How eerie! My mother bought me that same exact Seiko model (black face) for my birthday last year when she was in Japan, more because of the form than the function (I think it looks great, even in the black.) I keep the 24 hour hand on Japan time but maybe it'd be cooler to set it to GMT? Another guy at work (Japanese expatriate) has the same watch so it must have something of a reputation.
-- Gen Kanai, January 23, 2002
I bought a mechanical ORIS watch while working in Boston about eight years ago. It's never off more than eight minutes in a month, and I've never had it serviced.
-- Carl Phillips, February 1, 2002
There is only one correct way to set GMT Master-like watches. Or at least, there is only one obvious setting for which it was designed; you are free to set your watch using any system you like, of course. This setting is detailed in the owner's manual that comes with the Seiko, and is as follows:Details for the GMT Master are given here.
- 12 hour hands to local time
- 24 hour hand to GMT
- Bezel turned to read "other" time zone off of the 24 hour hand
-- Jin Choi, February 16, 2002
I have Citizen NaviHawk, which is designed for pilots. While it has analog hands, it is a digital watch. The hands are rotated on servo motors, which is what makes it so much fun to play with. Truly a geek toy. In addition to the large analog hands, there is a smaller set of hands for UTC. Then there is a digital display which can show the date, time and timezone, chronograph, three independent alarms, or timer. You can change timezones on the digital display at the push of a button. The really neat feature is that you can flip-flop timezones between the digital and analog displays by pushing two buttons at once. The analog hands will then magically rotate to display the new timezone. It's very fun to watch this.Since the rotating bezel is not needed for timezones, Citizen decided to make it into a circular slide rule, including special markers for converting nautical miles to regular miles to kilometers, and converting liters, gallons, imperial gallons, fuel lbs, and oil lbs. You can use it to solve any arithmetic involving ratios, especially rate equations. At the turn of the bezel, you can determine that it will take just over 18 minutes to travel 3.5 nautical miles at 11.5 knots. (I'm a sailor, not a pilot).
The unfortunate thing is that a couple of times a year, the watch resets itself. I've never figured out why, but it keeps happening, usually at about six month intervals. When this occurs, the analog hands remain in their position, although the digital clock resets to midnight. This is good because the watch always resumes, and the analog hands continue to show the correct time, but the digital and analog become out of sync by an odd number of minutes. Correcting this is cumbersome.
On the whole, I think I would warn pilots against this watch, despite it's cool features, because of reliability. Murphy's Law would have the watch reset itself at precisely the wrong moment. But for non-pilots, its a fun toy.
-- Ben Ballard, February 18, 2002
Concealing the fact that you wear a Rolex or any other expensive mechanical watch is a lot easier than concealing an expensive and big Nikon F5 or even expensive and small Leica M6; just keep it under your shirt cuff. Or wear a shirt with an elastic cuff. Don't flash it in front of the chicks at the pilot's bar to impress them. As for failure, catastropic or otherwise, I worry more about a battery powered quartz watch. I've had them die while I was on vacation overseas, then you have to waste time buying another one. Or carry a spare. My mechanical watches are much more reliable. My personal experience with good mechanical watches (Omega, Panerai) is that they drift by at most 2-3 seconds per day. Sure, they should be serviced every 5 years or so, just like a professionally used camera.
-- Jay J. Pulli, March 20, 2002
"My mechanical watches are much more reliable. My personal experience with good mechanical watches (Omega, Panerai) is that they drift by at most 2-3 seconds per day."I wouldn't call drifting 2-3 seconds per day 'reliable'. I guess it depends on your definition of the word.
In terms of general accuracy, quartz watches (ie. battery-powered) are much more accurate than any mechanical watch. Mechanical watch enthusiasts often compare the movements, the finishing, the level of adjustment, types of certifications, performance under different circumstances and other esoteric measures of mechanical timepieces.
Quartz watch enthusiasts compare... mostly accuracy measures. If accuracy is important to you, a quartz watch is the way to go.
