Among watch collectors, ‘tool’ watches are often grouped into three categories: diver, driver and flier.
The first is self-explanatory while the second usually means a chronograph.
The flier category can be more awkward, is it another chronograph, or is it a GMT?
And then there is the problem of identification with the wearer: we all swim – even if we don’t dive; we all drive – even if we don’t race; but flying, while aspirational, is not part of our everyday lives.
That said, cockpit wrist instruments have given us some of the most iconic watches of the last century, and this year’s Baselworld watch fair had the latest novelties, re-issues and reinterpretations.
Here are five of the best new pilot watches to invest in...
Best Pilot Watches
Bell & Ross BR03-92 Nightlum
It’s 12 years since Bell & Ross challenged the world with its ‘ripped from the instrument panel’ square case aesthetic. So this year’s back-to-basics models might be seen as heritage pieces. Following a trend for oversized models to shrink a little, the BR03-92 Nightlum comes in at 42mm compared to the original BR-01’s 46mm but makes up for it in terms of visibility...
Bell & Ross BR03-92 Nightlum
Everything other than the hands and hour markers is matte black, while the Superluminova C3 on the hands and markers ensures night-time pyrotechnics. It may not have the complex subdials and bezels of a pilot chronograph but, in a darkened cockpit, the Bell & Ross wins every time.
Zenith Cronometro Tipo CP2
Thoroughly embracing the past is the Zenith Chronometro Tipo CP2. Originally reissued as a limited edition in 2016 and based on the sought-after military chronograph supplied to the Italian Airforce in the 1960s, this year’s models come in patinated bronze or ‘aged steel’ and are all about recreating a vintage appearance...
Zenith Cronometro Tipo CP2
The dials have a grained finish and show a colour gradient to mimic the effect of long sun exposure, the lume is creamy and the straps are oiled nubuck. Although not a clone of the original, the movement is automatic and the dial writing lacks the ‘A. Cairelli-Roma’, this is as close as you will get without dropping serious cash.
Breitling Navitimer 8 B01
If, in advertising terms, any brand can be said to ‘own’ the pilot’s watch it would be Breitling. Yes, many other brands make them, but Breitling has always put them front and centre of its offering. With Georges Kern coming on board, the brand is beginning to diversify, but its pilot’s collection is still leading the way...
Breitling Navitimer 8 B01
The Navitimer 8 collection features five models; a three-hander, a day-date, a world-time and two chronographs, one using the ETA7750 and the other the in-house B01. All straddle that line between retro and modern, having distinctive heritage features such as the fluted bezels but a clarity of dial design that looks bang up-to-date. No faux-aged lume here, just crisp legibility although a little more depth or texture to the dials wouldn’t go amiss.
Hamilton Khaki X-Wind Auto Chrono Ltd Edition
If complexity is what you want in a pilot watch then Hamilton has the perfect piece for you. Not content with a chronometer-rated chronograph with tachymeter bezel, Hamilton has added a ‘drift angle calculator’ to its 45mm beast, allowing pilots to compensate for those pesky cross-winds that the watch takes its name from. It is an intricate process involving information received from the control tower, the consultation of a graph on an included card and two rotating bezels...
Hamilton Khaki X-Wind Auto Chrono Ltd Edition
If all that brings you out in hives, you could just enjoy the fact that this is the first ETA 7750 to be supplied with a silicon hairspring so while stray winds may push you off course, stray magnetic fields will not affect your timekeeping.
Alpina Startimer Pilot Quartz Chronograph
Alpina is one of those brands that has been around longer than you might think. Founded in 1883, it has been supplying military pilot watches since 1921. The latest edition of its Startimer range is a day-date chronograph with ‘grab-and-go’ convenience and the accuracy of quartz. Styling is simple, legible and modern with a nod to the past in the flared ‘flieger-style’ crown...
Alpina Startimer Pilot Quartz Chronograph
Alpina offers the watch in steel with a sunburst blue dial and an all-black case with a black dial but the stand-out is the cream dial on a blue fabric strap; a perfect summer chronograph at an affordable price.
