Aviation Watches

poadeleted21

poadeleted21

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Aug 18, 2011
Messages
12,332
Any of them do any neat tricks that I might find useful? My watch broke, i tossed it and need a new one, not looking for any sort of bling, don't need a built in ELT or an E6B made out of gold, last watch was a Timex. I'm thinking something with dual time on it and I'm set. Figuring out Zulu time has to be the thing I screw up the most. Recommendations?
 
How much do you want to spend?
 
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bartmc said:
Any of them do any neat tricks that I might find useful? My watch broke, i tossed it and need a new one, not looking for any sort of bling, don't need a built in ELT or an E6B made out of gold, last watch was a Timex. I'm thinking something with dual time on it and I'm set. Figuring out Zulu time has to be the thing I screw up the most. Recommendations?
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Do as I (used) to do and buy a cheap $10 plastic disposable digital and set it for GMT. Buy two and set the other for local time if you must.

What do I do now? My telephone has a multi-zone time display and I have one set for GMT.

(note, for Iphone users you type in UTC for the zone, it won't take GMT, Zulu, or Greenwich.)
 
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I here sun dials are pretty cheap.
 
Simple and cheap are always a good combo.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Do as I (used) to do and buy a cheap $10 plastic disposable digital and set it for GMT. Buy two and set the other for local time if you must.

What do I do now? My telephone has a multi-zone time display and I have one set for GMT.

(note, for Iphone users you type in UTC for the zone, it won't take GMT, Zulu, or Greenwich.)
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That iphone tip is amazing. I changed clock to 24/hr settings which is fine since i am not in the habit of setting an alarm after 12pm. The time that is always is on top of the phone is still in 12 hours. Thank you Playa Fo Real.
 
AirDC said:
That iphone tip is amazing. I changed clock to 24/hr settings which is fine since i am not in the habit of setting an alarm after 12pm. The time that is always is on top of the phone is still in 12 hours. Thank you Playa Fo Real.
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Bet dat!
 
I bought a citizen eco-drive skyhawk . It is updated daily by the atomic clock , internal power source that is recharged via solar.

Kinda nice, but kinda a PITA at the same time . I got mine used in mint condition on ebay for 150. they retail in the 400 or up mark. It has both analog and digital . So one can be set for GMT and the other for local time. It is a PITA to switch modes for the chronograph or count down timer . But once again , no batteries and no worry about time syncing.
 
bartmc said:
Any of them do any neat tricks that I might find useful? My watch broke, i tossed it and need a new one, not looking for any sort of bling, don't need a built in ELT or an E6B made out of gold, last watch was a Timex. I'm thinking something with dual time on it and I'm set. Figuring out Zulu time has to be the thing I screw up the most. Recommendations?
Click to expand...

Recently purchased a nice Timex Expedition at Cabella's for about $45-ish. Analog hands, digital on the bottom, can do 3 time zones (have one set to UTC), has other typical digital watch functions.

My last Timex digital lasted nearly 9 years. Suffered being lost overnight in the Texas Flower Gardens at 105 ft. depth in salt water. And other general abuse.

My general approach on watches is sorta like sunglasses: The more I pay for them, the more likely I'm going to lose, break, or render them inoperable. And I'm not into big bling for status purpose. Rather put the extra cash spent into the flying fund.
 
bartmc said:
I had the timex expedition that had the sweeping hand with a digital clock too, i was always accidentally setting alarms and changing the time. Can't say that I'm too upset that it's broken. Would prefer nothing digital.
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Lol, that has been my experience as well. Can't lose the manual, otherwise you may have to live with the hourly chime for the rest of your life. The Garmin430 was easier to learn than this watch.
 
I have a Torgoen and it has been a good watch. It is rather large and a bit heavy but it works and it was a nice gift from a friend.
 
This watch is battery operated and has an independently set date and GMT hand. For $69, it is almost bulletproof and works for both casual and dress......

Link
 
Wifey bought me an AOPA Sporty's watch, don't like it at all. First one I got didn't work right, wouldn't keep time even with a new battery. I didn't get to try it out till a while after my birthday because I was deployed. I attempted to use Sporty's ONE YEAR return policy. I will never buy anything from Sporty's ever again.
 
weilke said:
Lol, that has been my experience as well. Can't lose the manual, otherwise you may have to live with the hourly chime for the rest of your life. The Garmin430 was easier to learn than this watch.
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Yeah that's actually what started this. Mine was stuck on the hourly chime, it was waking my wife up at night, neither of us could figure out how to un-set it. She was giving it a third effort and through some sequence of button pushes managed to make the alarm stick in a high pitched squeal, no unsticking it. I took it out to the dumpster. What on earth would be the purpose of an alarm that goes off every hour on the hour? And how did I accidentally set it?
 
