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Pilot Watches · Page 24

844 articles · Page 24 of 36
IWC Introduces the Pilot’s Watch Laureus Edition 2021 in Blue Ceramic SJX Watches
Sep 2, 2021

IWC Introduces the Pilot’s Watch Laureus Edition 2021 in Blue Ceramic

Long an annual tradition for IWC – now in its 15th consecutive year in fact – the “Laureus Sport for Good” edition is back once again in its usual blue livery that echoes the emblem of the eponymous charity with the IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic Edition ‘Laureus Sport for Good’. Each annual Laureus edition sees IWC facelift one of its watches, from the classical Portofino to the sporty Pilot’s Watch, typically in a simple fashion with the addition of a blue dial – good enough but not quite great. This year the brand is doing something a bit more special with its entry-level aviator’s watch, which gets a blue ceramic case in a first for the brand. Initial thoughts As is typical of the IWC Pilot’s Watch, the new Laureus edition is simple, coherent and appealing. But it offers a bit more with the tone-on-tone case and dial, making it slightly more special than the standard Pilot’s Watches, or even past Laureus editions. Though IWC used a similar formula for the Laureus edition of two years ago – that had a polished, black ceramic case instead – the latest edition is tangibly better. For one, a blue ceramic case is rare, having been utilised by only a handful of watchmakers, and it also looks pretty cool. At the same time, the watch has been upgraded in technical terms. It houses the new, five-day cal. 32111, which is derived from the cal. 32115 first seen in the ultra-shock resistance Big Pilot XPL. Both are in turn modified versions of the cal. 32...
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Exhibition: Two Decades of the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch in Singapore SJX Watches
Aug 29, 2021

Exhibition: Two Decades of the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch in Singapore

Modelled on a navigation instrument of the second world war, the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch has since become the archetypal modern-day aviator’s watch for the Schaffhausen watchmaker – and reputedly a favourite of Formula 1 champ Lewis Hamilton. As the Big Pilot approaches its 20th anniversary – the original ref. 5002 was introduced in 2002 – IWC is staging an exhibition dedicated to its oversized pilot’s watch in Singapore. The exhibition will showcase 31 Big Pilots from the IWC Museum, including the legendary and quirky Big Pilot’s Watch Markus Bühler “Turbine” ref. 5003 (stay tuned for a few highlights from the exhibition, including the Bühler). The exhibition is open to the public daily from September 9-12, but registration is required for entry. Update September 7, 2021: Registration is closed as the exhibition has reached the maximum capacity allowed by government guidelines, as a result walk-in visitors cannot be admitted. The watch that started it all, a 1940s Beobachtungsuhr, or “navigator’s watch”, made for the German Air Force Exhibition details The Big Pilot Exhibition Design Orchard 250 Orchard Road Singapore 238905 September 9-12, 2021 12 pm – 9 pm on weekdays, and 11 am – 9 pm weekends Entry is free, but registration is required on IWC.com. Update September 7, 2021: All pre-registration tickets have been taken up. Walk-ins will be accepted on a first-come- first-served basis, but subject to venue capacity. This was brought to y...
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INTRODUCING: the Hanhart PIONEER TwinControl #FliegerFriday Limited Edition Time+Tide
Aug 20, 2021

INTRODUCING: the Hanhart PIONEER TwinControl #FliegerFriday Limited Edition

Often our readers really respond to watches that are released by the less usual suspects. Something different and more approachable, that still serves up a serious level of quality and value to the prospective buyer. Hanhart may not be a household name, but it’s a storied German watch manufacture, established in 1882, with a rich … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: the Hanhart PIONEER TwinControl #FliegerFriday Limited Edition appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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Hanhart Introduces the Flieger Friday Edition SJX Watches
Aug 20, 2021

