Pilot’s watches are timepieces that will never go out of style. With their aviation-inspired design and features, they make a unique addition to any collection. Pilot’s watches were the first watches worn around the wrist, so the modern watch industry owes a lot to this timeless design. If you’re in the market for a pilot’s watch, you have a lot of wonderful options. BQ Watches carried an extensive inventory of the best luxury pilot’s watches out there. If you’re interested in a pilot’s watch, make sure to browse our eclectic selection.
In the meantime, we’ve decided to highlight ten pilot watches that, in our opinion, are some of the finest examples in the genre. Read on to see our picks.
Our first choice couldn’t be anything other than the Cartier Santos. As mentioned, pilot’s watches were the first watches to be worn on the wrist. That design innovation is all thanks to Louise Cartier and the whims of his aviator friend Alberto Santos-Dumont.
As the story goes, Santos-Dumont complained to his long-time friend that using a pocket watch during flight was impractical. So, Cartier made the perfect solution. A watch that could be strapped around the wrist. The square case and bezel of the Cartier Santos has been a popular choice ever since.
View our collection of Cartier watches..
Although they didn’t invent the pilot’s watch, many would say that Breitling perfected the formula. The Swiss watch manufacturer is known for their quality selection of aviation timepieces. Though the Navitimer may be the most famous offering from this pilot’s watch savant, there are some underrated options out there that can be had for an affordable price.
If you’re looking to shake things up a little, the Breitling Airwolf is a model that doesn’t get a ton of attention, but it looks and performs great at an amazing price.
View our collection of Breitling watches..
If you’re looking for a truly unique pilot’s watch, Zero West is the brand for you. The modern British watch brand “Hardest Day” in the Battle of Britain.
An incredible feature of this timepiece is the recast aluminum disc manufactured from the original Rolls-Royce Merlin engine casing of Hurricane P3708 recovered from Foulness Island, Essex. Another unique feature is the dial that references the date of Sergeant Pilot Alexandra Girdwood’s dogfight above the Essex coastline. As far as pilot’s watches go, it doesn’t get much more authentic than one that uses casts from a real fighter engine.
View our collection of Zero West watches.
The IWC Big Pilot lives up to its name with massive case sizes. IWC is a brand known for their quality and craftsmanship, and the Big Pilot is no different.
These watches come in massive sizes from 46mm to 55m. If you’re looking to make a statement with your pilot’s watch, this might be the right choice for you.
View our collection of IWC watches.
IWC makes a variety of timepieces, but their pilot’s watches are undoubtedly their biggest collection. This makes it easy for enthusiasts to find a pilot watch in their catalouge that fits their style and has unique complications that you may not find in other pilot watch brands.
The IWC Pilot Double Chronograph embodies this variety, giving wearers a double chronograph feature that allows them to time two separate events simultaneously. It’s certainly an impressive feature and the watch looks great to boot. If you’re looking for something special from the IWC pilot watch collection, you can’t go wrong with this option.
View our collection of IWC watches.
The Tudor Black Bay is one of Tudor’s most popular watches, but it’s known for being a diving watch. Well, the Tudor Black Bay GMT takes that watch out of the sea and makes it sky-worthy.
The GMT has the ability to display three time zones at once, making it perfect for travelers and pilots alike. The watch also shares a similar design to the ever-popular Rolex GMT-Master, with the Pepsi colour scheme making this watch stylish as well as functional. The Tudor Black Bay GMT hasn’t left its diving roots behind either, as it can withstand depths of up to 200 metres. Also, it’s more affordable than the GMT Master.
View our collection of Tudor watches.
Of course, we can’t make a comparison to the Rolex GMT-Master II without bringing up the watch itself. This is one of the most well-known Rolex watches for a reason.
The dual time zone and impeccable craftsmanship from Rolex make it desirable enough, but when you add attractive colour options like the Coke, Pepsi, Batman, and Root Beer options, it becomes simply irresistible. If you want a pilot’s watch, the Rolex GMT-Master II is never a poor choice.
View our collection of GMT-Master II watches.
While we’re on the subject of Rolex pilot’s watches, we might as well bring up one of its other famous aviation-inspired options. The Rolex Sky-Dweller is another fantastic choice from the world’s most popular luxury watch brand. The Rolex Sky-Dweller is known for its bevy of useful functions such as the annual calendar and dual timezone features. The Ring Command bezel also makes this watch unique, as you can control all of the functions through this innovative feature. Of course, you can also count on the watch to be made with Rolex’s high level of quality, attention to detail, and craftsmanship.
View our collection of Sky-Dweller watches.
We mentioned Breitling once before, but they’ll be closing out our list for two more entries, since they’re arguably the best at making pilot’s watches. They are known as being one of the best pilot watch brands in the world thanks to their attention to detail.
The Breitling Navitimer is undoubtedly the most popular option in their catalouge. The functionality of this watch alone makes it a worthy contender for the best pilot’s watch out there. The slide rule bezel allows you to make the calculations of an on-board computer. Using the Navitimer, pilots can convert land and nautical miles to kilometres, calculate kilometres per hour, determine how far they’ve traveled, and calculate fuel consumption. It’s truly a timepiece made for pilots.
View our collection of Breitling watches.
We’re going to finish off our list with another Breitling and one of our favourite picks. The Breitling Chronomat Frecce Tricolori was a collaboration between Breitling and the Italian aerial squadron the “313° Gruppo Addestramento Acrobatico” who are also known as the Frecce Tricolori or Tricolor Arrows.
The massive case and four rider tabs on the bezel make this an unmistakable timepiece. The dial which has the Frecce Tricolori logo truly sets this apart as a unique watch. If you’re looking for something particularly rare, then this is definitely one of the best pilot’s watches out there.
View our collection of Breitling watches.
Allow BW Watches to help you find the perfect aviator watch for your next flight, whether you’re in the cockpit or along for the ride. We have a vast selection of the best pilot watches available. You can always count on BQ Watches to have any aviator watch you have in mind. If we don’t have exactly what you’re searching for in our inventory, just let our team know and we can source that perfect watch for you. Just provide us with the model, brand, and other details we might need to know.
BQ Watches is your go-to provider for all of your luxury watch services. Fill out our contact form to let us know which service you’re needing and a member of our team will reach out to you shortly to help you in any way we can.
