Which watch ?

[Downunder]

Hello all,

 

I am looking to purchase a new wrist watch and would like members input.

 

I was thinking along the lines of a Casio G-shock, but there are a few different models.

 

What functions are important for us?

 

Regards,

 

RJM

 

 

[Yenn]

What do you want a watch to do? I have a Seiko 25 years old that has a stop watch function and that is all i need. They don't cost much either.

 

 

[River]

You could consider the Suunto X-Lander watch at www.suunto.com and go to the products page, find the wristop computers section then look for thier X-Lander page to read up on all the features...

 

I've been using one for the quite a number of years and have found it to be quite a useful watch.

 

Features include... Altimeter: Altitude, vertical speed, altitude alarm, logbook, altitude difference, automatic 24h altitude memory, logbook capacity 8kB, recording intervals 20s, 1min, 10min and 60min, with respective times 10h, 12h, 7 days and 10 days.

 

Barometer: Sea level pressure, absolute pressure, pressure difference, pressure trend indicator, 4-day barometric memory, temperature.

 

Compass: Cardinal bearing, North-South arrow, bearing tracking, declination setting.

 

Chronograph: Stopwatch, countdown timer, calendar, three daily alarms...

 

Makes for and excellant backup to all our aviation instruments if any fail.

 

Cheers,

 

Rodger

 

 

[Downunder]

Very nice watch you have there Rodger.Altimeter and compass....very handy.

 

I see the X9i even has a GPS.....amazing !

 

Ian, I was just wondering if pilots had watches with specific functions that made their life in the air easier or safer.I am a very low hour RAA pilot and didn't want to buy a watch and then have someone say"hey...why didn't you get one with this or that function?" .

 

So......maybe I've asked a stupid question but if someone with XX hundred hours says "Any old watch will do" then that is my question answered.

 

Regards,

 

RJM

 

 

[Guest terry]

hey river does your watch also tell the time

 

regards Terry:clap:

 

 

[Guest pelorus32]

G'day Downunder,

 

I don't wear a watch - I have one kicking round in the bottom of my bag somewhere.

 

What's nice when you are on a trip somewhere is that you have some way of identifying the time of departure and the time at any point of the trip. Saves getting lost.

 

Most often I use the time which shows in the bottom LH corner of the Dynon EFIS. Sometimes I use my mobile phone and sometimes I pull out my watch. I don't wear the watch because it's too small to fit on my wrist - it's a Casio with dual time and a timer and stopwatch. What's nice about it is that it helps me to determine Zulu time if my brain is running a bit slow. I would use it only about 1 trip in 10 though.

 

So reality is any old means of telling the time will do.

 

Now for a true story: Mate of mine used to fly for Bush Pilots Airways years ago in FNQ - single engines and light twins. He'd be forever calling FS for a time check. Finally one of the FS blokes said to him when he asked for the time "you don't have a watch do you?". He'd been operating all round the Gulf and the Cape without a watch navigating perfectly well. Not legal but hey!

 

Regards

 

Mike

 

 

[Guest TOSGcentral]

I use an Omega Speedmaster that I purchased in 1966.

 

It's main use to me was instructing as it has an hour minute and seconds recording dials so accurate logging of students session time was easy.

 

Useful for nav too either in overall flight duration or accurate time measurements of legs between way points.

 

It is a very tough watch so you can wear it and just about forget about it no matter what you are doing. But it is rather large and heavy. At $2,400 they are also damn expensive but mine cost me only a fraction of that way back then in Germany.

 

Having said all that you can get much the same thing for about $5 via a multifunction electronic clock you stick on the instrument panel. This is far easier to see if you are rugged up in flying suit, gloves etc.

 

 

[vk3auu]

If you really want an indestructible watch go for a Certina.

 

David

 

 

[Guest brentc]

It won't be long before the majority of good watches have GPS's installed with many of the features that we currently see in our aviation units. I just bought the Nokia 6110 Navigator phone with built-in GPS. Didn't think they'd need phones with a GPS in them, however I can say it's a mighty fine piece of machinery. If the same features were in a watch I'd be buying one of those perhaps too. Technology is a beautiful thing and it helps keep me employed which is good too.

 

 

[Yenn]

I had an Omega once, bought new in about 1963, and it was a heap of garbage, I took it into Omega in a little lane in central Melbourne after I had it working well, for them to re waterproof it and it would run for a few months and then go mad. It now sits in my old darkroom while I wear a Japanese cheapo, at least it is cheap compared to $2400.

 

I have a small battery powered clock, timer in the plane and use it and my watch together.

 

 

[blueshed]

It's Functional

 

Hi

 

I recently purchased a Casio of some sort I found on the net, it lets you know the time, and has both analog and digital , bits. meaning you can put GMT in the digital and local on the analog. The digital bits are to either side of central and are reasonably large, with failing close vision this is GOOD! Whilst with the analog face you can see your departure time and easily add on your time interval to destination, just by counting round the face. Nice and Easy! Also helpful for figuring out where you are in relation to other aircraft, or where they are in relation to you as this is the method we use when communicating with other aircraft, or someone in our own aircraft who has seen something we have not!

 

Happy Flying

 

 

[Bernie]

my watch is also a casio the same as blueshed

 

 

[Downunder]

Thankyou everyone. Thats all I wanted to know.

