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Tips and trends for pilot's watches

Find the right pilot's watch for your needs

A little over 100 years ago, the pilot's watch was developed. Due to their masculine design, men also perceived their watches as jewelry for their wrists for the first time. As a result, a new market segment developed, which quickly took Zeppelin as a pioneer among manufacturers. It was only for military reasons that men wore the watch as a kind of tool, but this was hardly accepted in terms of fashion. In addition, pilot's watches were characterized by very advanced technology and durability despite adverse circumstances. In this article, you will learn why pilot's watches were the pioneer for wristwatches for a long time and why they are becoming interesting again today.

Table of contents

What distinguishes a pilot's watch

The most distinctive features of a pilot's watch are its robust design, a high-contrast dial and very precise movements. In the everyday life of an aviator, the watch should be able to withstand friction and shocks as well as enable good recognition in bright and dark light. Manufacturers such as Zeppelin, Messerschmitt, Junkers or Citizen had to adapt to some challenging circumstances:

Accordingly, with some models you can see the times of different cities or use a tachymeter to carry out a speed measurement. Certainly, the latter is also easier to do nowadays and is more for you if you like nostalgia or if you are a pilot and have higher technical demands than digital helpers do.

The technological standard is particularly high

What does a particularly high technological standard mean?

In order to meet the aforementioned challenges with certainty, there is the Technical Standard for Pilot's Watches (TESTAF). It was designed in 2012 by the Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Airbus Helicopters and Sinn Spezialuhren GmbH as well as other external sponsors. An Aachen test procedure ensures that a pilot's watch can withstand high climatic and kinetic loads and allows the watch wearer to tell the time as quickly as possible - regardless of the lighting conditions. In 2016, the new DIN 8330 came into force. TESTAF formed the basis and so similar participants were involved in the development of the standard, along with other manufacturers and Lufthansa Cargo. Just as with diver's watches, there is now also a binding standard that can officially distinguish pilot's watches.

What is new here are the observance of:

Accordingly, special seals and anti-reflective coatings are required in order to be able to build a pilot's watch according to the DIN standard. The top priority for this standard is, of course, flight safety. There are additional requirements for this, according to which pilot's watches must not exhibit any magnetic interference to on-board instruments and avionics. Furthermore, the bracelet must be specially secured so that the watch cannot be lost during flight operations and detection with the help of a night vision device must be possible.

What you should look for when buying a pilot's watch

So you're a pilot, collector, friend of nostalgia or simply someone who appreciates high-quality technology in Tool wristwatches? The pilot's watch is a good choice for you. Especially due to the special materials, manufacturing processes and tests for ISO DIN 8330, the niche products can be very expensive. Therefore, you should be clear about your price expectations in advance. However, which group you belong to, which we mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph, is not entirely irrelevant. As a pilot, you will have clear minimum requirements for your product. As a nostalgia fan, however, note that certain functions such as tachymeters, various times of some cities and the like can fill your watch face a lot. When it becomes too much for you and to what extent you can still deal with it, you should try it out live if possible! This is the only way to ensure that your pilot's watch and its applications meet your requirements.

Pilot's Watches Trends

Old trends are reborn every now and then. But it is not only from fashion cycles and nostalgia that pilot's watches are experiencing a new impetus and will experience particular popularity in the coming years. Can't a digital watch simply replace most functions? This question arises when, for example, speed measurements are discussed. Nowadays, any medium-quality digital device can measure speed, distances and routes, as well as display time information from any location. To some extent, this is correct. However, by far the absolute majority of these devices do not meet the enormous technical precision that pilot's watches do.
In addition, many of the materials are not up to the requirements of aviation, nor would they be permitted to do so. In addition, the robustness offers you a durable product and a true masculine character on the wrist. At Inhorgenta, a trade fair for jewelry and watches, it became clear that the popularity of pilot's watches is growing and that Junkers serves this segment particularly well. The new standards are also helping to ensure that the watches are used again by pilots.

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