details including flyback functionality, you get a highly wearable watch with purpose and history, but also one of the most prestigious names in all of watchmaking (and all the quality and detail that comes with it). This is one of the most refined yet practical pilot’s watches or chronographs you can get — and it’s aggressively priced, as well, a fraction of Patek’s pilot’s watch and less even than the Rolex Daytona’s street price.
Watches continued to evolve alongside airplanes. War and later commercial aviation, each with their own requirements, contributed many different styles of watches meant to aid pilots in one way or another. Countless milestones in horology and design traits associated with them have roots in aviation, and many of the resulting watches have become iconic today — from the fliegers of World War II to the likes of the Breitling Navitimer and the Omega Speedmasters that went into space (astronauts are pilots, of sorts). They sometimes required special features as well as exceptional durability and accuracy.
Today, pilots themselves no longer, for the most part, rely on watches for navigation, calculations or even timing as in the old days. There are more advanced tools for that, but the pilot’s watch holds a prominent place in the hearts and imaginations of watch collectors. And the variety of designs and the purposes behind them in some sense tell the history of flight.
The Zenith Pilot Big Date Flyback
What Is a Pilot’s Watch?
The above history illustrates just how broad the definition of a pilot’s watch is: it’s any watch that’s designed for pilots. That can mean something like GMTs conceived to help commercial pilots track time zones or chronographs that were useful in a range of high-flying applications.
Modern pilot’s watches, however, are usually built to reference aesthetic traits of past said purposeful watches. Those traits can be slide rule bezels or GMT complications, but some of the most distinctive and purely “pilot’s watch” design elements have their origin in the military. That often means utilitarian designs focused on legibility — imagine trying to read a watch quickly and rely on it in the conditions of an old-school cockpit: foggy goggles, shaky yoke, changes in air pressure…
Consequently, many pilot’s watches have large hands and bold numerals, and sometimes simply large diameters. Strongly lumed elements aid legibility. An interesting feature associated with many pilot’s watches is the triangle flanked by two dots at 12 o’clock, which is believed to have originated in German wartime flieger watches and was meant to help provide a quick visual orientation of the dial. The “oversized” crowns on many pilots’ watches are big and protruding in order to help pilots in freezing cockpits operate them while wearing gloves.
IWC Schaffhausen
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