The 16 Best Pilot Watches For Aviation-Style Horology

One does not simply “buy a watch.” One first has to take into consideration things like budget, mechanical vs. quartz, and what style you’re after. When it comes to the latter, there are many options from which to choose. From the ever-popular dive watch to trendy integrated-bracelet sports watches to refined dress watches, there is no shortage of watch styles available. And one of the most timeless of them all is the pilot watch. The best pilot watches have a certain cool factor that’s tough to beat while also offering some utility for actual aviators.

Unlike dive watches, which tend to all follow the same basic formula — uni-directional dive-time bezel, high-vis hands and indices, lots of lume, screw-down crown, at least 200m water resistance, etc. — pilot watches are not a monolithic category. While you can certainly recognize the most traditional among them as having a “pilot’s watch” look, there is such a wide variety of styles that fall under the aviation watch umbrella that seemingly almost anything can qualify as a pilot watch. We’ve cleared up what makes a watch a pilot watch below, so give that a look and then read on to discover our list of the best pilot watches to buy.

Pilot’s watches date back over century, and have evolved over time alongside the aircraft whose pilots they were developed for. First debuting around 1905, what’s widely recognized as the first-ever pilot’s watch was made by Cartier for pilot and friend of its founder Louis Cartier, Santos Dumont. The Cartier Santos was designed specifically for Dumont and built to his specification, which essentially requested a watch that would be easy to read with just a quick glance. Though pilot’s watches would drastically change over the following decade alone, this guiding principle of ultra-easy legibility upon just a quick glance remained paramount to the design of practically every pilot’s watch that’s followed. 

As the aviation world took off, so too did the popularity of pilot’s watches, as these timepieces were must-have essentials for pilot’s since day one, as they allowed them to do things such as calculate airspeed, calibrate aircraft functions, and compensate for wind direction. Over time, elements such as regular and Flyback chronograph complications were introduced, along with slide rule bezels, GMT complications, and other additions that offered some vital utility and function for pilots. And, just like with field watches, the evolution of pilot’s watches has largely been driven by military and combat use – a factor that’s also led to the ample military influence, a generally high level of durability, the use of rugged and typically-non-stainless steel straps and bands, and the presence of 24-hour time scales on a great many of today’s pilot’s watches.

At their most basic and traditional level, a pilot’s watch should have a handful of features. It should have a very large and easy-to-read dial, with clear hands and indices, that allows for quick reading while maneuvering an aircraft. Those hands and indices should also be lumed to allow for reading during nighttime flights. And the crown should be large enough that it can easily be operated while wearing gloves. Outside of these core features, there’s a lot of wiggle room in what qualifies as a pilot watch, but there are three main categories that most will end up falling under.

Flieger: The most classic, iconic, and recognizable pilot watch design is also its most basic. The Flieger was invented for German pilots during WWII (it’s, uh, best to not think about that connection) and they prioritized legibility above all else. Their oversized cases have large matte-black dials, sword-shaped hands, and one of two dial layouts. The “A” layout looks like a traditional watch face, with Arabic numerals for hours 1-11 and a triangle indicating 12 o’clock. The “B” layout uses the same triangle at twelve, but opts for two timekeeping tracks on the dial. The outer track, labeled with Arabics every five minutes, tracks minutes and lines up with the end of the minute hand. The inner track, labeled with Arabics for every hour, tracks hours and lines up with the end of the hour hand. Finally, an oversized conical “onion-style” crown and leather strap complete the Flieger formula. Just five companies made the watches to start — IWC, Stowa, Laco, A. Lange & Söhne, and Wempe — but many others have made Fliegers or Flieger-inspired watches since.

Pilot’s Chronograph/Flight Computer: A more modern design, pilot’s chronographs and flight computers offer additional complications beyond timekeeping that can aid a pilot in flight. These complications can run the gamut from basic countdown bezels and chronographs to more involved features like slide rule bezels. The latter is a common feature in these types of watches, as it combines scaled inner fixed and outer rotating bezels that can be used in conjunction with one another to calculate things like airspeed, distance, fuel consumption, rate of climb or descent, and flight time. Modern planes will obviously do all of these things for a pilot, of course, but additional utility on your wrist is never a bad thing.

GMT: These days, GMT watches are thought of more as traveler’s watches than pilot’s watches, but this type of timepiece was actually invented specifically for aviators. In the 1950s, international airplane travel was becoming increasingly common. Pan-Am — the dominant airline of the day — put out a request to watchmakers to create a watch that would allow their international pilots to keep track of two timezones at once. Of the two brands that were first to answer the call, Glycine and Rolex, it was the latter’s design that became the industry standard. The original Rolex GMT Master, which debuted in 1954, combined a 24-hour bezel with a fourth hand that makes one full revolution around the dial every 24 hours, two features that continue to appear on most GMT watches today.

