The world of pilot watches is massive and encompasses lots of watches with various complications and numerous acceptable design cues. The umbrella of the pilot watch has lots under it. While I won’t get too deep into the history of pilot watches, which is covered extensively across the internet and by much better writers and researchers than I. I also won’t try to cover all of the
Minutia of the category. But for the sake
Of basic groundwork let’s work out just a few of those details.
Pilot watches have been around since, well without doing a basic Google search, I’ll say since Orville and Wilbur took flight in Kitty Hawk. I’d like to assume those two bicycle mechanics turned airmen were into watches. Admittedly the Cartier Santos is regarded as one of the first pilots watches dating back to 1904. Pilot watches are exactly that a watch for a pilot, a tool to aid in timing for mostly navigational purposes. The fast and loose rules for pilot watches are easily readable at a glance. Generally larger dials, with full numerals. Again, these are fast and loose rules. More of the basic complications of a standard pilot watch would be a chronograph or a GMT.
More of the iconic pilot watches have been the Cartier Santos, the Rolex GMT master ref:6542, and IWC special pilots watch ref 436. And more of course. These iconic watches are all pilot watches, iconic, and all completely different from each other.
Many Will Enter Few Will Win
Almost every brand you can think of makes a pilot watch today. Cartier still makes the Santos, and IWC still makes watches that are in the lineage of their first. Rolex makes the GMT master II. Like modern aviation, pilot watches have evolved. Most watch brands today have their version of a pilot's watch, many with a storied history that links them to aviation. Brands like Laco, Oris, Hamilton, Seiko, Citizen, etc etc.
While many people consider Rolex to
Be the gold standard in all things watches, and the GMT master to be the ultimate pilot's watch. Perhaps that sentiment is misplaced. No matter how much we want to romanticize the relationship between Rolex and Airline pilots, the watch brand you will see on most pilots is not Rolex but Citizen. And for good reason too, not only are they infinitely more available and affordable they are heavily feature packed. Offering solar power with its best-in-class eco-drive, world times, radio-controlled time for unrivaled accuracy, great design that spans the range of acceptable designs for a pilot watch, and more.
Citizen Goes Deep With Pilots
Within the Citizen watch lineup they have at least 30 different pilot watch variations making up an extensive part of their catalog. And that’s not including discontinued models you can still get your hands on. Of these watches, the best in my opinion is from the Avion lineup. Reference BX1010-02E. Not only is it the best of the Avion lineup I think it’s one of the best pilot watches they offer, and I say that while it sits next to a Citizen Blue Angels World Chronograph. which is a world-time, radio-controlled (atomic time) chronograph with impeccable styling and proportions. But that’s the beauty of Citizen they offer both and more. I’m sure by now this is reading like a love letter to citizen, and while that’s not the intention my love for the brand does shine through, I have 3 of them currently, and that number could easily go up.
To Citizen With Love
Anyway, back to the Avion. What I love about it is it’s thoroughly modern. Boasting eco-drive technology, a world timer in 26 time zones, a perpetual calendar, and water resistance of 200m. And it does all that in a 44mm size with a design of a classic vintage pilot watch from ww2 with its Flieger design cues. I feel like that alone is enough to go buy one now not even having mentioned the online price of $395. I’ve seen this watch come in cheaper. A lot cheaper.
The dial is easily readable at a glance, making it perfect for a pilot's tool watch. Even with the additional 24-hour scale, the color-matched date wheel, and the world time zones the dial reads very well and doesn’t feel overly cluttered. Citizen does make tons of pilot watches and admittedly they can appear cluttered and hard to read. Yet they are done well, even though it may be at second glance. The 44mm size while on paper may be a turn-off for many, it wears rather comfortably on my not-so-small wrists. Of course, your mileage may vary. Being true to classic Flieger style watches it is a larger watch and feels like it’s all dial. But that just aids in its readability. It comes on a classically designed leather strap with contrasted matching yellow stitching and riveted as well.
It's OK I'm With The Band
With 200m water resistance, solar-powered quartz, and a perpetual calendar this watch gets a ton of wrist time because I never have to worry about setting it. It would get a lot more wrist time if I put it on something else. I have struggled to find a good strap for summer wear. It doesn’t always feel right on a nato, it sits a little high for that and perhaps it’s the lug proportions, I’m not sure but it just doesn’t feel perfect. I have put it on a paratrooper strap from CNS bands and have liked that even though I worry about the clasp coming undone and damaging or losing the watch. Maybe that’s an unnecessary fear but so be it.
My biggest negative on this watch is outside of the leather strap it comes with, it can be hard to find a good match for another band. That and the size can be a bit of a turn-off for some. Other than that, I really can’t find much bad to say about this watch.
Watches And Wives
I was smitten with it the moment I saw it in the store and still am to this day. I found this watch at Kohl's in December. It was in the clearance case and I instantly loved it. Tried it on and fell head over heels for it. Then, the price was listed at $75. Yea you read that correctly. I immediately went home to get my watch cash and told my wife I’m going back to buy a watch. She said you can’t buy yourself something that close to Christmas! She wasn’t wrong. And despite my best attempts at changing her mind, it didn’t work. (it rarely works lol) little did I know when she ran out to her mom's house that night she stopped and picked it up as a gift for me that Christmas.
I am So glad she did. This watch is almost as perfect as she is. While my amazing wife is off the market for good, you can still get this watch on citizens website, and if you couldn’t tell by now, I suggest you do.
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