watch used for flying

[david bellows]

so i have a question about everyones favorite watch they actually use while flying. i see the garmins but seem to gimmicky.

 

[Shepherd]

Plain old chronograph from Pulsar. I've had it for years.

 

[RyanB]

You’re in luck! We just covered this subject back in November.

https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/aviator’s-timepiece.114886/

 

[EdFred]

Haven't worn a watch since before I started flying. Clock on the GPS, clock in the panel, clock on the engine analyzer. Never have to look down when flying.

 

[Ravioli]

...Never have to look down when flying.

Except when looking for traffic, descending, and landing I hope

 

[david bellows]

maybe something simple that has a countdown timer with vibrate so i can remember to switch fuel tanks. i give the timer to the wife normally as is her only duty but sadly she gets easily sidetracked .

 

[N3368K]

Cheapo Casio. Actually, not that cheap when purchased, but still works fine ten year later. Solar powered.

 

[EdFred]

Except when looking for traffic, descending, and landing I hope

Wing is in the way. Still look out the front window to land.

maybe something simple that has a countdown timer with vibrate so i can remember to switch fuel tanks. i give the timer to the wife normally as is her only duty but sadly she gets easily sidetracked .

Forget to switch tanks on your wife's.....uh......watch, let the engine go quiet for a few seconds and I bet she doesn't get sidetracked after that. I've dry tanked a number of times. The engine starts back up withing a couple seconds after the switch is made.

 

[WannFly]

Wing is in the way. Still look out the front window to land.



Forget to switch tanks on your wife's.....uh......watch, let the engine go quiet for a few seconds and I bet she doesn't get sidetracked after that. I've dry tanked a number of times. The engine starts back up withing a couple seconds after the switch is made.

i bet thats a very long couple of seconds...

 

[MauleSkinner]

Something with an hour hand so I can use it as a compass.

 

[jordane93]

Nothing fancy. Just a $50 Swatch

 

[Timbeck2]

so i have a question about everyones favorite watch they actually use while flying. i see the garmins but seem to gimmicky.

Don't get caught up in the "gotta have a pilot's watch to fly" stuff you see in the magazines. If I ever have to use my watch for anything other than to see what time it is, I'm screwed.

 

[BrianNC]

Don't wear a watch.

 

[IK04]

I stopped wearing a watch after my Casio C-85 band broke five years ago. It was still working, after 21 years on my wrist!

 

[James331]

Basic chronograph

Good enough for NASA

 

[ircphoenix]

I fly low enough to base the time off the angle of my shadow.

It's tough at night. Gotta get under the streetlamps and even then it's surprisingly inaccurate.

 

[donjohnston]

I use a Casio Waveceptor.

https://www.casio.com/products/watches/wave-ceptor/wv58a-1av

Sets itself every night to the clock in Boulder. I keep one timezone to GMT. Nice when picking up a clearance on the ground at an uncontrolled field. My watch always matches clearance delivery's time exactly.

 

[Timbeck2]

Basic chronograph

Good enough for NASA

And James Bond.

 

[Zeldman]

I just look at my phone to see what time it is.

 

[cgrab]

$8 watch from Walmart with hands. I break them frequently. I only look at it just before I taxi to get an idea of my flight time. I use the clock in the plane for fuel consumption. Otherwise, I don't care what time it is.

 

[AggieMike88]

I wear an Apple Watch Series 4, but not because of flying. Only about 15% of why I have it is aviation. The other 85% is non-aviation smart watch functionality that keeps me on track with other bits of chaos I find myself in.

And, yeah, I do geek out a bit when I can do a phone call via my watch just like Dick Tracy, Johnny Quest, and the Venture Brothers.

 

[murphey]

$25 Timex with second hand. And a button that lights up the dial at night. I only wear the watch when flying IFR and when teaching because the university removed all the clocks from the classrooms.

 

[nj-pilot]

Not necessarily "for" flying, as much as to show everyone that I learned how to use an E6B back in the day + I can tell time

It's the Hamilton X-Patrol, but I don't think they make it anymore.

 

[jsstevens]

I stopped wearing a watch after my Casio C-85 band broke five years ago. It was still working, after 21 years on my wrist!

My dad had one of these and loved it until his eyesight got bad enough he couldn’t see the buttons.

 

[C-1 PILOT]

I Watch 2 my daughter gave me, after I misplaced the original...she gave me that one too. I can’t live without it. My Rolex and Seiko’s sit in the safe. That said, When I had chronographs in my early flying days, I never really used them for any flying purposes, not n changing tanks.

 

[AggieMike88]

because the university removed all the clocks from the classrooms.

Interesting.... Why did they do that?

 

[murphey]

Interesting.... Why did they do that?

all were battery powered. too much trouble and expensive to keep replacing the batteries on a campus with 40k students.

 

[RyanB]

I just look at my phone to see what time it is.

Millennial!

 

[simtech]

Between the clock in the panel and my cell phone I have no need for a watch. Even away from the plane I don't wear a watch. I have a $1000 watch in my pocket most of the time, my phone.

 

[RyanB]

Between the clock in the panel and my cell phone I have no need for a watch. Even away from the plane I don't wear a watch. I have a $1000 watch in my pocket most of the time, my phone.

Same here.

 

[Zeldman]

Millennial!

Get offa my lawn..!!!

Between the clock in the panel and my cell phone I have no need for a watch.

Exactly. Plus I don't wear rings or watches to reduce the chance of getting hung up on something when working.

 

[Velocity173]

Used to have a Casio pilot watch with E6B. Over time I stopped using the functions. Now, just a simple Casio 1980s throwback watch for $18.

I could never get one of these Garmins, Apple or Fit Bit things. Just have no need to use the functions on my wrist and no way I’m gonna take the time charge it every night either.

 

[ThereByAir]

Haven't worn a watch since before I started flying. Clock on the GPS, clock in the panel, clock on the engine analyzer. Never have to look down when flying.

Not to mention every smart phone ever created... which I always have on me!

 

[Brad Z]

You basically just asked "what kind of watch do cheap, cranky old guys wear?"

FWIW- I wear a Apple Watch 4 but I don't think there's anything aviation related on it. Mostly whatever watch you wear or don't wear is fine. If you want fancy gizmos well, that's what your iPad is for.

 

[EdFred]

I keep reading the title as "used watch for flying", and i keep thinking, "damn, pilots are cheap!"

 

[cgrab]

Exactly. Plus I don't wear rings or watches to reduce the chance of getting hung up on something when working.

Reminds me of wandering around the Ft Benning drop zone looking for a West Pointers' finger. We did find his ring but not the finger.

 

[James331]

Reminds me of wandering around the Ft Benning drop zone looking for a West Pointers' finger. We did find his ring but not the finger.

How’d he do that?

Most modern altimeters are worn on the wrist just like a watch and unlike most watches they don’t have spring links that will pop the strap in two if a bit of force is put on the band.

 

[Zeldman]

Reminds me of wandering around the Ft Benning drop zone looking for a West Pointers' finger. We did find his ring but not the finger.

Glad you found the ring, but gotta hear the rest of the story...was it the left ring finger?

 

[JP11283]

I keep reading the title as "used watch for flying", and i keep thinking, "damn, pilots are cheap!"

I keep reading it as “watch for used flying.”

 

[NJP_MAN]

Between the clock in the panel and my cell phone I have no need for a watch. Even away from the plane I don't wear a watch. I have a $1000 watch in my pocket most of the time, my phone.

I have an $80,000 watch I drive to work, my car.