Watches

[bobbysamd]

Pilot watch accessories

Tell me how much junk on that watch is actually useful.....and DO you actually use the junk . . . . [A]n E6B on the Bezel. i've never thought to myself "thank god i have an E6B on my watch!" however on thinking about this, perhaps only if youre in a small plane and your rivet holding your e6b together falls out and youre now lost, then your watch can be used....

I actually used the E6B ring on my Tag to calculate decent rates for approaches. Otherwise, point well taken, although chrono (stopwatch) functions are clearly useful.

I'd say what you want most is a watch that is easily read and is rugged. Chase-Durers and Zeno watches clearly fit that bill. So are Rolexes, though I, personally, would be nervous about wearing one around crowded airports. The second time zone and/or GMT hand is also useful.

 

[bobbysamd]

Hublots

What do you think of Hublot's? I'm not sure of the quality but they sure look great. The band is indestructible rubber (supposedly) and is scented slightly with vanilla (impregnated) so you don't stink it up when you sweat.

I had heard of Hublots and tried one on in the store, to humor the salesman. Hublots look great and the rubber strap is indeed comfortable. They've received good write-ups in the watch magazines I read. My $0.02 is that Hublots are more a dress watch or an extremely upscale (even more than, e.g. Rolex or IWC) boardroom power watch than a pilot's watch.

 

[FearlessFreep]

I guess it all depends what kind of flying you do. If your domestic there really is no need to have anything other than local time and GMT time displayed. I mean if you can't find yourself in 4 time zones you've got problems.

I have been flying international and it can be a real pain at times keeping up with the local time especially after being fatigued to the ends of the earth.

I use a Seiko World Timer. Has analog & digital displays. It automatically adjusts for daylight savings time (this has saved my bacon a number of times). It also has a neat function that will drive the analog hands to a selected time zone with the push of one button. It has two alarms that can be set for any time zone and is loud enough to wake you up in a quiet hotel room. I have even been able to hear it go off in a cockpit.

Mine is getting a bit beat up over the years and to my knowledge they do not make them anymore. It was gaining time, a minute or two every couple of months - that was frustrating. Had it serviced in the states and it still wasn't fixed. While in Hong Kong dropped it off at the Seiko Service Center and picked it up at the end of the day and it has been running a whole lot better since.

I also have a Breitling Aerospace. I promised myself that watch when I got "the big airline job". Well got furloughed from that job and all I have to show for it is a watch I only on occasion wear. I still like it, though I have to say I am a bit loathe to take a $2K watch out to be beat up on daily usage. I am a bit cautious on this point because for some unknown reason I am very hard on watches.

As far as the "Lady Breitling" you might want to check out the Aerospace. Go to a store and see how it works on your wrist. The watch is very light and for the most part is not that big (it works for me). Not all Breitlings could be considered appropriate, I like the functionality of the B-1 (mostly the lighted dial and more audible alarm) but it is absolutely a brick!

The one thing about ladies pilot watches is that any functionality is lost due to the fact that the faces are so small you can't see the information presented at a glance like you would be able to with a larger watch. To find an appropriate watch get some catalog infomation from Breitiling. They give all the specs on the watches including the dimensions and weight. Use a ruler (metric) and "physicalize" the size of the watch - don't forget the thickness. (The Aerospace is relatively thin)

Another watch that you might check out is the Fortis GMT. There are two versions, one is a smaller one that has a utilitarian simplicity to it that is attractive. I have been wanting to get an automatic watch for a long time and the Fortis and the Tutima lines look very nice and are relatively accessable price wise.

Have fun in all your horological (sp?) pursuits!

 

[bobbysamd]

Russian mechanical watches

First off, I am neither a pinko or a comm-symp. Moreover, communism is dead in Russia and has been replaced by a capitalist system in the wake of Ronald Reagan demanding to Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. I realize that communism fell in Russia during old George Bush's administration.

Having said all that, don't laugh. The Russians make some very interesting watches of high quality for great prices.

