Time to fly: six of the best pilot watches
Release your inner aviator with a stylish timepiece from high-flying brands including Bell & Ross and Breitling. By Joanne Glasbey
It is true that most modern aviation watches are not worn by pilots and today’s aviators do not need to rely on pilot watches for critical timekeeping and measurements. Yet they still exude romance. These once essential tool watches packed with tech cred and with bright, legible dials for at-a-glance visibility retain a sense of purpose and adventure. There are high-flyers with air speed and altitude measurement capability, some designed to keep track of different time zones, while others just look the part with more attitude than altimeter. But however functional, they are all fly.
Bell & Ross BR03
Taking design principles from aircraft cockpits and aeronautical instruments, the French brand Bell & Ross has established itself in the professional aviation timepiece sector. Its distinctive case, “a circle within a square, held by four screws”, which references cockpit clocks, has evolved into the latest BR03. This has a 41mm case that houses a new automatic movement with an extended power reserve time of 54 hours and is water-resistant to 100m. Among the new models is this version in polished steel with a copper dial, which offers a retro look with a modern aesthetic.
£3,500; bellross.com
Patek Philippe Calatrava Pilot Travel Time ref. 5524-G
With its 42mm white gold case and blue varnished dial with highly legible Arabic numerals, Patek Philippe’s handsome watch is inspired by its Thirties aviation timepieces. The self-winding movement features a dual time zone mechanism that indicates local and home time, handy for intercontinental flying. The two pushers adjust the second time zone: one at 8 o’clock moves the local hand forward by an hour, the other at 10 o’clock moves it back an hour. Both are equipped with Patek’s patented safety lock system, which seals the pusher to prevent unintended adjustments.
£46,190; patek.com
Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43
Named after the intersection of navigation and timing, Breitling’s Navitimer is an aeronautical tool watch that bucks the trend of most pilot watches and their uncluttered dials. Some 70 years ago, responding to commercial pilots who wanted a watch they could use for essential calculations, Breitling came up with an adapted circular slide rule that winds round the edge of the dial. It became an essential piece of cockpit kit. This contemporary iteration captures the classic features and enhances them with modern refinements.
£7,300; breitling.com
Bremont Alt1-C Chronograph
Nick and Giles English, the founders of the British watchmaker Bremont, know their way around a cockpit and are passionate about aviation. They have taken inspiration from all aspects of the flyer’s world so, unsurprisingly, pilots’ watches form the core of their collections. Driven by a powerful automatic movement and with thoroughly up-to-date engineering, the Alt1-C not only delivers the goods for serious flight professionals, but also presents a suave face to the world with its 43mm steel case and cream vintage-look dial. A functional, stylish piece for hanging in the hangar or boozing in the bar.
£5,095; bremont.com
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Longines Spirit Flyback
Longines has heritage and excels at mining it, as illustrated by the Spirit collection, which celebrates the brand’s tradition and pedigree of creating watches for explorers to use on their adventures in the air and on land and sea. It champions pioneering, something the brand has history with as it was the first to patent the innovative flyback chronograph function – the rapid resetting of the timer – as long ago as 1936. This year Longines introduced a smart 42mm steel Spirit Flyback and teamed it with cutting-edge tech for a modern look with retro flyer flourishes.
£4,100; longines.com
Rolex Sky-Dweller Oyster
The clue is in the name with Rolex’s Sky-Dweller. It is a clever, calculating companion for nomads who spend time in the air on transcontinental flights. Updated this year, its new movement enables an additional time zone display in a 24-hour format, and the Saros annual calendar with month and day indications means you won’t miss a flight, while the Ring Command system allows you to select and set the watch’s functions easily. The 42mm Oyster case, waterproof to 100m, is 18ct white gold and this model has a distinctive and striking bright black dial and a sporty Oysterflex strap.
£36,000; rolex.com
