21,875 articles · 216 videos found · page 2 of 737
The aviation tool-watch genre. Cartier Santos (1904), the WWII B-Uhr, the French Type 20 flyback, the RAF Mark XI, the Breitling Navitimer.
Louis Cartier built it in 1904 for his aviator friend Alberto Santos-Dumont, who was fed up fumbling for his pocket watch mid-flight. 121 years later the square case with exposed screws is still the sharpest dress-sports piece on the shelf. Here is how it got there.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
You too can “fly” through the hills thinking you’re Chuck Yeager with very little investment needed. All you need to do is find yourself a Citizen Avion AW1361-10H!
Two Broke Watch Snobs
The Citizen Navihawk 40 and Nighthawk offer two very different takes on the modern pilot watch. After wearing both, one proved easier to recommend.
Hodinkee
There are few things better in the realm of watch ownership than using your watch for its stated purpose – diving with a diver, flying with a pilot watch, traveling with a Worldtimer. Even better still, getting to do so while taking your watch back to the place where it was created, experiencing the country and culture that brought it to life. This past spring, in the height of that most cherished of seasons when the cherry blossoms in Japan bloom, I had the opportunity to do just that with the Citizen Attesa Platinum Shine. Attesa is, in many ways, a distillation of everything that makes Citizen special. It is the collection that showcases the most advanced technologies and techniques. They are modern, even futuristic-looking watches, designed with a forward-looking perspective on who Citizen is, and where it is going. Radio or satellite-controlled Eco-Drive movements, unique and complex dial materials, various cutting-edge methods for utilizing some of the best titanium alloys in watchmaking – these are all hallmarks of the Attesa collection. Like all of Citizen's watches, regardless of collection or price, Attesa is assembled by hand with the utmost capability and care. An evolution of the radio antennas used in Eco-Drive watches throughout the years. First released in 2025, when the Attesa collection was re-established in the U.S. as part of Citizen's new Premier category, the watch is available in several variations. Each one has a different reference number, an...
Worn & Wound
Revitalized British brand Fears has made many waves in the independent watch scene in recent years, building a reputation for vintage-inspired timepieces backed by robust modern movements, and distinctive styling. Now, Fears releases their first pilot’s watch in 180 years, alongside several new iterations of core collection favorites, to round out a slate of spring novelties that carry forward the brand’s unique combination of youthful innovation and historically-informed aesthetics. First up is that pilot watch: named for Filton, a town neighboring the Fears homebase in Bristol that is largely known for housing the Bristol Aeroplane Company, the Brunswick 40 ‘Filton’ aims to capture the adventurous air of early flight. The Filton sits within the Brunswick 40mm line, giving it a recognizable silhouette with added functionality. A date window at 6 o’clock introduces the complication to the Brunswick 40 line for the first time, and the Raven Black sunburst and Squadron Green gradient dial options evoke cockpit instruments and vintage squadron markings respectively. Applied numerals in Fears’ own ‘Edwin’ typeface hammer home the early 20th century look, with a triangle at 12 o’clock to promote legibility. Sword pipette hands round out the design, with the Raven Black model also featuring a “ghost effect’ with matching black hand centers. Inside, a reliable La Joux-Perret G100 automatic caliber movement beats away, and the Filton sits on a chocolate brown...
Monochrome
It goes without saying that IWC’s pilot watch-making legacy is second to none. The company has been making dedicated flight instruments for almost a century, and as such, it remains at the core of the brand. The Big Pilot is the proverbial poster boy, but the entire Pilot’s Watch collection is full of incredibly cool […]
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Ranking the best watch brands today to find out which ones actually earn an S-tier spot.