I believe there's a 4.5 lb minimum for a pilot watch. Seriously, I haven't had one in 30 years. My last one went to a cop on the highway to Rosarita Beach when I tried to ride down without my title. He said "I like your watch" it was a $5 thing on a Velcro pouch wristband that held my license. He opened the case on the back of his motorcycle and I dropped it in, "adios, go straight to the border". Outside of diving, that was my last.
 
bartmc said:
WANT TO SPEND??? $0.00 and I do accept donations.

I'm not spending over a few hundred, might have a hard time doing that.

Was eyeballing this one.

http://www.amazon.com/Torgoen-Swiss-T25103-Stainless-Steel-Aviation/dp/B003TU83WA

if there's a compelling reason to spend more, I might. I need it expensive enough so that I won't lose it but cheap enough that I won't cry when I break it.
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Torgoen is a good watch....but for that price, you could probably get one of their actual pilot watches which inlcudes a functioning partial E6B:

http://www.amazon.com/Torgoen-Swiss-T06203-Computer-Stainless/dp/B002SW4RNE

That is the one I have. By not trying to include every E6B function, they were able to make the face legible enough to actually be usable in flight.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Torgoen is a good watch....but for that price, you could probably get one of their actual pilot watches which inlcudes a functioning partial E6B:

http://www.amazon.com/Torgoen-Swiss-T06203-Computer-Stainless/dp/B002SW4RNE

That is the one I have. By not trying to include every E6B function, they were able to make the face legible enough to actually be usable in flight.
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Outside of the obligatory first use, do you find it a regular asset having the E6B function?
 
cavmedic said:
I bought a citizen eco-drive skyhawk . It is updated daily by the atomic clock , internal power source that is recharged via solar.

Kinda nice, but kinda a PITA at the same time . I got mine used in mint condition on ebay for 150. they retail in the 400 or up mark. It has both analog and digital . So one can be set for GMT and the other for local time. It is a PITA to switch modes for the chronograph or count down timer . But once again , no batteries and no worry about time syncing.
Click to expand...

Dude, I never even THOUGHT to buy a watch used on eBay. But that makes sense! Good ones last a long time and I could save a ton of money. Maybe I will get a watch that way (I don't wear one now and I think in that other thread I posted my $15 pink plastic Casio for flights and XC training which is suckey).
 
Henning said:
Outside of the obligatory first use, do you find it a regular asset having the E6B function?
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Depends...Every once in a while on x-countries I'll use it to verify ETA/SOG.... and validate my flightplan against the GPS. I keep a full E6B in my flight bag, but would have to say that I don't think I have attempted to dig it out in flight since I have had the watch.
 
From Torgoen:

E6B Flight Computer – Useful also in the supermarket

In many of its models, Torgoen uses an E6B Flight Computer based on the original design by the US army during World War II. The name was simply the Catalog part number of the device. It allows the pilot to easily solve problems of speed, distance and time. By knowing two of these variables, one can deduct the third with ease. This is based on a regular slide rule which was used by some of us that attended high school before the introduction of pocket calculators. It enables the user to perform any multiplication and division calculations. It is especially good while performing conversions of units and even exchange rate calculations. The watches come with a booklet in three languages with clear instructions of how to use the E6B and examples of how the E6B will help solve calculation problems.


And yet - they do not explain about the supermarket....
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
From Torgoen:

E6B Flight Computer – Useful also in the supermarket

In many of its models, Torgoen uses an E6B Flight Computer based on the original design by the US army during World War II. The name was simply the Catalog part number of the device. It allows the pilot to easily solve problems of speed, distance and time. By knowing two of these variables, one can deduct the third with ease. This is based on a regular slide rule which was used by some of us that attended high school before the introduction of pocket calculators. It enables the user to perform any multiplication and division calculations. It is especially good while performing conversions of units and even exchange rate calculations. The watches come with a booklet in three languages with clear instructions of how to use the E6B and examples of how the E6B will help solve calculation problems.


And yet - they do not explain about the supermarket....
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So you can figure out how many diapers you need to buy for the week...:lol:
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Dude, I never even THOUGHT to buy a watch used on eBay. But that makes sense! Good ones last a long time and I could save a ton of money. Maybe I will get a watch that way (I don't wear one now and I think in that other thread I posted my $15 pink plastic Casio for flights and XC training which is suckey).
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You have to "watch" with some though , If they are a vendor type, if the price seems to good to be true, chances it is a fake. The E6B on mine sucks . so small, I have a hard enough time reading a regular one ( its like looking at those posters where the hidden 3d image appears eventually ) i could not even think of using the one on the watch.
 
cavmedic said:
You have to "watch" with some though , If they are a vendor type, if the price seems to good to be true, chances it is a fake. The E6B on mine sucks . so small, I have a hard enough time reading a regular one ( its like looking at those posters where the hidden 3d image appears eventually ) i could not even think of using the one on the watch.
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Don't worry, I'm not getting an E6B watch. But having a watch that tells time in two timezones (zulu and Pacific) sounds cool to me. I just feel naked without a watch as a PIC so I wear one. Time is fuel so I do think it is a "must" in the cockpit.
 
