Best Aviation Watch

[Liquid Charlie]

My solution as hinted above -- no watch -- haven't worn one in years -- aircraft has a clock and a cell phone when I'm away from the aircraft -- now both arms are the same size

[Rowdy]

I have an Omega automatic that I friggin adore. Its not stupidly pricey, keeps good time, no batteries and I'm not overly worried about bashing it.

However, I always take the thing off when I'm done for the day. I dont like havin' anything on my hands or wrists that I dont 100% Need.

I'm also a fan of the cheapo timex's too.. great for the bush.

[Captain X]

I second the el-cheapo watch..... mine is $25 has 2 times, local/UTC and the date. What more do you need

I used to have a Citizen Blue Angles E6B Watch but then I realized it was stupid (never had a backlight) so I sold it to some other sucker while doing my PPL

[cgzro]

Timex ironman, two time zones, timer counts down/up, very useful, dirt cheap, battery last about 6 years.
Expensive watches are a complete waste of money.

[RyanF]

Citizen has a large line of solar-powered watches too. I have two of them, and I love them. And like you want, you never have to worry about battery life.

x2, I have a Citizen Calibre 2100 and love it!

[Doc]

Should I buy 1,2, or 3 ply ass wipe?
It's a watch...buy what YOU like. And, get on with your life!

[nookie201]

Luminox, illuminated all the time for 10 years, works great.

-G

[xsbank]

To get the oil and filter changed on your Omega/Breitling/Whatever automatic will cost you about $600.....

Help you make your decision?

Citizen Eco-Drive - Ebay!

[JL]

Reminds me of the old ANO Series V NO. 22 (equipment required for IFR flight) "...unless another timepiece is readily available to all flight crew members, a reliable timepiece with a sweep second hand."

I used to be mocked for wearing a watch with a digital display as it did not conform with the ANO's. I had the last laugh when the CARs came out and they chucked that little tid bit!

[scopiton]

just buy a rolex
reliable, heavyduty, elegant and expensive

[sdogg0]

Im currently looking for a new watch. I was looking for an aviation style watch but have a price point of 500-1000. Does anyone have any opinions about which watch is best??
Please dont say Breitling or any other watch in that price range, I cant afford it.

[Lurch]

The cheapest watch you can find that will give you 2 time zones, local and Zulu. You will be rough on it, get it wet, soak it in gas, drop it in a lake (floats) break the strap, etc.

Don't buy into this aviation big watch BS, complete waste of money and you'll look like an idiot.

Lurch

[sdogg0]

Im not buying into the aviation big watch for neccisity. Im just looking for a nice quality watch than I can have for a long time.

[b00t]

Although they're digital and a bit cheesy in design, I'm a big fan of the Casio G-Shocks. The GW-6900 in particular has the ability to display both Zulu and local at the same time, has a solar rechargeable battery and can synchronize with various atomic clocks around the world. $100 nets you a watch that will outlast anything you can throw at it.

[skymarc]

Tissot T Touch , nice quality under $1000.

[Clodhopper]

Unless you're flying through time zones, or cross-border, go to The Source. I buy whatever I can for $20, when it dies, you buy another. Tells time, I can adjust it to match the GPS, or cell signal, whatever is handy. Never had a watch that cost me more than $50.

When you're huckin' cargo, climbing in and out of the aircraft 10+ times a day, and banging it off bags/boxes/equipment, you don't want a $500+ watch...

[Maelstrom]

I use two different ones.
Most of the time, I use the following watch. It's excellent and I've never had to change the battery.

http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http ... 29,r:0,s:0

I use this one when I want to impress.

http://www.geekologie.com/2008/12/23/tourbillion.jpg

[2R]

I have a sundial that only works when i am not wearing any clothes

[flying4dollars]

Cousin sent me this link one day:

http://www.perrelet.com/en/gents-collec ... ne/A1047-1

clever idea, but doesn't look like it's worth the money it's priced at.

[co-joe]

The OP's criteria about never having to buy a battery really ups the ante a bit. Me I could care less about expensive watches, jewellery, sunglasses, etc. they all just get wrecked with my lifestyle. My Suunto heart rate monitor tells time but you can barely read the screen after one season mountain biking.

Get something that tells you zulu at the push of a button, has a decent backlight for night flying, get a "powerstrap" so it won't fall off when one of the pins brakes, replace it when the buttons fall off, and replace the strap when it starts to smell like rotting ass.

[niss]

Got the Citizen Skyhawk AT now.

I always wanted the Skyhawk but I wasn't going to drop that kind of coin on a watch that doesnt have a backlight, so i waited until I could afford the AT.

Automatic updates, Has a zulu dial on the face as well as being able to display different time zones in the anolog and the digital side (nice feature if you are traveling in a differant time zone and want to see what it is at home). Flight computer always there if you want one for diversions. 2 Alarms that can be set for any time zone, chrono, timer, etc.

I love it but my only complaint is the glass scratches rather easily. I am concerned if I do any sort of wrenching or similar activities.

[Gannet167]

Torgoen. the "Professional Pilot Watch" http://www.torgoen.com/ Not expensive as watches go, very robust and durable, quartz movement. Some models have a Zulu hand and if you like, the fancy E6b, or not. I like that the E6b models have the dial under the glass - so the paint doesn't wear off the bezel. the company gives very good service.

I love the movement of an automatic, it's mesmerizing, but even the best ones just aren't as accurate or reliable as a $20 quartz. I like the idea of never changing a battery, but for a $12 battery every 2 or 3 years, that's the least of my worries. Owning a Rolex is like owning an antique British car - a labour of love, but certainly expensive and maintenance intensive. As was previously mentioned, they require very expensive servicing regularly. I know several guys who own Rolex's, and ALL of them complain about poor time keeping, not just a minute or two - they keep very poor time. Quartz movements are good to something like 10 seconds per year, which is good enough for me.

Almost everyone seems to have the Citizen aviation watch. They're so common and (particularly the Blue Angles model) cheezy, I just can't bring myself to wear one even though they do have all the features a pilot could ever want. However, the Citizen Blackhawk is a novel and simple design that looks good. If you want Bling, go for a Vestal ZR watch. At a gargantuan 52mm wide, it's probably the best vis you're going to get.

Unless I'm camping, I can't bring myself to wear a $20 watch. Although the functionality is just as good (or, arguably better than expensive watches that lose time) it just screams cheap. $100 on a decent looking watch is money well spent.

[Chaxterium]

I love it but my only complaint is the glass scratches rather easily. I am concerned if I do any sort of wrenching or similar activities.

I have the Skyhawk AT too and I love it but I second your complaint about the face. I've got a big sratch across mine but I still love it. Fantastic watch and I paid under $300 for it in St. Maarten about 3 years ago.

[bmc]

Definition of a co-pilot: big clock, small cock, no money.

[niss]

You're not a real pilot until you have to factor your watch into the W&B.