A timepiece of some kind is required equipment for pilots, as it is critical for determining ground speed, aircraft fuel endurance, and deduced reckoning (aka “dead reckoning,” a topic for another feature). Since the invention of the smartphone, wrist-mounted timepieces have waned in popularity, although some pilots still prefer them, as do flight departments that have rules on the appearance of the watch. While you can use the clock in the instrument panel—it does work, doesn’t it?—a watch may be easier to manipulate while you’re in flight.
If you choose to wear a watch when you fly, the type of watch you select is very much like choosing an airplane—you must evaluate the mission, the functions provided by the timepiece, the aesthetic options of the device, and the price. And they don’t have to take up your entire wrist to work well.