Worn & Wound
Despite frequently being (in my opinion, falsely) labeled as a boring, neutral color, beige has been making a splash across the watch world recently. When paired with the right auxiliary colors, beige can appear adventurous, rugged, and even classy, in the right circumstances. Perhaps I’m biased, as my 1983 Volvo 240 DL sports a handsome Rose Beige exterior, but it really is one of the most versatile colors, especially when paired with the right contrasting shades. One of beige’s best applications is in vintage-inspired timepieces, and Hanhart has jumped on the retro field watch trend with their latest, the 417 TI Desert Pilot Limited Edition, available in 39 and 42mm case sizes. Hanhart has long been known for their military-style sport watches, and across the German brand’s 144-year history, they’ve had no shortage of classically-styled pilot watch variants. The 417 TI Desert Pilot combines sharp legibility thanks to black details on the beige dial, with robust functionality and case construction. Both sizes sport a Grade 5 titanium case with a matte finish, giving the watch a rugged, utilitarian look; this is furthered by the crown at 3 o’clock, flanked by two pushers that control the dual chronographs on the dial, positioned at 3 and 9 respectively. The hand-wound, Sellita-based AMT 5100 caliber movement is responsible for the flyback column-wheel chronograph functionality, and is visible through an exhibition caseback, which feels unusual but not unwelcome...
Worn & Wound
Brown is a divisive color; get it right, and it can make whatever it adorns seem luxurious, rich, and warm. Get it wrong or pair it with a color that doesn’t go well with earth tones, and you end up with something either dull or downright ugly. Fortunately, German watchmaker Hanhart has gone the right route when designing their 417 ES Mocha Flyback date, with a naming convention and brown and silver color pairing that conjures cafes on a rainy day. Made in collaboration with the Porsche Fahrer magazine, the Mocha Flyback is actually a handsomely-masked nod to motorsport, albeit with a coffee-centric aesthetic twist. The 42mm stainless steel case measures in at 49.75mm lug-to-lug, with a smooth stainless steel bezel, and a crown at the 3 o’clock position. Flanking the crown are two pushers-one matching steel at 2 o’clock, and one in a daring HyCeram red at 4. The red pusher is the sole deviation from the moody brown and silver design, and the first indication of the Mocha Flyback’s infatuation with speeding automobiles. It’s not just for optics, either; the bright red is a hallmark of flyback watches, intended to warn pilots (or race car drivers) before they accidentally reset the stop timer. The dial is a deep mocha brown, with two subdials inset at 3 and 9 o’clock for small seconds and 30-minute counter functionality; a date window sits at 6, replacing the numeral. Around the dial is a military-esque minute track, echoing the pilot watch origin of the model....
Teddy Baldassarre
The Longines Spirit Pilot watch collection was released back in 2020 and I recall going hands-on with the then-new pilot’s watches, which were a blend of contemporary with a dash of vintage styling. Since then, the brand has clearly listened to the response from enthusiasts who have been generally receptive to the collection, but with some consistent points of criticism. Namely, the five stars on the dial were divisive and even though it comes in 37,40, and 42mm case sizes, none felt like they hit that “Goldilocks” zone for a lot of people. Fortunately for those buyers, Longines just dropped two new watches that might be the best in the collection so far: the Longines Spirit 39mm three-hand and the new Flyback in a 39.5mm case. Longines Spirit 39mm Pilot's Watch First, let's look at the Spirit Pilot three-hand watch which comes in a stainless steel case measuring 39mm wide and 11.5mm thick with a lug-to-lug measurement of 47mm. While the gap between 39mm and 40mm doesn’t sound too dramatic, the latter has a lug-to-lug that measures just shy of 50mm which is simply too big for a lot of people. And 37mm is just too small for many of those same people. So, with that established, it’s not hard to see why this 39mm case size is so well received. The rest of the case is simple enough with alternating brushed and polished finishes, a sleek bezel, and a domed sapphire crystal with dual-sided AR coating. Finally, it also offers 100 meters of water resistance. Then there...
Deployant
What if we democratise ceramic watches. Enter the Earthen Watch Co.'s Summit Collection. A modern take on the Alpine Pilot Watch with ceramic case.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
The Lorier Merlin is a $550 pilot watch inspired by WWII RAF design. Featuring a locking bezel and vintage styling, it offers standout value.