As per usual, we began our search for the best timepieces in this category by first ticking off the blatantly obvious, must-include references before then scanning the catalogs of our favorite horological outfits. In a bid to ensure that no vital picks slipped through the cracks, we also extensively scoured watch magazines and press releases. On top of taking a watch’s overall design, history, and heritage into account, we also considered the materials used to craft each timepiece, the movements inside them, and their overall fit and finish and build quality. Using these criteria, we then sourced our larger selection of what we suspected of being the best pilot’s watches on the market.

With this group of watches in hand, we were then able to couple the aforementioned criteria with our experience regarding how each one of these watches actually performed in the real world, taking into account elements such as overall comfort, how they look on wrist and their general build quality. Having each watch in hand also enabled us to review these elements of each watch side-by-side, giving us a much better overall sense of how these pilot’s watches ultimately stack up against their competition. Lastly, as pilot’s watches, we didn’t fail to consider each timepiece’s ties to and conduciveness towards aviation applications, and generally how useful and practical each reference is for real pilots. 

Laco Augsburg 42

Best Flieger: As one of the five original manufacturers of Flieger watches, German watchmaker Laco has the style down pat. Not only that, but the budget-oriented brand also makes the most affordable authentic Fliegers available. What’s more, this watch offers stellar value, punching well above its weight in terms of fit and finish and overall polish.

This A-Type model comes in a more wearable 39mm case size, allowing users to experience an authentic and classically styled pilot’s watch without feeling like they’re strapping a Frisbee to their wrists. And don’t worry, if you’ve got smaller wrists, the company also makes a more compact 39mm case version, as well.

Marathon 41mm Steel Navigator W/ Date

Best Ultra-Tough Watch: It’s not uncommon for watch companies to throw around the phrase “mil-spec,” but Marathon is one of the few brands that can actually back up its claims. A brand mainstay since 1986, the Navigator is an ultra-tough pilot watch that was built to strict military specifications at the request of San Antonio’s Kelly Air Force Base.

The watch needed to be able to withstand high altitude and extreme pressure changes while being easy to read, and the Navigator, with its anti-shock 316L stainless steel case, high-torque HeavyDrive-PreciDrive quartz movement, and tritium gas lume, was more than up to the challenge.

Hamilton Khaki Aviation Pilot Pioneer Mechanical

Best Tonneau Case: Paired with a classic NATO strap, the Hamilton Khaki Aviation Pilot Pioneer Mechanical is a modern reissue of a military timepiece that Hamilton produced for the British Royal Airforce in 1973. At the heart of the watch is the brand’s own H-50 hand-winding movement, which packs a generous 80-hour power reserve and sits inside a compact 36mm tonneau-style case.

Completing the package is an unmistakably vintage-style dial with a simple, ultra-legible dial encircled by a classic sword-style hand-set. This 36mm mechanical watch is also water resistant down to 100 meters. 

Stowa Flieger Klassic 40

Best Modern Reissue: Another of the five original Flieger manufacturers, Stowa is a bit higher up on the price ladder than Laco but still manages to come in below luxury watch cost levels. Naturally, along with Stowa’s increased price relative to Laco comes an uptick in quality, as seen in their classic B-Type Flieger. The watch boasts loads of luxury details, like heat-treated blued steel hands, top-level finishing on its Swiss-made Sellita movement, and hand-finished matte steel cases. As far as ultra-authentic, classically-styled pilot’s watches sold at an affordable price, it really is hard to beat this Stowa reference.

Christopher Ward C65 Cranwell Series 2

Best Classic RAF Watch: Christopher Ward wasn’t around back in the mid-twentieth century when the Swiss heritage brands were churning out legendary military timepieces, as the UK-based brand didn’t exist before 2005. But they’re certainly making some of the best mid-century military-inspired watches today, as evidenced by this old-school pilot’s watch that was made in conjunction with the Royal Air Force.

Named for the RAF college, this watch features a minimalistic military-style dial with Old Radium Super-LumiNova and a COSC-certified chronometer movement. With its versatile appearance, this watch also makes for a stellar everyday timepiece.

Sinn 104 A St Sa

Best German Watch: Although pilot watches have consistently been one of the most popular men’s watch styles for decades, they still pale in comparison to the ubiquitous dive watch’s pervasiveness. So to combat this imbalance, Sinn went out and made a pilot watch that both looks and acts a lot like a dive watch — and it’s gone on to become a legend in its own right.

A pilot watch through and through, the highly legible 104 doubles as a versatile everyday sports watch thanks to its rotating countdown bezel (that looks like a dive bezel), attractive dial layout, and 200m water resistance.

Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Ceramic

Best Square Watch: Though the brand has only been around since the 1990s, Bell & Ross has firmly established itself as one of the premier makers of pilot’s watches. And their “Flight Instruments” line is a big reason for why that is. With oversized square cases and extremely legible dials, B&R’s flagship watches are designed to look like they came right out of the cockpit and onto your wrist.

The BR 03-92, especially in this sterile dial version with its matte black ceramic case, is the purest rendition of this modern icon. Completing the package is a pair of black rubber and black textile straps that come fitted with black PVD-coated hardware.