If you want a really cool watch, check out the Omega Speedmaster Professional X-33 (with Quartz movement). "Designed in close collaboration with astronauts and professional pilots." from the Omega website
-- Tristan Tom, April 24, 2002
As a recently-minted private pilot, I have also searched far for an appropriate watch. Thanks much for the Seiko GMT tip! I found two reputable online dealers in Singapore, Sky Watches [horrid web design but excellent prices and service] and chronograph.com [easier to navigate and slightly higher prices], which sell a huge selection of discounted Seiko watches. I'd like to point out that Seiko actually makes about 10 models with the 24-hour hand, only one of which is distributed in the US. On both sites, the 24-hour watches are listed under the Seiko Perpetual Calendar group. My favorite, and the one I bought from Sky Watches, is the SLT047. It lacks the rotating bezel (which is only really necessary for showing a third time zone), but has a clean, high-contrast face, locking crown, antiglare sapphire crystal, and a lovely stainless steel case, all for about US$250. You can also buy it in a titanium version.
Thanks, Philip, for sharing your flying experiences. I too am seriously enjoying both my photography and aviation avocations.
-- C. Nolan Huizenga, April 24, 2002
Why all this talk about watches?Let's see. One of my best friends is a military fighter pilot who, on the side, owns two highly sophisticated private planes. His watch is a Timex Ironman. His timer is a second Ironman with a broken band. Another friend of mine is an ATP who flies a P-51 for fun. Uses a cheap Casio. I have an ironman and keep a $5 timer in my flight bag.
That's all anyone needs. This talk of Rolexes and needing to have a watch that displays GMT is silly. You've got a watch on your wrist, you've probably got a clock on the dash and you've got a timer. If you're a gearhead, that's great -- but at least admit that you're a gearhead. This stuff is not necessary.
-- george day, May 2, 2002
Incidentally -- and now a positve comment from me -- the Lightspeed 25xl headset is an excellent choice. Runs around $500 or so (what I paid, anyway), batteries seem to last forever and it's quite comfy and effective.
-- george day, May 2, 2002
A Swiss-certified watch is certified accurate to within 4 seconds per day. Most quartz watches are accurate to within 15 seconds per month. Mechanical watches are pretty cool things to look at and can be very expensive.But if you really want to keep accurate time, carry a quartz watch. Worried that the watch will die (which is pretty rare, a decent battery will last at least 4 years)? Carry a spare Timex watch on your other hand, it's only $50 or so. Really paranoid about time? Carry a stopwatch around your neck, that's three watches that would have to fail in order for you to lose track of time. Need to know GMT? Carry a Palm with a time zone program. Or simply memorize what the conversion factor is (e.g., +5 for the East Coast, non-DST).
-- Gus M, August 19, 2002
Much as I enjoy reading your comments and opinions, I really think you've lost it on the "watch" issue. If what you need to do is tell the time, the best thing to do is buy a $50 Casio. My G-Shock has worked flawlessly for 20 years, despite all kinds of abuse.People don't buy a Rolex to tell the time - they buy it because it's a thing of beauty - both its obvious physical beauty, and its intrinsic beauty as a masterpiece of craftsmanship, the work of micro-mechanical expertise.
-- Jeremy Henderson, September 24, 2002
Mr. Greenspun,Skip the Rolex, Breitling, and so forth. Get an E6B. A metal E6B.
Enjoy the sky.
