Three of the best pilot’s watches for military-history and aviation buffs
A Breitling that pays tribute to the Flying Tigers, an IWC that recalls the Spitfire fighter plane and Bell & Ross’ tribute to a US bomber jacket
The first watch under the microscope, the Breitling Aviator 8 Chronograph 43 Curtiss Warhawk, is both an eyeful and a mouthful. The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was the fighter aircraft used by the Flying Tigers, the American Volunteer Group unit of the Chinese Air Force who flew missions in the second world war to defend China against Japanese attacks.
This watch is a tribute to the Flying Tigers and features well-done commemorative graphics on the caseback as well as modern-pilot’s-watch touches, such as the two-tone subdials and the large Superluminova numerals. Priced at HK$41,800, the watch comes with a steel bracelet (above), which, for me, looks like the best combination with the distinctive green matt finish on the dial, but it is also available with a green military-style strap. Inside the 43mm steel case is the Calibre 13 movement with 42 hours of power reserve, but if you are interested in something a bit more top-of-the-range, then there is a version of the watch with a B01 movement, which, of course, will cost a lot more.
Features wise, it has a chronograph, day and date indicators and a bidirectional bezel.
Next we have the IWC Pilot’s Watch Timezoner Spitfire Edition “The Longest Flight”. Unlike the Breitling, this is an indirect tribute to a fighter plane, namely the Spitfire, the workhorse of Britain’s Royal Air Force during the war. This timepiece, however, is more a celebration of an attempt to circumnavigate the globe in a Spitfire by two British pilots, a project IWC is backing.