Why pilot watches are more than just flight instruments
Picture this: it’s 1935, a biting chill fills the thick air. You’re in the cockpit of an early transatlantic mail flyer. It’s a noisy capsule of aluminium and glass, filled with the sound of the roaring engine. Amongst the chaotic jumble of dials, altimeters, compasses and airspeed indicators, you have your trusty lifeline – an oversized watch strapped to your wrist by a thick utilitarian leather strap. It keeps you steadily on track of time and speed whilst your gloved hands are busy constantly adjusting the throttle, gripping the yoke, and trimming the stabiliser.
From the pioneers of the skies to modern legends
Indeed, the pilot watch was born in the golden age of flight and remains one of the few genres of watch that conjure such images of life inside the flight deck. Far from fashion statements, these instruments had true purpose and soon became quintessential cockpit tools capable of clarity, precision and absolute reliability. The bones of the pilot watch have transcended time and technology, some becoming true icons of aviation history. But which pilot watches became complete legends on the wrist and why?
Pilot watches are tangible symbols of the pioneering spirit and human superiority over the elements.
It all began with a man named Alberto Santos Dumont, a pioneering aviator who had complained to his friend, Louis Cartier, who also happened to be the heir to the Cartier jewellery house, that pocket watches were completely impractical once airborne. Carter’s answer to this in 1904 was the Cartier Santos-Dumont – the first wrist-worn pilot’s watch. Its square case with visible screws has remained a design hallmark for over a century, setting a precedent for other watches to follow. Thus, the first chapter in the pilot watch story was written.
A classic yesterday and today: Cartier Santos-Dumont
From French elegance to Swiss engineering
When Louis Blériot became the first person to fly across the English Channel on 25 July 1909, he did it in the company of a very special instrument. The Zenith Montre d’Aéronef Type 20 was not only a bold statement but a large and legible tool similar to the Cartier Santos and powered by a robust pocket watch movement. For this reason, the Type 20 watch became a true hallmark of humankind’s first real flirtations with airborne adventure.
The past reinterpreted: Zenith Pilot in the style of a “Type 20” pilot’s watch
Innovations didn’t stop there. Around twenty years later, pilot’s watches had evolved further and were now taking the form of legendary watches like the Lindbergh Hour Angle watch, developed in collaboration with Longines and Charles Lindbergh himself, one of the most famous figures in aeronautical history. This watch enabled pilots to calculate longitude using celestial navigation via a rotating bezel and engraved scales that formed an analogue calculator, turning the sky into a navigation aid.
Guide across the Atlantic: The famous Lindbergh Hour Angel
Then came the B-Uhr watches during the Second World War, produced by experts such as Laco, IWC Schaffhausen, Wempe, Stowa and A. Lange & Söhne. These models indeed epitomised the oversized watch, bearing stark dials, large crowns and hacking seconds. Today, these B-Uhr watches still represent the purest form of utilitarian watch design.
Modern with the look of the classic B-Uhr: The Stowa Flieger Verus
During the post-war years, it was watches like the Breitling Navitimer that were making waves. Launched in 1952, it featured the iconic integrated slide rule bezel, enabling calculations like fuel consumption, climb rates and air speed. The Breitling was a pilot’s lifeline before the digital age.
The flying computer: The Breitling Chronograph Navitimer
Improvements in a watch’s autonomy came with the launch of the IWC Big Pilot’s watch in the early 2000s, inspired by the aforementioned B-Uhr watches. These modern-day pilot’s watches boasted a 7-day power reserve but kept the large, imposing character of earlier cockpit tools, sporting a majestic case and a clean, highly legible dial.
A tribute to the classic pilot’s watch: The IWC Big Pilot’s Watch
Born in the cockpit – immortal on the wrist
Each of these legendary pilot watches tells a story of courage, innovation and the relentless pursuit of cockpit precision. From the wrist of Santos-Dumont, to the cockpits of legendary Messerschmitts and Spitfires, and on to the flight decks of modern long-haul jets, the pilot watch has evolved with some of the most iconic aircraft in the world, reminding us that a true pilot’s watch is more than a stylish nod to adventure – it’s a companion forged from necessity.
More about the world of pilot watches
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