I have a Poljot Buran chronograph that is similar to this picture. This is a manually-wound watch with full chronograph functions and date - and can be purchased for $250 or less. If you do a lot of shopping you can purchase one for less than $200, including postage. You can't beat it. I personally don't know of a single mechanical chronograph that sells for less than $600.

The movement is based on a Swiss Valjoux design from the sixties. Valjoux is not a watch company but manufactures movements that are found in a great many watches, from lower-end to very expensive watches. Valjoux had discontinued the movement in question and sold the tooling to Poljot. Poljot modified it slightly and started putting it in its watches.

Accuracy on my Poljot is +10, but I plan to have it adjusted. Readibility is excellent. The leather strap is very comfortable and, unlike a lot of chronographs, the watch is not in the least bit heavy.

Poljot makes many of its watches in small batches. This limited-edition aspect adds to their appeal.

Poljots are sold primarily on the internet, but I ran into a dealer in West Springfield, Mass. that sells them and will ship. I didn't purchase from him because I found a better deal elsewhere. The watches have a warranty.

PM me for more details.

 

[Airpiraterob]

absolutely bobby,

ive been looking at the Poljot watches closely and the other models as well. Although mechanical, I was somewhat put off by the fact that these are watches made off the Fortis Design made with swiss watchmaking equipment, although good, it was bought/stolen/recreated/copied back in the 1965-ish time period and it sounds like they havent changed any part of it . just keep making watches. if they did make changes, then thats good to hear. ill look into their version of a GMT before too long.

Now a real Fortis-cosmonaut would be nice to have.
(is it just me or does Cosmonaut sound better than astronaut?...i swear im not a commie)

 

[bobbysamd]

Poljot copycatting

Poljot makes no secret that it cribs off the designs of other watchmakers. E.g., my Buran looks a lot like a 1940s Hanhart or Tutima. They have other models that indeed resemble Fortis and Tutima, and one model that takes after the Breitling Navitimer. I saw one Poljot that said "Hanhart" on the face and that bugged me. But it's hard to deny that Poljot makes watches which are a real value. They do make a couple of models with Swiss ETA 2824-2 movements and sell them for less than similar name-brand models.

I agree, the Fortis Cosmonaut is cool watch.

 

[Sc00ter]

Torgoen?

Looking for info on the Torgoen T2. I have been able to ascertain from the web that it has an ETA movement but I am not familiar with it.

T2

scoot

 

[avbug]

What a bunch of **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED**ing yuppies. If ever bump into any of you on a dark night, after I kill you from behind, I'm cutting off your hand to take the watch. I'll keep the hand and remove the ring later.

Pray you're not the bearer of gold fillings. You might get to live, and I'll only remove them with a knife.

Doesn't anybody use a sun dial any more?

I don't need a watch any more. I keep losing them, anyway. My new Verizon phone not only tells time, but switches from time zone to time zone automatically. And I never need to worry about having someone cut off my hand, unless I happen to have stolen something in Greece of Saudi Arabia. Or if I fall asleep on a logging sled. Or use a talbesaw after spilling a quart of 10W40 motor oil on the floor.

But other than that, I'm safe. Can you say the same?

 

[Gulfstream 200]

Yes Avbug.

But your new nifty Verizon phone wont change time zones once you land outside the USA!

That phone or sundial wont tell you what time it is at HOME when you land in the middle of the night in Russia or Thailand...thats where one of dem' fancy Yuppie watches comes in handy!!!

Dont want to be waking up the wifey at 0330 LA time ya know..

 

[avbug]

That phone or sundial wont tell you what time it is at HOME when you land in the middle of the night in Russia or Thailand...thats where one of dem' fancy Yuppie watches comes in handy!!!

Good gravy, man. That's what flashlights are for. Must I think of everything?

More and more I'm coming to the conclusion that being outside the US is something one has to do...it's not something I want to do. Travel never did thrill me. I go abroad because I'm sent...not out of choice.

The verizon phone does have the added advantage of a telescoping antenna. A built in fishing rod in the event of necessity. Plus the little screen on the front makes a handy signal mirror.