What are the most desirable and useful features in a pilot watch?

[WINGWATCH]

Hello All,

I am new here and I love Pilot Watches...However, most of them are similar both in design and weak points. This way I would like to read about the most desirable and useful features to be presented in a Pilot Watch. Thanks in advance !!!

[Crusader]

Welcome to the forum, Wingwatch!

Many theads cover the subject of your question. Feel free to browsethe older and some current threads.

[rukrem]

Readability in low light situations.

[HappyJack]

At-a-glance readability.

Other features - day. date, chronograph, timing bezel, GMT indicator, circular slide-rule - may be more or less useful, depending on the type of aircraft and operations. EG, international airline pilots have cockpit displays which tell them all the information they need in flight, but still need a timepiece when filling in forms, and may find a GMT display useful. A built-in alarm will be useful on layovers. The pilot of a light aircraft with no clock on the panel will probably find a timing device - bezel (diver or countdown type) or chronograph - handy.

But none of this information matters if it's not easy to read when you need it.

[whifferdill]

Legibility, reliability and accuracy.

Date is good, day is nice, second time zone nice, countdown or elapsed time bezel and / or chrono down to preference.

[kenjilina]

i'd go for maximum legibility and accuracy like my g shock skycockpit.

[Hamilton113]

As has been said again and again, readability. From my many hours of reading it seems that a common theme no matter how simple or complicated the pilot's watch many people look for a center seconds hand that extends all the way out to the chapter ring in order to make precise timing much easier.

[Redleader]

Hamilton, I've only seen that need mentioned on the forum once by someone who had been using the watch for astronavigation. It's not exactly a mainstream requirement.

To be a killjoy, in military and commercial flying the details of the wrist watch chosen have less practical consideration than enthusiasts on this site might imagine. Really any watch (or even no watch) will do because aircraft manufacturers don't make multi-million dollar planes that are missing basic instruments (and their redundant backups). Therefore the watches worn are a mixture of preference, current fashions with or without some kind of aviation theme and from a practical perspective do not need superaccuracy, e6b, chronographs etc even though some people like the well marketed, techie "pilot" look. Gmt can be handy as can quickset timezone changes but any simple robust watch is fine. Alarms are on all mobile phones now for layovers. The watches are used off the aircraft for everyday activities like getting to work on time, swimming etc. and for a bit of paperwork (in GMT) and filling in you logbook (in GMT).