What watch do you wear with your flying jacket?

[Monsoon]

Which G-Shock?

I've been issued both the DW-5600E and the DW-9052 in the USAF.

We were issued DW-9051. It's a nice watch.

 

[bazelot]

Which G-Shock?

I've been issued both the DW-5600E and the DW-9052 in the USAF.

We were issued DW-9051. It's a nice watch.

The USAF issues Japanese watches now!!!!!???? Long gone is the area of the Walthams, Hamiltons, Elgins and Bulovas.

 

[zoomer]

Nothing pricey, nothing authentic, nothing rare. It's an Orvis automatic I bought about 2005.
It can pass for a military watch or a nice plain mid-century job. It now has a steel-mesh band.

 

[HackerF15E]

The USAF issues Japanese watches now!!!!!???? Long gone is the area of the Walthams, Hamiltons, Elgins and Bulovas.

The USAF issues watches for utility in flying. They're less concerned with country of origin or style than they are with price and functionality.

Few can argue that there are watches that are more rugged, functional, and economically priced than the Casio G-Shock series.

 

[watchmanjimg]

Few can argue that there are watches that are more rugged, functional, and economically priced than the Casio G-Shock series.

I don't disagree, but for some odd reason both of my G-Shocks tend to gain excessively. I would never have expected such behavior from an electronic watch. Has anyone else out there had a similar experience?

 

[airfrogusmc]

In the watch pocket of my 501s.

 

[zoomer]

WHOA so that's what left that impression...beautiful watch.

 

[airfrogusmc]

WHOA so that's what left that impression...beautiful watch.

Thanks Zoomer. Its 1933 Hamilton, 21 jewel, 992 railroad watch. Keeps incredible time.

 

[767fo]

In the watch pocket of my 501s.

Very nice watch!!

 

[airfrogusmc]

In the watch pocket of my 501s.

Very nice watch!!

Thanks...

 

[MikeyB-17]

Few can argue that there are watches that are more rugged, functional, and economically priced than the Casio G-Shock series.

I don't disagree, but for some odd reason both of my G-Shocks tend to gain excessively. I would never have expected such behavior from an electronic watch. Has anyone else out there had a similar experience?

Never. I've had three G-shocks, never a hint of trouble with timekeeping. My current work watch, a GW-002E, is radio controlled, and as a bonus is exactly synchronised with the dispatch system we use. The Speedy goes on as soon as I get home from work, but I've been using G-Shocks for knocking on 20 years-first for diving, and then at work. I don't think they can be beat for the money.

 

[derleicaman]

Here's some of mine. Watches can become an obsession, too! I've been into the "tool watch" thing for a while now. Watches where form follows function. Here's some pairings with jackets I thought went well together.


GMT Master II "Coke" Bezel with Good Wear Rough Wear 27752, Horween Dark Seal HH. The iconic pilot's watch in the red and black version.

Sinn 356 Flieger with Good Wear Dubow 27798 in Russet Goat. I love the classic look of this watch with a brown leather strap. It goes great with a Russet A-2.

Explorer II Black Dial with Good Wear No-Name 18246 P Depot Re-Dye. Another iconic watch from Rolex.

Breitling Chrono Avenger in Titanium with CWU-36/P. The watch has a real presence without the "bling" usually associated with Breitling. Titanium keeps the weight down while lending a high-tech, tool watch look. Of all the watches I own, this one has the feel of total indestructability to it.

I hope you enjoy!

 

[Lee-AVG]

i'm wearing the Aeromatic 1912 automatic, it's suitable for my a-2 jacket.

 

[Hamsterbear]

IWC 3706-18 Pilots Watch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcPpIF0sk9I

 

[CR141]

I wear a Sinn 103 A SA three register chrono. The dial is black and the subdials are white. It has a day/date function and the day is displayed in German.

 

[CBI]

Tauchmeister - the best buy for the money these days! - one very close to this:

http://tauchmeisterwatches.com/57mm-xxl ... p-444.html

 

[flyboy]

I wear the same watch, I always wear: The IWC "Spitfire" Flieger - first edition with black dial!

 

[Andrew]

Call me a Philistine but I just can't get my head around dropping several thousand on a watch - if I want the exact time I get it off my iphone.

If I feel like wearing a watch because I like them these are my favourites. Beauty and function at a reasonable price;

I do admit that I wouldn't knock back a Seamaster if I was offered it.

 

[watchmanjimg]

Few can argue that there are watches that are more rugged, functional, and economically priced than the Casio G-Shock series.

I don't disagree, but for some odd reason both of my G-Shocks tend to gain excessively. I would never have expected such behavior from an electronic watch. Has anyone else out there had a similar experience?

Never. I've had three G-shocks, never a hint of trouble with timekeeping. My current work watch, a GW-002E, is radio controlled, and as a bonus is exactly synchronised with the dispatch system we use. The Speedy goes on as soon as I get home from work, but I've been using G-Shocks for knocking on 20 years-first for diving, and then at work. I don't think they can be beat for the money.

Update: I synchronized my circa 2003 DW-5600E to the official US time (time.gov) right after we had this discussion and it's already 5 seconds fast. :?

 

[HackerF15E]

Update: I synchronized my circa 2003 DW-5600E to the official US time (time.gov) right after we had this discussion and it's already 5 seconds fast. :?

I'm certainly not claiming that a G Shock is the ultimate in precision timekeeping -- they're quartz mass-produced watches, so naturally there will be some variation example-to-example.

But, to be fair, at one point my Omega X-33 was gaining time about 1/2 second per day. Not a big deal, since I don't use my watch to navigate or determine weapon release times when flying.

The fact is, a watch that gains/loses a second per day really isn't even of significance for 99% of the watch-wearing population. None of us have tasks which require to-the-second accuracy day after day, which we solely rely upon our wristwatch to accomplish, without the ability to phone up the US Naval Observatory and grab a time hack whenever we need to. Those of us that fly airplanes and need time precision no longer have to use our watches to do so -- billions of dollars in GPS Constellation take care of that for us. If the Chinese shoot down the GPS constellation and we still need that to-the-half-second accuracy in our bombs hitting targets, the million-dollar ring-laser-gyro intertial navigation systems that back up the GPS systems in strike aircraft do it better than anything I'm likely to buy from a watchmaker and strap on my wrist.

It's great to love watches for their style factor, or because you like the intricacies of their engineering or manufacture -- I'm all for that. I own several very expensive and I'm sure super-accurate timepieces, and I love to wear them.

But the idea that you need your watches to be COSC-certified timepieces, or that such accuracy means anything to us besides something for us to obsess over in our living rooms, is laughable. I'm not under any impression that when I wear my Breitling that I'm any more precise than when I wear my G-Shock -- I'm just a lot less apt to be angry at the end of the flight when I find out that I've banged the Casio up against the side of the cockpit instead of putting a huge scratch on the Breitling!