Oris Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter

Best Modern Pilot’s Watch: It’s hard to come up with a brand that does a better job of producing entry-level luxury tool watches than Oris. And while the brand’s dive watches get loads of attention (and rightfully so), their pilot’s watches are no slouches, either. Sporting a thoroughly modern design, this watch is crafted around a lightweight yet rugged 47mm case composed of a special carbon fiber composite.

Oris’ Big Crown Propilot is already among the best modern pilot renditions you’ll come across, but the Altimeter version takes things to a whole different level. The watch incorporates an actual working altimeter in the bezel, marking the first time any automatic watch has managed such a feat.

IWC Mark XX

Best Dress Watch: Is there a more quintessential pilot’s watch than this? IWC, one of the five original Flieger makers, has over the years transformed the design into their iconic Big Pilot. A simple name that perfectly describes what this watch is, the Big Pilot is just the best execution you’ll find of the classic pilot’s watch archetype.

There’s a 40mm case that’s big but not unwearable, a squeaky-clean Type A Flieger dial layout with plenty of lume, and a knurled polish crown that’s a dream to operate. If you like your pilot watches to be on the traditional side, it just doesn’t get any better than this. With its decidedly elegant appearance, this pilot’s watch also makes for a great choice for use at the office or on more formal occasions. 

Zenith Pilot Automatic

Best Ceramic Watch: Kept ticking by one of the brand’s own in-house-made El Primero 3620 automatic high-frequency movements, the Zenith Pilot Automatic represents the high-end outfit’s modern take on a pilot’s watch, with a 40mm black ceramic case housing a corrugated dial overlaid with large luminescent Arabic numerals.

Water resistant down to 100 meters, the watch also comes paired with a set of CORDURA straps. Zenith’s Pilot Type 20 Chronograph is also a stellar pilot’s watch option, especially for anyone looking for a more classically-styled, traditional military-style chronograph. 

Citizen Eco-Drive Promaster Air Skyhawk

Fliegers offer a lot of style and history, but let’s face it, they’re not the most useful tools for the pilots of today. Modern aviators are more likely to have one of these babies strapped to their wrist. A contemporary classic flight computer from Citizen, the Skyhawk’s complicated dial manages to squeeze in a chronograph, a perpetual calendar, a dual-time function, a slide rule bezel, alarms, a countdown timer, a UTC display, and a power reserve. Its atomic timekeeping provides accurate time in 43 cities across the globe, and its Eco-Drive quartz movement is powered by light.

Farer Bradfield

Moving on to our next pick, we have this horological sensory assault from Farer. The British microbrand that’s known for its use of color certainly lives up to its reputation with this model that combines a white dial with accents of navy, sky blue, and creamy yellow. The expansive dial and oversized conical onion crown let you know that this is still a pilot watch, as does the impressive ISO 764-certified magnetic resistance that’s achieved thanks to the use of a soft-iron inner Faraday cage.

Longines Avigation Watch Type A-7

As you have seen throughout this list, brands love to go retro with their pilot’s watch offerings. Most of the time, that translates to reissues from WWII or the 1950s, but such “modern” dates aren’t quite vintage enough for 191-year-old Longines. The Swiss heritage brand plumbed the depths of its archives to dig out this unique piece from 1935. With its angled dial, oddly-placed crown, and monopusher chronograph movement, the Type A-7 Reissue offers up tons of very old-school panache in a package that’s quite unlike anything else on the market.

Bremont IronBird

Bremont takes a unique approach when they produce pilot watches in that they invest a ton of R&D into how the watches perform in the field, er, air. After all, this is the brand that puts their iconic MBII watches under the same rigorous testing as Martin-Baker ejection seats. For the ionBird, Bremont partnered with Rolls-Royce (the aerospace company) to craft an aerospace-grade titanium watch that will be worn on the wrists of the company’s test pilots when they attempt to break the speed record for zero-emissions aircraft onboard the “Spirit of Innovation” — a plane whose cockpit was co-designed by Bremont.

Breitling Navitimer 01 Chronograph

Not only is the Navitimer the flagship timepiece for Breitling, it’s also the most iconic pilot’s chronograph made by anyone. This is the watch that popularized the slide rule bezel, pairing the math-heavy feature with a tri-compax chronograph layout to create the watch’s famously busy design. These days, with prices starting near ten grand, the Navitimer is more luxury product than utilitarian tool watch, but it remains popular among aviators and will forever be a legend in the space.

Rolex GMT-Master II

Is the GMT Master still a pilot’s watch? The watch has certainly transcended its high-flying origins to become a style icon here on terra firma, but that doesn’t mean its past should be dismissed. Despite the modern version’s flashy ceramic bezel and near-impossible to obtain status, there’s still a lot of Jet Age romance baked into the Rolex GMT — not to mention it’s still plenty useful for pilots thanks to its convenient GMT complication. So as far as we’re concerned, this classic will always be a pilot watch, now and forever.

The Best Field Watches to Wear Every Day

Want to check out an additional selection of vintage military-inspired references that are great for daily wearing? Then be sure to head over to our guide to the best field watches for a curated latest of our favorite models currently available.