Hanhart Introduces the Flieger Friday Edition

Historically the world’s leading producer of mechanical stopwatches – the sort once standard issue at athletic meets – Hanhart has shifted its focus to sports chronographs in recent years. Most of them are based on the brand’s vintage watches from the early- to mid- 20th century, especially the distinctive pilot’s chronographs it supplied to the German air force. While some of its offerings are remakes, the brand’s latest is an overtly modern take on the 1930s pilot’s chronograph. The #FliegerFriday Edition combines a black-coated steel case with a dark blue dial as well as the brand’s trademark red reset pusher. With the origins of the design are vintage, the Flieger Friday Edition has a calculated casual style that stems from its inspiration – the social media hashtag #FliegerFriday, which refers to wearing a pilot’s watch over the weekend. Initial thoughts Hanhart is not short of vintage remakes – usually executed with signature elements like a red pusher or knurled bezel – so the modern style of the Flieger Friday Edition is unusual and welcome. Admittedly the blue-dial sports chronograph formula is well used, but here it’s done with a little more novelty by pairing the dial with a steel case coated in black diamond-like-carbon (DLC). Add to that the splash of red, and the result is a striking watch that does live up to the hashtag’s basis of a fun, weekend watch. The watch is reasonably priced at US$2,700, which is not much more than the...
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INTRODUCING: IWC goes more classic and compact with new Portofino line of 39mm chronographs Time+Tide
Aug 7, 2021

INTRODUCING: IWC goes more classic and compact with new Portofino line of 39mm chronographs

IWC is renowned for larger timepieces with their modern flagship model being the IWC Big Pilot to many. But as we saw this past year, the Schaffhausen manufacture has taken notice of the increased demand for more scaled back timepieces – introducing the Big Pilot 43, for example, as a more compact alternative. Previously the … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: IWC goes more classic and compact with new Portofino line of 39mm chronographs appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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Downsizing to 36mm opens up a world of value – the IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic 36 proves it. Time+Tide
Aug 2, 2021

Downsizing to 36mm opens up a world of value – the IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic 36 proves it.

I love pilot’s watches and their cool monochrome aesthetics, but I don’t have the beefy arms to pull off a 44-46mm IWC. I’m also one of the fans who applauded in surprise (I might even have shouted) this year, when the Explorer went back to its vintage roots at 36mm. It’s perfectly sized at 36mm … ContinuedThe post Downsizing to 36mm opens up a world of value – the IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic 36 proves it. appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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VIDEO: The history of the IWC Big Pilot and how it became a stone-cold classic Time+Tide
Jul 15, 2021

VIDEO: The history of the IWC Big Pilot and how it became a stone-cold classic

Can you fly a plane? Nope, me neither. So why the hell are pilot’s watches so enduringly popular? More specifically how has the IWC Big Pilot retained such a relentless grip on the watch-buying psyche? The origin story of the IWC Big Pilot began in 1940 when the brand produced 1000 military navigators’ watches. These … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: The history of the IWC Big Pilot and how it became a stone-cold classic appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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Bell & Ross Introduces the BR 03-94 Patrouille de France SJX Watches
Jul 14, 2021

Bell & Ross Introduces the BR 03-94 Patrouille de France

Bell & Ross has long supplied timekeepers to various French military and police units, ranging from the bomb disposal team of the national civil defence agency to the tactical unit of the National Gendarmerie, GIGN. The brand was recently tapped to become the official watchmaker to the Patrouille de France, the famed aeronautics team of the Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace, the French Air and Space Force. To inaugurate the partnership, Bell & Ross has unveiled the BR 03-94 Patrouille de France, a limited edition designed in collaboration with the nine pilots of the aerobatics team. Cased in matte black ceramic, the chronograph has a dial in the colours of the French flag, along with the team logo at six o’clock. It is a 500-piece limited edition available to the public, while team members of the Patrouille de France will be issued with the same watch, but powered by a quartz movement. Initial thoughts Bell & Ross has made a variety of air force-unit watches in the past, as have other brands. Breitling, for instance, recently debuted an edition dedicated to the Red Arrows, the aerobatics team of the Royal Air Force. The Patrouille de France edition, however, stands apart in an important aspect: the members of the Patrouille de France – nine pilots and 35 engineers – are actually kitted out with an almost-identical watch. Produced in a run of 100 watches, the official-issue team watch is identical to the civilian version featured here, but it has a quartz movement ...
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HANDS-ON: The IWC Big Pilot 43 shrinks in size but not impact Time+Tide
Jul 11, 2021