Paul
-- William Fiefer, November 3, 2002
As a wrist watch collector ( and a private pilot ) I most humble contest those who say that a mechanical watch does not fill the bill for us - pilots! A very high quality mechanical watch ( with C.O.S.C. certificate ), can deliver a "knowing daily rate", capable of targeting the time within 2 to 3 seconds a month for those who indeed need such an acccurate time ?! Who need such ? Pilots or astronauts ? For those seeking for accuracy I recommend thermo compensated quartz watches such as Piquot Meridien wrist marine chronometer or one of those radio controled ( several brands ). Good fligths. Vanildo Maldi
-- Vanildo Maldi, January 4, 2003
My experience is that the accuracy of a number of mechanical (i.e., automatic) watch movements is very vulnerable to shock , arm motions, consistency of wearing,etc. Try this experiment: (a) set your automatic watch to the precise time using a shortwave radio or other precise time source (use the digital clock on a personal computer if need be). (b) do 10 minutes of some activity that involves physical motion of the arm wearing the watch ; e.g,. shadow boxing. (c) check your automatic watch against your precise time source about 6 hours later. I've seen an automatic using a common ETA movement gain 30 seconds from just a minute of arm motion. What's hilarious, in my opinion, is that these fragile automatic movements are dressed up in rugged, tank-like , oversized cases.Even better test: Run a jackhammer for 10 minutes and compare the accuracy maintained by an automatic with the accuracy maintained by a $50 G-Shock from Walmart.
I think a lot of the accuracy claims for automatics come from office workers who don't do much physical activity, baby the automatic, place them in precise positions at night, keep them on rotating winders,etc.
-- Donald Williams, May 28, 2003
For a pilot's wrist watch, the most useful is the Suunto Altimeter watch. Loose your altimeter and you have one that stay's within 100 feet of indicated, (the diff is because the watch in inside your cabin vs. outside and there is a pressure differental). This of course is only if you have a non-pressurized airplane.For headsets, I have owned Dave Clarks and recently the Lightspeed 20 3G ANR. Both are fine sets but not nearly as good as the DRE 6000's with the Oregon Aero kit. These are the quietest and most comfortable headset I have ever tried. I read a review on Aviation Consumer which rated them higher than all except the Bose for ANR but equal for comfort and decided to try them since my Lightspeeds where like nut crackers. They are super but add the Oregon Aero kit and you have unmatched comfort and a very quiet set. There is a new DRE headset out called the 6500 which is even further improved. They are little known but have quite a cult following and I can see why. Give them a try - you won't be dissapointed.
-- Chris Oliver, September 5, 2004
Folks, Regarding pilot watches, here's a better perspective than what PhilG has.I am a newly minted pilot, and drifted across this during the quest for good recommendations for watches. I've been visiting Phil's site for many years now, but only now did I start finding his aviation section more interesting!
Check some of the classic posts http://www.watchuseek.com/pilotwatch/
There is a very nice set of postings that tracks classic 'aviation' watches!
-- Ano Nymous, October 16, 2004
You say Dahon is "poor function." I bought one for commuting. (If I am too tired, or drunk, or busy to ride home, I fold it up and throw it in a taxi) I find my Dahon Mu XL surprisingly good... The hub gear system is bombproof, the ride is stable and comfortable, and the fit-and-finish comparable to the average Trek MTB or whatever. My experience is that Dahon is quite a nice bike.
-- Michael Slater, July 4, 2007
Two years ago I bought for my wife and myself a "Riese and Mueller Birdy" folding bike which I regard as the best product on the market. In contrast to most of the other foldable products R&M bikes come with a full suspension which makes the ride much easier considering the small wheels those bikes normally feature. We tested the bikes extensively in Eastern Germany on "soviet-style" roads made up of deteriorating concrete blocks and they survived without problems.I don't know whether the Birdy is available outside of Europe, but it's definitely worthwile to check out R&M's website (which I attach as URL).
And yes, the bike is not cheap...
-- Gerhard Wagner, July 8, 2007
On folding bikes... I gave up on my low-end Dahon. Too heavy, and still pretty big when folded. Tried Bromptons, but couldn't really justify the price of the high-spec one I wanted. And then I discovered Mezzo. Approx half the price of a decent Brompton, light as a feather, asymmetrically folds to a very small package, and handles like a dream. Also curiously fast. When you fold/unfold a Mezzo, you can see that they did an awful lot of 3D CAD work in the design of this machine. Everyone should have one. See www.mezzobikes.com
-- Dave Cliff, July 23, 2007
I guess the watch thing was bound to be a hot issue. I can only make the following recommendations:1. The Seiko GMT is uglier than any Rolex, and I am a Seiko fan.
