IWC has long been one of the most eminent producers of pilot watches. The IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII comes from a long line of pilot watches going back to the 1930s. While these watches are all very different from each other, they’re all exceptional, heirloom-quality, dyed-in-the-wool pilot watches. We included some brand new models as well as classic icons to represent historic pilot watches as well as the future of the genre. When putting this list together, we considered functionality, aesthetics, wearability, and historical importance to develop a diverse list that should have something for all types of aviation enthusiasts. Here are some of the absolute best pilot watches available to buy in 2021. With all this variability within the category, it can be hard to decide which pilot’s watch is right for you, but we can help with that. Other features a pilot watch may have are a large crown to assist with operation while wearing gloves or a chronograph function to assist in timing things like total flight time, mission time, or determining when a pilot needs to refuel. A pilot’s watch will also often have the ability to track multiple timezones via a GMT or dual-time complication. Legibility is an essential trait in the pilot watch category, and because of this, pilot watches usually have a large dial with very visible and lumed hands and indices. That said, there are some guidelines based on the purpose of a pilot watch that any good aviator’s timepiece should have.įirst and foremost, a pilot’s watch needs to be legible.

It’s not subject to the same specifications as, say, a divers watch, which has requirements it needs to fill that are passed down from an independent governing body. In general, there aren’t solidified rules around the pilot watch category. Well, if I pilot wears it, that’s a good start. So what exactly makes a watch a pilot’s watch. This guide will break down what exactly a pilot watch is, and review the different types and functions, as well as some of the most notable pilot watches you can buy today. Also, because there are so many different kinds of aviators-military, commercial, hobbyist, etc.-pilot watches are among the most diverse and broad of watch categories. In short, the pilot watch is kind of a big deal and represents one of the most popular watch categories. Not only was the pilot watch the first solution-focused tool watch, but it was also the first men’s watch designed from inception to be wrist-mounted. Before the dawn of dive watches, racing chronographs, or any tool watches, there were pilot watches.

Fighter pilot watch