HANDS-ON: The IWC Big Pilot 43 shrinks in size but not impact

The evolution of an iconic design is interesting. How do designers keep something fresh, without losing the identity that made it an icon in the first place? Be it the iPhone, the Porsche 911 or the Nik Air Jordan sneaker, it’s a challenge that organisations around the world struggle with and this year IWC took … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The IWC Big Pilot 43 shrinks in size but not impact appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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VIDEO: The IWC Big Pilot 43 gives an iconic watch a modern upgrade Time+Tide
Jul 9, 2021

VIDEO: The IWC Big Pilot 43 gives an iconic watch a modern upgrade

The IWC Big Pilot is not quite so big anymore. That’s right, the new IWC Big Pilot 43 is now a full 3mm smaller in diameter compared to the previous 46mm generation, but doesn’t lose any of the impact that it has on the wrist. The iconic pilot’s watch has been updated to become more … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: The IWC Big Pilot 43 gives an iconic watch a modern upgrade appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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VIDEO: The IWC Pilot’s collection offers fresh sizes and a wider array of choice Time+Tide
Jul 8, 2021

VIDEO: The IWC Pilot’s collection offers fresh sizes and a wider array of choice

Last year, IWC focused on revamping their impressive Portugieser line. In 2021, it’s the turn of the IWC Pilot’s collection that’s expanded to offer greater choice than ever before with a veritable squadron of new pieces. Highlights include a new Big Pilot that’s downsized from the slightly intimidating 46mm to a more wearable 43mm option. … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: The IWC Pilot’s collection offers fresh sizes and a wider array of choice appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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Only Watch 2021: Breguet Type XX SJX Watches
Jul 6, 2021

Only Watch 2021: Breguet Type XX

Breguet has an unexpectedly long history in military watches dating back over a century, but its best known military timepieces are undoubtedly the aviator’s chronographs made for the mid-century French Air Force and navy. It was one such watch that inspired the Type 20 Only Watch 2019. For this year’s Only Watch auction, Breguet turned pivoted to the civilian-market equivalent with the Type XX Only Watch 2021. Breguet incorporated details not found on the 2019 watch, namely a “Big Eye” register as well as a 12-hour bezel. Together, this and its predecessor form a perfect pair that encapsulate Breguet’s 20th century pilot’s chronographs. Initial thoughts The result achieved by the Type 20 at Only Watch 2019 – Breguet has supported the charity since its inauguration in 2005 – makes the motivation behind yet another pilot’s watch clear. While the technically-impressive in-line perpetual calendar created for Only Watch 2017 sold for CHF110,000, the Type 20 achieved fetched CHF210,000 – twice as much despite being a steel watch with a simple movement. The Type XX conveniently sticks to the same formula, making it almost interchangeable with the Type 20 at a distance. Most obvious is the milk-chocolate dial, which evokes the aged “tropical” dials of vintage examples. The rich, even colour allows it to stand on its own as a modern-day take on an old look. It’s achieves a nostalgic feel without trying too hard. But it is in exactly the same shade as ...
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Hands-On: Bell & Ross BR 03-93 GMT SJX Watches
Jun 25, 2021

Hands-On: Bell & Ross BR 03-93 GMT

Being best known for its aviation-instrument watches, it is logical that Bell & Ross also does well with watches that keep track of a second, and now a third, time zone. The brand’s catalogue includes a variety of travel watches, with the latest being the BR 03-93 GMT. It’s an improved version of the brand’s longstanding dual time zone in a square case, now enhanced with a bi-directional, 24-hour bezel in “Coke” colours that allow it to display the time in up to three places. Initial thoughts Bell & Ross (B&R) launched the original BR 03-93 GMT in 2016, which was the brand’s first wristwatch to combine the signature square case with a second time zone. The first-generation model has a fixed bezel, limiting its functionality to just two time zones. Subsequently, B&R introduced a model with a rotating, 24-hour bezel – allowing it to track a third time zone – but in a more conventional round case. The BR V2-93 GMT, the first B&R watch to feature a bi-directional, 24-hour bezel. Photo – B&R While the square BR 03 case and rotating second time zone bezel might seem like an obvious combination, it has never existed, until now. The new BR 03-93 GMT is the first to install a bi-directional, 24-hour bezel on the brand’s best-known case design. Given B&R’s roots in “tool” watches for pilots and other professionals, I’m surprised that it took as long as it did for B&R to combine the two. The 24-hour bezel is executed in the familiar halves of black and...
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