2. Try the Rolex GMT with black bezel. With the fixed bezel of the Explorer II, you lose the ability to time parking meters, etc. It sounds trite, but the bi-directional bezel is really useful, and a lot easier than monkeying with little buttons and modes on a G-shock. Invicta makes a great Explorer II homage for about $100.
3. If you also scuba dive, Omega has a Seamaster GMT that does everything a Rolex Submariner and GMT-Master can do, with a more rugged movement. Oh, and it's half the price.
4. Watches with slide rules on the bezel look cheesey, but they are quite useful in a pinch (if you lose your e6b or it's out in the airplane and your wrist is in ops).
5. Check out the Wenger Commando GMT. It features one of the most accurate quartz movements ever, with GMT functionality.
-- David Christian, August 29, 2007
OK guys, watches are like cars; There's not one that is "better" than the other. It all depends on the individual's needs and tastes. I will say one thing, and this is from an "old timer", not one of you young tech-guys of modern times: I was employed by Pan Am for 18 years and then spent my last 7 in AAL. IN those times airlines were not as cheap as today, and Pan Am used to issue us Captains a Rolex GMT Master. My GMT Master served me well, and I still wear it. It's almost 38 years old and still looks great! It does not have the precision of a digital watch, but then, who needs to be that precise? These modern-day "nuclear" watches are just an excuse for us jocks to show off our toys. Much like buying a Hummer to be seen driving around town or taking the wife to Publix.
-- Royce M, November 23, 2008
Do NOT try the Lightspeed Mach 1 in-the-ear headset. It's an extremely flawed headset. The earplugs don't seal very well, the ear clip on the mic-boom side is very insecure and doesn't hold the boom very securely, and the boom doesn't stay bent. The microphone is pathetic, and if you've got a vent open and there's any breeze in the cabin, the mic will pick it up. The wires are thin, like the ones on an ipod headset, and it gets tangled very easily. I bought one for my own use, but since I bought my avcomm the Lightspeed is only used by my passengers now.Before I bought my own headset, I used whatever cheap headset the airport had available, mostly Avcomms. I bought an Avcomm AC454 for $175 dollars. I fly light sport aircraft, which aren't very loud, so PNR is just fine. The ear seals and head pad are comfortable, the size and mechanical pressures are comfortable, and I like the old fashioned wire mic boom better than the bendy straw type. I tend to use my headset with both the intercom and the headset volume set just above half, and I'm not worried about blowing out the speakers.
My personal requirements on watches are: Durable, waterproof enough to bathe with, Hour, Zulu hour, minute, second, backlight. An E6-B bezel would be nice. I tend to wear generic $7 watches from wal-mart, and if I do get a better pilot watch, I'll keep a cheap watch in my flight bag.
-- Adam Bowers, August 8, 2009
Aviation Watches?Well, after some 25000 hours of flying, I would say that the most important thing is the time be accurate. And by accurate, I mean in an absolute sense, generally synchronized to one of the several HF radio time signals (ex: WWV or CHU), or to the GPS constellation.
For reference, I would direct those with more interest to the ICAO document NAT Doc 007, the North Atlantic Operations and Airspace Manual, section 8.2.2. The North Atlantic is still procedural controlled (ie non-radar), and relies on accurate time of position reports to establish aircraft separation, and so (in my mind), sets the standard for aviation timekeeping.
To conveniently accomplish this, I have relied for a number of years on Casio's excellent Waveceptor series of radio controlled watches. They set themselves to the atomic clock in Colorado (or Britain, Germany, China Japan) every night. They get my highest recommendation. Pick one that is easy to read, digital, while uglier is better than analog for precise reading. GMT or Zulu time is nice but not necessary.... I'll assume you'll know what the hour is. If you don't, I'm not sure a watch will help.. :-)
-- Rick Reed, December 26, 2015