Been wearing the same watch for 10 years now. A Seiko.

I just put in her first battery since I purshased it. Verry Solid. Very Reliable.

Hard to beat for the price. (150-200$)

snd253p3.jpg



You can also get a Seiko Flightmaster for a little more, +/- 250$.

Worth every penny imho.

I recently bought a more expensive Citizen Nighthawk Eco-Drive watch. I still wear my Seiko every day....
 
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A previous watch thread, someone mentioned this one:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001A5LKAS/

Bought it Sept 1, 2011. Have had it on almost every day since. Zero problems.

Two timezones, set to anything you like -- mine's Mountain and GMT. Sets itself to WWV, always accurate. Does the Daylight Savings Time switch on its own, same way. Has all the other "usual" features of any digital watch these days... timer, chrono, etc.

Indigo backlight. Always helpful in the dark.

Only complaint, but there's no fixing this one... not loud enough to wake me up.

But for that, I own one of these...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000OOWZUK/

Plastic, cheap, works. Doesn't look "piloty" at all.
 
denverpilot said:
A previous watch thread, someone mentioned this one:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001A5LKAS/

Bought it Sept 1, 2011. Have had it on almost every day since. Zero problems.

Two timezones, set to anything you like -- mine's Mountain and GMT. Sets itself to WWV, always accurate. Does the Daylight Savings Time switch on its own, same way. Has all the other "usual" features of any digital watch these days... timer, chrono, etc.

Indigo backlight. Always helpful in the dark.

Only complaint, but there's no fixing this one... not loud enough to wake me up.

But for that, I own one of these...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000OOWZUK/

Plastic, cheap, works. Doesn't look "piloty" at all.
Click to expand...


OK OK so maybe I wanted to look a teeny tiny bit pilotey. Only problem is I HATE HATE HATE gigantic watches. The smaller the better for women (I have tiny wrists and I think big watches look stupid on them).
 
I don't wear a watch. I would rather spend the money on 100LL.
 
lockeed said:
Been wearing the same watch for 10 years now. A Seiko.

I just put in her first battery since I purshased it. Verry Solid. Very Reliable.

Hard to beat for the price. (150-200$)

snd253p3.jpg



You can also get a Seiko Flightmaster for a little more, +/- 250$.

Worth every penny imho.

I recently bought a more expensive Citizen Nighthawk Eco-Drive watch. I still wear my Seiko every day....
Click to expand...

I have exactly that watch (the Seiko in the picture). Great watch, works very well. Problem is, right about the time I was given that watch, my eyes became too old geezer to use any of the E6b functions. That's OK, Jesse wrote an app for that.
 
bartmc said:
Good call, it's all a conspiracy anyway http://www.timecube.com/
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Holy crap, there's actually more than one page of that. He's very, um, enthusiastic. I think I hurt my brain looking at that. Ow.

Uh, right, watches... I have trouble with watches, in that I tend to destroy them. I had a nice 60s Japanese dive watch for a while (got it cheap at a pawn shop), but eventually smashed the face on it somehow. One of these days I'll get a nice "pilot-y" watch, probably a vintage one. I'm getting a little more careful as i get older, LOL.
But for my (local glider) flying these days, all I need is a time check at launch and another after I land, so my phone is enough for that. Pull it out, have a quick look, back in the pocket. I could use the stopwatch function, I guess, but there usually isn't time.

But I agree, for fuel management a timepiece is a must.
 
rottydaddy said:
Holy crap, there's actually more than one page of that. He's very, um, enthusiastic. I think I hurt my brain looking at that. Ow.

Uh, right, watches... I have trouble with watches, in that I tend to destroy them. I had a nice 60s Japanese dive watch for a while (got it cheap at a pawn shop), but eventually smashed the face on it somehow. One of these days I'll get a nice "pilot-y" watch, probably a vintage one. I'm getting a little more careful as i get older, LOL.
But for my (local glider) flying these days, all I need is a time check at launch and another after I land, so my phone is enough for that. Pull it out, have a quick look, back in the pocket. I could use the stopwatch function, I guess, but there usually isn't time.

But I agree, for fuel management a timepiece is a must.
Click to expand...

The time cube guy has been one of the local crazies on the internet for a while now, he offers $10K if you can prove him wrong.... :rofl:
 
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