Video
Recently I shared a video on the untold story of how Seiko went from watch world underdog outsider to completely taking over the industry and nearly destroying the Swiss in the process, all through the lens of their g...
Teddy Baldassarre
Some of the most interesting and coveted watches on the market were designed as tools for professionals in fields that are more exciting than those of the average nine-to-fiver. Divers, race car drivers, and pilots have spurred on many of the most popular tool watch designs on the market today. Take, for example, the Rolex Submariner, designed for divers, the TAG Heuer Monaco, used for auto racing both onscreen and off by Steve McQueen, and the Breitling Navitimer, an aviation icon for decades. More than just jewelry, the timekeepers worn by these professionals, plying trades in which seconds count, were depended upon in some cases to save their lives. Pilots had to rely on their watches for critical information like calculating the distance traveled and the amount of fuel left. However, thanks in large part to digital tech, much has changed, and many great pilot’s watches are now used as heritage-infused time tellers in less austere circumstances, though the watches themselves are still more than capable. But, before we get too far ahead, what do we mean when we talk about pilot’s watches? Today, there’s an entire genre of watches dedicated to aviation. Some are homages to vintage designs, while others are modern variations on those earliest pilot’s watches. Some pilot watches are still tools, and act as backups to onboard instrumentation for professional pilots, while others are simply accessories for frequent fliers. In either case, the pilot watch genre ...
Worn & Wound
IWC’s releases this year are proving something that I’ve always felt was true, but lacked hard evidence: if you’re patient, the watch you’ve always wanted will one day appear. Perseverance takes many forms, and there’s no doubt that one of them is telling your IWC sales rep that you’ll actually pass on the Mojave Big Pilot, Perpetual Calendar, and Pilot’s Chronograph, and wait for the simple three hander in a casual, everyday size. Today, IWC announced a watch many in the Worn & Wound office have been attempting to conjure since the very first Mojave watch appeared back in 2019, a limited edition Pilot’s Watch Chronograph measuring in at 44.5mm. The aforementioned perpetual calendar and Big Pilot in the Mojave colorway followed, as did another chronograph in a smaller, 41mm size. But this is the one many enthusiasts, I think, have been waiting for, and it follows a larger trend of predictable (and desirable) iteration within the larger IWC family. What we have here is relatively simple on its face: the Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 Top Gun Mojave Desert takes the tan ceramic IWC has been using in the Top Gun line over the last six years and puts in the most straightforward IWC pilot watch concept of them all. While it’s not technically a Mark series watch (IWC draws a distinction between the Mark line and their more experimental, ceramic dominated Top Gun pilot’s watches) the form factor and principle here are both similar. The 41mm case measures a com...
Teddy Baldassarre
The pilot watch genre is a funny thing. These watches are marketed and sold for their connection to history and/or their usefulness within the field of aviation. This history has set a visual identity that defines the genre to this day, with complications like flyback timers and slide rules often featuring heavily. Of course, very few of the owners put these features to use, with fewer still serving as actual pilots. Thus, the pilot watch genre really serves as more of a vibe than any kind of practical watermark. There are exceptions to this, however, and ironically enough, some of the most practical everyday tool watches find themselves with the “pilot watch” designation, and there is perhaps no better example of this than the IWC Mark XX. The name of the game with any great tool watch is clarity. Ideally, there’s nothing superfluous to cloud the core goals of the tool, with a premium placed on simple legibility. One of the strongest templates based on this ethos is the IWC Mark XI from the late ‘40s. It wasn’t the first IWC Mk watch, but it is the one responsible for casting a die that persists to this day in the form of the Mk XX. There are important distinctions, which I’ll get to, but the underpinnings of the modern Mk XX collection are built on the same general formula that made the Mk XI great: it’s easy to use, easy to understand, easy to wear, and is exactly as stout as it needs to be. IWC enjoys a highly developed design language for its range of pi...
