What watches do real pilots wear?

What kind of watches do pilots wear? Professional pilots wear watches by brands like Garmin. Fighter pilots have a preference for timepieces by Casio. Luxury watches by brands like IWC and Rolex are also popular choices among mechanical aviator watches amateurs.

Do pilots actually use pilot watches?

There’s real history behind these watches. But as it turns out, most airline pilots don’t wear pilot watches at all. Watches and aviation have an intertwined history. Time-elapsed, distance traveled and fuel burn calculations are essential to pilots, and before computers did the job, the watch was the tool to use.

Do pilots still wear watches?

Once essential kit, mechanical pilots watches today have largely been made obsolete. Almost all modern pilots watches are meant for civilians. I asked over a dozen commercial and military pilots if they were issued watches, and every one of them politely smirked at what must have sounded like a naive question.

Do pilots wear digital watches?

It is a standard edition available across all military canteens and has all features required for a pilot. With the advent of digital HUD, and MFD (Multi functional displays) in the cockpit, watches are becoming redundant. However, for a standby option, Pilots still wear watches. I personally used this one.

What makes a pilot watch different?

There are a few features that separate a pilot watch from other sports watches: Large and highly legible open dial with prominent, high-contrast hands, Arabic numerals, and indexes. Flight computer bezel markings to assist with fuel burn, wind correction angle, and other calculations.

Why are pilots watches so big?

Pilot watches were originally made for WW2 fighter pilots so they were designed to be as quickly to read as possible to reduce distraction. This means that the dial and indices had to be large enough with contrasting colors between the indices and dial.

Do RAF pilots get watches?

But as it turns out, most airline pilots don’t wear pilot watches at all. Watches and aviation have an intertwined history. The RAF continued to issue watches to pilots into the mid-2000s.