Deployant
New & Reviewed: Earthen Watch Co., Summit Collection
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.
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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.
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...
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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...
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.
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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 […]
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. ...
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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).
Worn & Wound
In the midst of what can only be described as Ingenieur Mania at Watches & Wonders a few weeks ago, IWC quietly unveiled a pair of watches in their Pilot collection that would have certainly been the headline grabbing highlights in almost any other year. It’s interesting in terms of strategy (they clearly wanted to focus heavily on the new Ingenieur, a watch that has been long requested by collectors and clearly represents years of fine tuning) and because, well, the new Pilot’s Chronographs on display were kind of awesome, and show that even in an off year, IWC is completely committed to maintaining their King of the Pilot Watch status. What we have here are two 41mm Pilot’s Chronographs in ceramic, which represents the first time the brand has gone ceramic in this particular size. You’ll recall that last year the marquee releases were two colored ceramic Pilot’s Chronos (in “Tahoe” white and “Woodland” green), but both were in a somewhat unwieldy 44.5mm case. The 41mm size was introduced in steel in 2021, a welcome downsize from the 43mm case IWC had been using immediately prior, and has since seen versions in titanium and Ceratanium. IWC has demonstrated a fondness for variety when it comes to materials, so it was only a matter of time before the smaller pilot chrono got the ceramic treatment. First up, the Pilot’s Chronograph in “Oceana,” a shade of blue developed with Pantone, and inspired by the color of overalls worn by members of the Uni...
Worn & Wound
Zenith relaunched their Pilot this year, in one of the most closely watched releases of Watches & Wonders. It’s one of those watches that was just hard to know what to make of it until seeing it in the metal (or ceramic), but both Zach Kazan and Blake Buettner were surprised by it in different ways. Here are their thoughts on the new Pilot watches, as well as a pair of genuine sleepers: a Defy Revival Shadow in bead blasted titanium, and an all new Defy Skyline in full ceramic (including the bracelet). Pilot Zach: What I found when I finally went hands-on with the Pilot watches at Watches & Wonders last week was a collection of aviation inspired watches that didn’t feel the need to hew too close to tradition, either Zenith’s or the genre of pilot watches more generally. These watches, actually, reminded me of my favorite vintage Defy references in a surprising way, in that they were weird and unexpected, but still worked and were fun to wear. This isn’t a typical pilot watch in the same way a Defy from the mid-70s isn’t a typical sports watch. Their sensibility is tweaked just a little, to the point where there are few direct comparisons you can make to other watches. I guess what I’m trying to say is that they’re original in a way that few watches in this category are anymore. The chronograph is the standout, in my opinion, and if I had to choose, I’d take the one in steel. There are two things about this watch that I really love. First, the way the ac...
Worn & Wound
Oris is expanding on their popular ProPilot X range of watches this year (a watch we reviewed here), but probably not in the way you were expecting. Meet the ProPilot X Kermit Edition, a green dial ProPilot X with a positive message and an easter egg up its sleeve. This watch represents Oris’ first time collaborating with Disney’s The Muppets franchise to create a truly unique experience around their popular pilot watch, and it gives us a deeper insight into Oris the brand than ever before. The theme of this watch is taking a minute for yourself, not taking life too seriously, and a reminder to have some fun. The most striking detail of this ProPilot X is, obviously, the bright green dial. It’s not just any green, this is a key lime pie, cartoon level of green, and with a name like this you had better bring it. And bring it Oris most certainly has with this dial. I’d go so far as to say they could have ditched the white hour markers altogether and fully leaned into the concept, but they are there, so there is a level of practicality to the watch. There’s even a date window, but that part isn’t as straightforward. The big reveal of this watch happens on the first of every month, where the date window will reveal not a number, but an icon of the watch’s namesake, Kermit the Frog, of The Muppets fame. This is the once a month reminder to take a step back, lighten up a bit, and reflect on the positives in your life. That’s the idea, at least, and it might jus...
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Time+Tide
Laco is the type of brand that attracts a niche group of watch enthusiasts: those who are into old school pilot watches and that appreciate having the real deal. In 2022, anyone can buy a good-looking, well-made pilot watch from any of 100 brands at different prices. That’s because these watches are exceptionally legible and … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Laco Edition 97 is a classic Type B pilot’s watch in bronze appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Teddy Baldassarre
To a newcomer, deciphering the world of timepieces can be an intimidating endeavor, and identifying the different types of watches presents a particular challenge. What distinguishes, say, a dive watch from a pilot watch, a quartz watch from a mechanical watch, a dual-time watch from a world timer? What are all those subdials and scales on the dial for? Do I need to change the date on my watch, and if so, how often? In this rundown of the various types of watches, we strive to answer the big questions (and/or link to another article that does). Quartz vs. Mechanical vs. Automatic While watches vary widely in their styles, genres, and capabilities, they all fall into one of two major categories based on the type of movement inside them. Generally, with a few notable exceptions that we’ll touch upon, a watch is either “mechanical” or “quartz.” Mechanical watches further subdivide into two basic types: manually wound (or “hand-winding”), in which the user needs to periodically wind the watch via the crown to keep it working; and automatic (or “self-winding”), in which the movement’s mainspring is perpetually wound by an oscillating weight that swings with the natural motions of the wearer’s wrist. On the other hand, a quartz movement (as explained much more thoroughly in this article), replaces the mechanical movement’s traditional mainspring barrel with a small battery whose electrical charge passes via an integrated circuit into an oscillating tuni...
Time+Tide
Hey there Time+Tide readers, This is Ricardo and I’m going to hijack Zach’s Friday Wind Down to broadcast this urgent message. WATCH MEETUPS ARE BACK BABY! This past week, the pandemic stars aligned and I was able to safely attend the release party for Worn and Wound’s 10-year anniversary piece; a Seiko 5 pilot watch. … ContinuedThe post FRIDAY WIND DOWN: Worn & Wound 10th anniversary party and zero gravity Zenith appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
Laco introduces a new heritage Pilot watch - the München Erbstück, complete with namesake heirloom patina baked right into the case and dial.
Deployant
Breguet introduces the most contemporary Type XXI pilot watch yet: the Type XXI 3815 in titanium, available with either orange or green lume.
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