Worn & Wound
IWC holds a special place in my heart. One of my first “ultra-performance” sports watches was an IWC Aquatimer GST on a matching titanium bracelet. This was a 2000-meter water-resistant dive watch that featured a push-down locking unidirectional bezel and a mix of Luminova and tritium luminescence. This was in the late 1990s, and shortly after, I was tasked with reviewing their new IWC TZC UTC Pilot Watch, reference 3251. This model featured a sublime 5-piece bracelet with a push-button easy link removal system still in use today. It also had a display opening on the dial indicating a second time zone. Over the past twenty years, I have had the opportunity to get to know many IWC watches. Last year, one of their releases particularly caught my attention. While their pilot series has generally been quite conservative, they have recently experimented with different dial colors, but nothing like this release. As a Mercedes F1 team sponsor, IWC released a Petronas-AMG-themed Pilot Chronograph featuring bright Petronas green dial accents. This was a 41mm version of their standard day-date chronograph featuring their in-house caliber 69385 automatic movement in a grade 5 titanium case. For 2025, IWC has released the Mark XX Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS, essentially a time-and-date version of their previously issued chronograph. This one also features a grade 5 titanium case, but this time with a solid case back. Dimensions are 40mm across the case, with a slender height of only 10....
Worn & Wound
Welcome to the Worn & Wound Micro-Brand Digest, a semi-monthly roundup of new micro-brand news we’re following. This includes promising concepts, Kickstarter launches, restocks, and everything in between. Worn & Wound was founded over 10 years ago to support small independent companies and affordable micro-brands, and our passion for these brands remains strong. Here’s what has caught our attention this month. If you come across a project that qualifies for our roundup, please email us at info@wornandwound.com to be included. Houtman Watch Jason Liddell grew up in Western Australia and has always deeply appreciated the great outdoors. He is particularly fond of the iconic regions and landmarks in Western Australia, including the Murchison River and the Pilbara. Houtman Watches is named after the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, charted by the Dutch sailor Frederick de Houtman in 1619. The Houtman Abrolhos is the southernmost true coral reef system in the Indian Ocean and comprises a stunning chain of 122 islands along with their associated reefs. The first two series have been named after the rivers mentioned earlier, and their most recent collection is called the Murchison. This series showcases four dial and hand configurations, which include two field/dress watches, one field/sport watch, and one pilot watch. All these watches have a stainless steel case with a diameter of 40mm, a thickness of 11.5mm, and a length of 48mm from lug tip to lug tip. The interior width measure...
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A special thank you to all the channel members:
Worn & Wound
Just a Minute with the Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Founded in Hölstein, Switzerland in 1904, Oris has spent over a century building unique watches that reflect their independent spirit. Their Big Crown Pointer Date series is one of their most iconic, dating back to a pilot watch design from the 1930s. The Big Crown Pointer Date remains one of the most original designs on the market, effortlessly bridging the gap between casual and refined wear. With its elegant cathedral hands, a coin edge bezel, and a fourth hand indicating the date, the Big Crown Pointer Date blends the past into the present. As always, the Windup Watch Team is available via consultation to answer any questions you have. In addition, all of these products are eligible for free domestic shipping across the US. Just a Minute with the Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Founded in Hölstein, Switzerland in 1904, Oris has spent over a century building unique watches that reflect their independent spirit. Their Big Crown Pointer Date series is one of their most iconic, dating back to a pilot watch design from the 1930s. The Big Crown Pointer Date remains one of the most original designs on the market, effortlessly bridging the gap between casual and refined wear. With its elegant cathedral hands, a coin edge bezel, and a fourth hand indicating the date, the Big Crown Pointer Date blends the past into the present. As always, the Windup Watch Team is available via consultation to answer any questions y...
