Category: Pilot Watches

Value Proposition – Review of Seiko 5 SNK809 – A Lot of a Mechanical Watch for Less than $100

A few years ago, we published a story named “The Cheapest High-End Watch“. We searched for the most affordable high-end watch, comprising a mechanical movement, in-house manufactured of course, from a brand with an undisputed pedigree, preferably family-owned, and the watch should be (relatively) small and elegant. And guess who won the title… not Patek, not Vacheron, not even Rolex or Omega. It was a Seiko 5! While pretty much everyone thinks of Switzerland when we’re talking about high-end watches, we felt that one specific brand was often missing in the discussion… Today that’s changing already and certainly since Grand Seiko has been positioned as a separate brand, this Japanese giant is taken very seriously. Japanese movement are gaining traction in general, and despite being cheap (the word affordable doesn’t even work anymore), Seiko 5 watches are true mechanical, bang-for-the-buck “high-end” pieces. Time to demonstrate this, with the not-even-100-dollar Seiko 5 Military SNK809.

6 years ago

Introducing – Alpina Launches Sporty Yet Elegant Shadow Line

Alpina, best known for its sporty pilot-style watches, is introducing a new range of smoked dials to its Startimer Pilot and Alpiner collections. In total, there are six different models to choose from in the new Shadow line: two Startimer Pilot big date quartz chronographs, three Startimer Pilot Automatic watches and an Automatic Alpiner 4 watch. All six models are already strong sellers for Alpina and the brand is looking to broaden their appeal even further with the introduction of these urban, lifestyle-oriented options.

6 years ago

Introducing – H. Moser & Cie. Presents Two Watches For Bucherer, Including a Surprising Heritage-Pilot Watch (Live Pics)

Bucherer certainly has some impact on brands and is powerful enough to have them creating some purpose-designed watches, exclusive to its stores. These watches are named the “Bucherer Blue Editions” and many watch brands already participated (Tudor, IWC, Blancpain and more). All of them share a unique colour for the dial; blue. While H. Moser already participated in this concept, this time the brand decided to go in a different direction. Not only these 2 new “Moser x Bucherer Blue Editions” aren’t blue (at least for their dials) but Moser also introduces a brand new watch, totally different from the brand’s previous creations; the Heritage – a surprising retro-styled pilot’s watch.

6 years ago

Introducing – Hanhart Primus Black Falcon Limited Edition

When it comes to Hanhart, we all know that it will have something to do with Pilot’s watches. Whether modern, rugged and bold in their execution – like the Primus – or inspired by the classic Flieger chronograph concept – like the Pioneer collection, including some with a cool monopusher movement – the world of aviation and the military inspiration are always present. Today, Hanhart presents a new watch in the modern Primus range, yet focusing on another kind of pilots… Meet the Primus Black Falcon Limited Edition.

6 years ago

Introducing – Oris Big Crown Pointer Date 80th Anniversary Edition 40mm Bronze

Oris launched a significant pilot’s watch back in 1938 and it’s become one of the brand’s iconic pieces. The original Big Crown Pointer Date had an oversized crown to allow easy adjustments for airmen with gloves. It also had the original date complication (patented in 1915 by A. Hammerly) that used a central pointer hand instead of the familiar date window (also patented by A. Hammerly). The watch was an affordable, reliable tool for pilots and has remained in production for 80 years. During the “Quartz Crisis” of the 1980s, the Big Crown Pointer Date helped Oris weather the storm and remain relevant, and is arguably the most important line in their portfolio. The company is celebrating this remarkable achievement with a special 40mm bronze edition with a green dial. This follows the bronze 36mm Big Crown Pointer Date that launched back in March of 2018.

6 years ago

Introducing – The HFLE 2019 Pellikaan Timing Flying Dutchman GMT

HFLE, an abbreviation few of you will probably be familiar with, is an indication quite known to Dutch watch collectors. Each year, this abbreviation is stamped on a watch, produced in limited numbers and selected through a democratic voting on the Netherland’s largest Dutch spoken watch forum: Horlogeforum.nl. After a bit of back-and-forth between the people of the forum and a watchmaker, a proposal is drawn up and scrutineered by the forum members. This process results in quite interesting collaborations, with the Pellikaan Timing Flying Dutchman GMT selected as the 2019 Limited Edition for the forum.

6 years ago

Value Proposition – Mercer Airfoil, an Affordable Pilot Watch with a Swiss Heart (Review)

Mercer Watch Co. is an American microbrand that I’ve been following for a couple of years now. I recently reviewed its Lexington Chronograph and was impressed by the aesthetics and overall quality for the price. Although it has a Seagull ST1901 hand-wound movement from China, Mercer assembles, regulates and tests each one in-house and this particular […]

6 years ago

Review – Tutima Grand Flieger Classic Chronograph – The German Pilot’s Watch Modernized

Emphasising key traits of Tutima’s historic pilot chronograph of 1941, the 43mm Grand Flieger Classic Chronograph is a solidly built, top quality companion for life’s everyday missions. The first flyback chronograph to be produced in Glashütte, Germany for the Luftwaffe, the distinctive credentials of the original Tutima Flieger Chronograph – like the coin-edged rotating bezel, the […]

6 years ago

In-Depth – The Graham Chronofighter and Its Unique Trigger Explained

Named after the great British watchmaker, Graham was founded by Eric Loth in 1995. The Chronofighter, the cornerstone of the brand’s collections, is inspired by vintage military aviation pieces – in particular, 1930s and 1940s bomb timers. When it was launched in 2001, the model immediately drew attention, breaking out of the norm with its […]

6 years ago

Hands-on – Bell & Ross BR-X1 Military

When you think Bell & Ross, you should apparently have “military-inspiration”, “pilot’s watch” and “round-within-a-square-case” in mind. So, with its squared case and round bezel, its chronograph, its military-coloured lightweight and robust material inspired by stealth fighter planes and an overall functional design, it seems that the new Bell & Ross BR-X1 Military ticks all the boxes, right? (spoiler alert: it does, and it even adds the cool technical look of the Experimental collection).

6 years ago