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Does the Pilot Watch Still Have a Role in the Cockpit?

AVI-8 Hawker Hunter timepiece makes a case for old-school instrumentation.

The AVI-8 Hawker Hunter pilot watch can be a helpful cockpit companion. [Credit: Jonathan Welsh]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Pilot watches remain relevant today, transitioning from essential navigational instruments to practical cockpit tools for quick time checks and flight timing.
  • They offer a tangible connection to aviation's history, encouraging pilots to engage with traditional skills like pilotage.
  • Beyond utility, a pilot watch provides a sense of nostalgia, style, and personal enjoyment, enhancing the overall experience of flying for many enthusiasts.
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A friend recently asked if pilot watches are still “a thing,” given the many devices, both portable and panel-mounted, that are available for telling time in flight. I told him they certainly are, but for different reasons today than when Charles Lindbergh and Wiley Post were crossing oceans.

In fact, I have spent the last several weeks flying with a new pilot watch, the AVI-8 Hawker Hunter Atlas Dual Time Chronograph, which has taken the place of a sports watch that had become my default flying timepiece.

Jonathan Welsh

Jonathan Welsh is Lead Editor of Aviation Consumer and a private pilot who worked as a reporter, editor and columnist with the Wall Street Journal for 21 years, mostly covering the auto industry. His passion for aviation began in childhood with balsa-wood gliders his aunt would buy for him at the corner store. Follow Jonathan on Twitter @JonathanWelsh4

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