Good watches for flying?

[Nathan]

Was wondering what watches are good for pilots? A week ago I bought a Timex Expedition Chronogaphy with biult in tachymeter.

OH MAN!! A T-6 just flew over my house! It's a good dayt so far.

-Nathan

[Matt Gunsch]

a good watch is one that works. a better one is one that shows seconds as well and minutes and hours. I use the clock in my GPS or the time on my cell phone as I don't wear a watch. Most planes also have a clock in the instrument panel.

[mennie]

Breitling If you can effort one.
I can't so I have been looking for a Citizen.

[Eric Friedebach]

Oh, you gotta have a BIG watch!

[Tinker51]

For fun flying I would get a watch that has two time zones. Set one to local and the other to Z time. That way when you encounter a reference to Z time you just push a button.

I have two watches. My home watch and my work watch. My home watch is a simple dual time zone Timex digital. My work watch is a Citizen Eco Drive. I like it because I can display 3 time zones at once. The local time where I am, local time at home, and Z time. If and when I replace it I would buy the titanium version as my stainless steel one is pretty heavy. It keeps acceptable time (about 5 seconds a month). The only thing it doesn't have and I wish it did is back lighting. The hands glow but they get pretty dim after a time and are hard to read but the rest of the digital displays cannot be seen.

http://www.citizenwatch.com/COA/English ... JR3060-59F

-edit- By the way. I have never used the E6B function. It is too small and too hard to move to be of any real value.

[Randy Haskin]

USAF guys are issued the Casio G-Shock. I have flown most of my career with an Omega X-33...although over here in Afghanistan I'm flying with the Casio so that if something unfortunate happens, the Omega ends up a family heirloom rather than a souvenir for Al Qaeda.

As others have mentioned, all you really need for flying is a chrono for logging your flight time and timing instrument approaches. Having a dual time zone so you have Zulu time is great, too.

Everything else, in my experience, is just hype and style. My Casio allows me to get to the fight on time just as well as a Breitling or Omega or Tag Heuer or Rolex or....

[P51Mstg]

Breitling Emergency is the only one to wear. We all have them down here, also have a Breitling Crosswind (BIG BIG BIG WATCH). Just bought an Emergency for my son for when he solos.

Also if you wear a Breitling (and no hat) into the Breitling tent at RENO, you get a cool $50 embroidered baseball cap.

Mark H

[muddyboots]

Keeping in mind what they say about helicopter pilots, you're probably good buying a simple one like Matt said. An indiglo is probably a good idea, and a fairly large face (leading to the rotot pilot joke) is handy in order to see without raising it up to your face. And, since I ain't a pilot but cargo, I'll shut up now.

[Chicoartist]

I can see why the AF selected the Casio G-Shock to issue the SUPT students ... bulletproof, good and solid, large displays, and easy to use watch. I personally wear the new Citizen Stealth (newest model of the Citizen Blue Angel style line - looks just like it, but all black), but I have the Casio G-Shock to use for "huntin' wabbit".

I forget at the moment if the Casio is so equipped because I use it only for telling time, but if you're looking to save a little money on a "pilot's watch", IMHO it's only weakness is no ability to display dual time-zones, e.g., UTC. Otherwise, best $50 at Wal-Mart you can spend. When it comes down to it, all the fanciest IAP in the world needs as far as your wrist is concerned is START and STOP and RESET buttons, eh?

Now, if you want to go beyond simply functional, I highly recommend the Citizen chronos. I flew and flight instructed in them, and they have everything you need, and then some. Breitling is of course an excellent watch, but to me that's like putting a gold-plated saddle on a horse. I've met quite a few other pilots who "fly Citizens", and we luv 'em!

Oh, compare prices before you go buy a GOOD watch ... then go to eBay and get a deal! I carefully researched the seller of my new (used --> you're on your own - not recommended) Citizen, and I saved a ton of money (and no tax - my FAVORITE part!). My watch arrived in perfect condition, and I couldn't be happier.

Wade

Last edited by Chicoartist on Sun Jun 03, 2007 9:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Ollie]

Good ole analog Timex here, it kinda looks like one of the old watches you see advertised in specialized mags and is quite resiliant to 100LL and Jet A-1.

[tom d. friedman]

rolex....... i'm an authorized dealer too. if your out of the state of ohio you'll save on the sales tax. pm me if interested, i have a great selection. all stainless submariners, 2 tone gold & stainless, chronos, date justs, you name it.

[Lynn Allen]

I have a few watches, but I like the Timex Marathon that I have with the indiglo light so that you can see it at night. The $$ you save right now could be used for flight time. As they, you can aways tell a pilot, big watch, big wallet and always looking for a place to cash a check

Lynn

[yakdriver]

Girl walks into the police department to report she had been sexually assaulted. They asked her for a description but she said she didn't get a good look at him but that he was definitely a pilot. When asked how she knew he was a pilot she answered "because he had a great big watch and an itty bitty peter."

[Brad]

Nathan,

Save your money for more important stuff like flying lessons! If you send me your address, I'll GIVE you my Air Force Issued G-Shock watch. I've only worn it maybe a dozen times and just don't like it because it's too big and does crap I don't have any need for. I threw away the istructions and put on a more comfortable band but otherwise it's great. It's been to Iraq and Afghanistan a few times but has spent most of its life sitting on my desk.

All you need is a stop watch and possibly dual time zones. I leave mine on local time when I'm not flying, but stateside I switch over to Z time when we show at base ops. When I leave the country, I stay on Z time until I get home and just adjust my schedule.

I'm on my second Timex "Expedition". The first one lasted for nearly fourteen years and finally died at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait this last summer. I bought an identical replacement at the BX, I think it cost $40, and hope it will last until I retire.

[yakdriver]

I have a Brietling Navitimer that I bought in 1990. About 10 years ago one of the pushbuttons came off and I put it in a drawer. Sent it to Brietling last year for repair and they sent it back and said they didn't have parts for that model any more but would sell me any watch in their catalog for half price. I don't think I want to spend that kind of money on a watch again if they can't bother to carry parts for such an expensive watch past ten years or so. I also have a Citizen Wingman that quit after a couple of years. Throw away Timexes last for years so that's what I wear. Don