Worn & Wound
Sinn fans rejoice; the Frankfurt favorite has finally released a watch we’ve all been waiting for. 156 is a number that most Sinn fans have memorized as it refers to one of the most excellent watches in the Sinn archives, not just because of its looks but also because of its lineage and movement(s). You see, the story of the 156 begins with a watch by a different brand altogether, the Heuer-Leonidas Bundeswehr 1550 SG, commonly called the “Heuer Bund.” image credit: analogshift.com A pilot’s chronograph used in the 60s and 70s mainly by the German airforce, though others as well, the Bund was a remarkable tool watch of its day. Powered by the manual wound Valjoux 22 and Valjoux 230 calibers, they featured flyback mechanisms and a clean, bold design with large lumed numerals and a particularly appealing bezel layout. Measuring 43mm in diameter and 13mm thick, they were huge for the era, though in keeping with pilot watch tradition. Helmut Sinn, the founder of Sinn, purchased old inventory of these watches in the 1980s, reconditioned them, added Sinn branding, and rebadged them as the Sinn 155 Bw. In the late 1980s, Helmut set out to create a new generation of military-issued pilot’s chronographs with the 156 by combining the case and general dial design of the 155/Bund with relatively new-to-the-market automatic chronograph movements by Lemania. Thus, the 156 is the direct successor to the Bund via the 155. My Sinn 156 – gone, but not forgotten The 156s most com...
Worn & Wound
Pilot-style watches represent one of the most popular segments within the industry. Introduced at the dawn of aviation in the early twentieth century, pilot’s watches are the original tool watches. They range from simple, time-only designs to complication-filled behemoths with altimeters and slide rules. From heritage-inspired reissues to cutting-edge technology, there’s a pilot watch to suit every style and budget. They inspire a sense of adventure into the unknown, their function-over-form nature, and often rugged good looks, making them ideal for daily wear. Without further ado, here are fifteen of our favorite pilot-style watches under $5,000. The post Our Favorite Pilot And Aviation Style Watches Under For $5,000 appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Worn & Wound
Lacher & Co. (Laco) is widely considered one of the pioneers of the German pilot watch genre. They have been crafting Flieger style timepieces in Pforzheim since 1925 and have truly mastered the art. They are experts at blending almost a century’s worth of expertise with innovative new ideas and technology. Traditional Flieger watches are recognized for their large, high-contrast black dials featuring stark white hands, numerals, and indices. In an effort to add charm and flair to the traditional, Laco is introducing new variations of their classic Augsburg and Aachen watches with fresh green dials. The difference between those two models lies in their dial configurations. The Augsburg follows the typical Type A dial layout, with a standard minute track surrounding the outer edge of the dial, and features beautiful, oversized hands. Alternatively, the Aachen has a Type B dial layout known as B-Uhr, or Beobachtungsuhren, which translates to observation watch. The latter’s perimeter displays the minutes, while a smaller track closer to the center shows the hours. As a result, the hands are quite different. The sword-shaped minute hand has most of its weight in the second half of its length, and the hour hand is shortened so that its tip stays within the inner circle. With their polished steel-framed hands and new green dials, they most certainly feel more contemporary and fashionable. Powering these pilot watches is the Laco 2S, which is based on the Miyota 82S0 caliber....
