Zegarki lotnicze: lataj jak orzeł 

What are the characteristics of a pilot watch? 

Pilot watches can roughly be divided into two groups:

- classic pilot watches

- modern pilot watches.

The classic pilot watch is usually a larger watch with clear legible hour numbers, a triangle marking the 12 o’clock position, a large (onion shaped) crown and a sturdy stitched or riveted leather strap. The watch often features a GMT function and/or a chronograph with tachymeter.

Modern aviator watches and astronoaut watches are technologically advanced G-force resistant watches which feature a compass, altimeter, world timer, etc. and are defined by their functionalities rather than their looks (which is not to say they don’t look cool!).

What makes a pilot watch a pilot’s watch?

It cannot be rigidly defined, which attributes a pilot's watch must have. There are chronographs, but also usual manual winding and automatic models, and there are models with bidirectional rotating bezel for the measurement of intermediate times, and there are navigation watches which allow the calculation of positions. In general a pilot's watch features the following functionalities:

A GMT hand, usually set according to the Greenwich timezone, allowes the pilot to calculate the time in different timezones.

There are also watches with logarithmic slide rules with which flight distances can be calculated. A flyback function can also be useful as an additional complication with pilot's chronographs, which offer a simple way (by pressing just one pusher) to measure intermediate times. Also useful is a good protection against magnetization.

Another very distinctive pilot feature is the triangular marker with two dots on the side at the 12 0’clock position. This marker was used for the upward orientation of the dial during night flights and were also used as a solar compass to find the earth’s true north in conjunction with compasses and data charts.

A feature that was first introduced in military watches were the tritum-lit hands. Tritum, a radioactive isotope is luminous in the darkness providing 20 years of illumination.

Several pilot watches have extended or flipout bracelets, which allow the watch to be worn over the aviator jacket.

Pilot watches: history and characteristics

For the first five decades of Flight, airborne navigation relied not only on good map reading, but highly accurate time keeping. The first ever timepiece for a pilot dates back to 1904 and was created by Cartier. This very first pilot watch was nowhere near the aviation watches that came later, because more than being reliable and easy to read-out, it was stylish.

Military pilot watches

During World War II the airplane became an essential war-winning device. Accurate Navigator watches became highly crucial. The German government demanded five watchmakers build competent B-uhren (Beobachtungs-uhren or Observation watches). These aviation watches had advanced features including anti-magnetism and a chronometer certification.

The basic design principles of these B-uhr pilot watches are to this day what defines a pilot watch for a lot of people.

Pilot watches in the space age

With the coming of jet engines and space travel, the 1970s became a boom time for electronic quartz watches because the lack of gravity and major G-Forces were factors that had an influence on the accuracy of a timepiece.

Modern pilot watches

Arguably with all of today’s technological advancements and instruments built into the navigation and control systems of the aircraft, there is very little need for pilot watches. However, modern pilot  watches have features that might become lifesaving for a downed pilot. Like the Citizen Promaster Skyhawk which  is used by Polish Air Force pilots. Complications include a chronograph, a timer, two alarms, GMT time and a perpetual calendar. It is solar powered (no need to change batteries!) and radio controlled, so there is no need of setting the time manually and it indicates all timezones. The final feature of the Skyhawk that is so peculiar for aviation watches is the so called slide-rule bezel. This bezel allows the watch user to perform many kinds of calculations, including aviation related ones, such as fuel consumption. Also models used in space can be found, including the Fortis Cosmonautis line