 

Regards,

 

RJM

 

 

[lazerin]

Does anyone have one of those "Pilot's watches" with a slide ruler in them? If so, do you find it handy?

 

 

[Ultralights]

i have a citizen aerochron, it has the whiz wheel flight computer bezel, as well as QNH and Altitude, with the usuall altitude alarms you can set etc etc. and has a minutes only screen display when in nav mode.. quite handy.

 

 

[facthunter]

Style.

 

There used to be a saying something like "the bigger the watch, the dumber the pilot". Never did work out whether it was true or not. Well instrumented aircraft have a clock where you can easily set actual,(gmt) elapsed (trip) time and stop function (for instrument procedures, timed turns etc.) I can't see why you would need much more. From some of the comments already posted, expensive watches can be a very poor investment. I don't like wearing watches and I have a good scar where the metal band shorted out (went red-hot in about 3 seconds) when I was working down the back of a Cessna. Wear LEATHER bands. Nev..

 

 

[skybum]

Downunder, I have found analog display a bit better for my flying. The brain doesn't take as long to register what it is looking at.

 

Have toyed around with an idea one of my instructors came up with. A digital kitchen timer, he used to have it mounted on his clip board. It comes in handy for that IFR stuff about doodling around NDB thingies by measuring the time to fly away from the silly thing so you can turn around again to head back to it. Apparantly, they get all excited when the needle thingy flips over really quickly as you go past the radio station. Heaven knows what for, all it does is play a terrible beat that even my son wouldn't find interesting to listen to. Still I guess you have to listen to something, after all there is nothing outside to look at. Who would want to fly around if you cannot enjoy the scenery, but then again , if they like listening to radio stations that keep playing the same thing over and over I guess it doesn't really bother them if they cannot see anything...oh sorry, watches Yes! My wife bought me this lovely little number with a E6B slide around the dial, Its pretty good if I wear my glasses.

 

 

[Ultralights]

funny thin is, i never wear a watch! the only time i ever use it is when im flying.. though i have never used any of the function on the watch other than the minute only screen, i received it as a gift after my first solo, if it wasn't for that, i probably would never wear one flying either!

 

 

[lazerin]

I'm the complete opposite. I feel lost without a watch on! My two main criteria for watches are: it must have seconds display (to take pulses with) and it must have the date (I often forget the date...:D). I'm also a fan of automatic or solar powered watches.

 

I'm quite interested in the Citizen eco-drive Skyhawks:

 

Amazon.com: Citizen Eco-Drive Men's Titanium Skyhawk Chronograph Watch #JR3060-59F: Citizen: Watches

 

Amazon.com: Citizen Eco-Drive Men's Skyhawk A-T Watch #JY0000-53E: Citizen: Watches

 

 

[Guest airsick]

There used to be a saying something like "the bigger the watch, the dumber the pilot".

Mine is pretty big so it's probably true.

 

 

[Yenn]

This date idea is no good. Since I retired if I am asked the date I just say "April". Oops sorry May.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

There is a really neat Breitling model, it must be worth a fortune as no one here has mentioned they have one. it has all the timers, dual time functions and circular slide rule PLUS an ELB built in. you just snap off the knob you use to adjust the time and pull out the aerial. to cancel you wind the aerial wire around the case, if you use it in a real life emergency the company will rearm it for free.

 

I have always had trouble in getting a wrist watch that has moving parts to keep working accuratly for any longer than a month. they seem to get slower and slower then stop.

 

ozzie

 

 

[Geoff]

http://www.geocities.com/watch_crazy/navihawk/navihawk.htm

 

The Wife gave me this watch in the Blue angles setup I fined it very good but you need good eye site

 

 

[lazerin]

There is a really neat Breitling model, it must be worth a fortune as no one here has mentioned they have one. it has all the timers, dual time functions and circular slide rule PLUS an ELB built in. you just snap off the knob you use to adjust the time and pull out the aerial. to cancel you wind the aerial wire around the case, if you use it in a real life emergency the company will rearm it for free. I have always had trouble in getting a wrist watch that has moving parts to keep working accuratly for any longer than a month. they seem to get slower and slower then stop.

ozzie

You're probably talking about the Breitling Emergency. It's about $5000AUD :confused:

 

Be sure not to let your friends fiddle with it too much, just in case they accidentally activate the emergency transmission. I believe it's a US$10k fine by the FAA in the states, wonder what CASA will fine you here.

 

Geoff, that's a nice looking watch!

 

 

[Guest peterf]

Citizen eco-drive Skyhawks

 

I use the skyhawk.

 

Amazon.com: Citizen Eco-Drive Men's Blue Angels Skyhawk A-T Watch #JR3090-58L: Citizen: Watches

 

Good points:

 

- time: useful for most things, including navigating

 

- whiz wheel: I use this in-flight, not much room in the Sapphire for anything bigger. Also useful for shopping or general calculations

 

- separate UTC dial for quickly viewing UTC time

 

Bad points:

 

- needs a separate LCD for a stopwatch or count-down timer. You normally keep the main LCD set to date. Other watches have more LCD's for these things.

 

Overall:

 

Great watch. I never leave home without it. I don't think the Eco Drive is particularly valuable, batteries would be fine. I think the RAAF use the battery version of this watch.

 

It has a 24 hour dial as well. Not sure if this is particularly useful. I always seem to have local time set so it's pretty obvious whether you are AM or PM based on the Sun.