Monochrome
Known for its countless (and often appealing) vintage re-editions, inspired by some glorious watches of the past, Longines last year relaunched an important historic pilot watch, the Czech Pilot watch known as “Majetek Vojenske Spravy” or more simply, the Pilot Majetek. A follow-up to a model of 2014, this re-introduction was done with style and […]
Video
Welcome to the watch releases update for the last week of August. We have new watches from Omega, Seiko, IWC, Longines and more. Enjoy the video:)
Worn & Wound
“Just a Minute” is a short-form video series designed to present all the facts about our favorite products in under 60 seconds. These are easy to consume and provide quick but thorough rundowns on everything you need to know. We continue to receive great feedback about this format, so we intend on creating more videos just for you. As always, we encourage you to join our rewards program to earn points and save with every purchase. The Windup Watch Shop team is also available to schedule a consultation with you and answer any questions you have. Finally, use code WWSFIRST on your first purchase from the Windup Watch Shop to enjoy 10% off select items. Today’s double feature hails from the DIN Hamburg line from Laco. Based in Pforzheim, Germany, Laco approaches its 100th anniversary by continuing to build purposeful tool watches for a variety of specialists. The DIN lineup is particularly interesting as its watches are built to the exacting standards of the Deutsche Industrie Norme, now known as the German Institute of Standardization. The two references featured today may share the same foundational case, but they are two very different watches indeed. The pilot watch is exactly what you’d expect from a company that cut its teeth on building pilot’s watches, while the GMT is a paragon of legibility in the skies. Check out the video below for more, and shop the full Laco collection in the Windup Watch Shop here! “Just a Minute” is a short-form video series de...
Two Broke Watch Snobs
With a slimmer case, new movement, and pilot watch design, is the IWC Spitfire Chronograph worth your time? Here's our hands-on discussion.
Worn & Wound
Pilot Watches are an excellent option for everyday wear. They’re bold, legible, and have some serious history behind them. Right up there with the field watch, Pilot watches are iconic military-style watches which have carried over into the civilian world extraordinarily well. There are a few classic elements that make a watch a pilot’s watch, the most notable being a triangle index at 12, a large and legible hand set, and a case that rides on the larger side. Today, we’re highlighting three picks from the shop that scratch that pilot watch itch at any budget. Under $500 is Seiko 5 Sports’ SRPH29, at right around $1000 is the Laco Paderborn, and in the $2000 range is Oris’ modern take on the pilot’s watch. Let’s dig in and take a closer look. Pilot Watches are an excellent option for everyday wear. They’re bold, legible, and have some serious history behind them. Right up there with the field watch, Pilot watches are iconic military-style watches which have carried over into the civilian world extraordinarily well. There are a few classic elements that make a watch a pilot’s watch, the most notable being a triangle index at 12, a large and legible hand set, and a case that rides on the larger side. Today, we’re highlighting three picks from the shop that scratch that pilot watch itch at any budget. Under $500 is Seiko 5 Sports’ SRPH29, at right around $1000 is the Laco Paderborn, and in the $2000 range is Oris’ modern take on the pilot’s watch. ...
Worn & Wound
With our first year behind us (thanks for all the well wishes!), we’re back with episode 53 of A Week In Watches with new releases from Tissot, Breguet, Seiko & more. One of our favorite watches of the summer (thus far) has come from Tissot, and it’s a forged carbon regatta timer called the Sideral. Yes, it’s a callback to something they’ve done in the past, and yes, it’s still awesome. With a carbon case and Powermatic 80 movement, this is a ton of watch (and funk) for about $1,100, see more here. Elsewhere, Breguet gives us a first look at new Type 20 and Type XX watches, with a stunning new movement and a date window that may leave you scratching your head. Head to the video on YouTube to give us your take on the date, as well as the rest of the watches in this week’s episode. Rounding things out, we’ve got news of a new Pontos S Diver from Maurice Lacroix, which is a welcome site from the brand, though we wonder if it could have done with a slight bit of modernization? Speaking of, Seiko has modernized their King Seiko with a trimmer case architecture and a new movement which brings a date to the regular production modern King Seiko. Finally, IWC has brought the silver dial back to the Mark Pilot watch and it works about as well as you’d expect, which is to say, pretty damn well. This week’s episode was brought to you by the Windup Watch Shop. For an excellent and ever-growing catalog of watches, straps, clocks, and more, head to windupwatchshop.com....
Hodinkee
Originally meant for the sky, this everyday pilot watch is just at home on land (and even sea, sorta).
Video
In today's live show we are talking all things Casio and G-Shock with our top 10 favorites of all time. Join me, Russell of The Mad Watch Collector, as well as live show regular and producer D of Hobby Of Hours to kee...
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