Top 10 Pilot Watches Under $500!
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- Опубликовано: 30 июл 2024
- 1. Citizen Blue Angels Perpetual Sapphire
jomw.link/joma-citizen-blue-a...
2. Laco Aachen or Augsberg
www.laco.de/en/watches/pilot-...
3. Seagull 1963 Sapphire
jomw.link/ali-seagull-38-40-s...
4. Hamilton Khaki Auto
jomw.link/joma-hamilton-inter...
5. AVI-8 Flyboy Lafayette
www.avi-8.com/products/lafaye...
DISCOUNT CODE JOMW15 FOR 15% OFF
6. Seiko Flightmaster
jomw.link/jomaflightmaster
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...
7. Dekla Flieger
deklawatches.com/en/pilot/
8. Citizen Navihawk
starbuy.com.au/citizen-bj7006...
9. TWCO Air Controller
www.twcowatches.com/air-contr...
10 Casio Edifice
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...
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I am not a pilot. I don't own a plane. Even if I did, I couldn't fly it. And yet I loive pilot watches! I am guessing a few of you are in a similar position? Here are ten of my favourites, from across the spectrum, under $500USD (mostly). Cheers, Jody
I am a pilot and I like pilots' watches, but honestly, I never use them for flying. My friend teaches 777 pilots, he does not wear a watch. I asked him and he said there are about 14 clocks in the cockpit.
I'm a Private Pilot and I never really use the watch for flying either. They might be useful as a backup for your backups or to easily see Zulu time compared to the weather reports during planning.
I'm just disappointed that no pilot watches thinks to come with a barometer. For non pressurized aircraft, it would be cool to get a backup altimeter and v/s indicator on your wrist, or even for pressurized aircraft, you could use it to see cabin altitude.
I think the term of pilots watch arcs back to ww2 pilots
Buzzkill!
Most airline pilots I see wear cheap timex’s
Tissot T-Touch and a whole selection of G-Shocks come with barometers. I have both and the T-Touch is a real standout, high quality watch. Definitely recommendable.
My preferences have changed over the years. When I was a youngster I prefered the very busy Blue Angel type pilot watches, but now that I am well aged and wise with poor eye sight, I really like the cleaner dials of the more traditional watches. Gotta love those Hamiltons. As always, great video.
TWCO Air Controller is my favourite today! Cracking looking watch, not too cluttered, excellent! Nice list of watches, Jody!
I bought 2 Dekla pilot watches after your review of them. One for me and one for my son. We did a father/son trip to Germany and wanted to buy identical watches to commemorate the occasion. Thanks for the recommendation. We love them.
Only missed Escapement Time: amazing value for money
Agreed. I was about to make the same comment!
Agreed 👍
Agreed, I have mine on the wrist as I write this. Amazing value for money.
This is exactly what I was thinking. In my opinion it's the best value for money Flieger you can get.
Hear hear, amazing value and well made
Fantastic Fliegers all around, Jody! A great selection of one of my favourite styles, and I am looking forward to the reviews. Thanks for the video.
I am not a diver buuuuttt! 90 % of my watches are divers 😂
I think we are all divers at heart.
Me either....
Divers are great because they are the toughest watches being water and shock resistant.
Me too, and I can't swim.
I'm fairly certain that 90% of the guys reviewing dive watches on youtube would drown in a foot of warm bathwater, lol
Happy to hear you are going to review more Citizen watches. Given your proximity to the Asian market I would love to see a Kuroshio ‘64. What a fantastic piece of horological history. Also, the NJ0100 series are a cool aviator style automatic offering from Citizen. They have the infamous Miyota 8210 movement in them but the one I own keeps great time and I find I wear it more often than my SNZG13.
And you started with my favorite piece!! I've lusted after that 8020 Citizen for years!!!
Great video Jody!!! I own the Citizen Blue Angels same model you reviewed here. Amazing watch although very difficult to navigate the functions as they are as you said “vast”. The one criticism is that strap deteriorates over time and I just recently bought a blue Rubber strap from Barton Watch Straps that after some difficulty attaching seems like it will hold up nicely. Thanks again keep up the great work!! Brian
Im wearing my Escapement Time Type A Flieger right now! Cracking watch!!
Glad to see the shirts made it in time for this video! Using one of them on a top 10 video is perfect... I'm going to share with my students because they're always asking about and looking for a good pilot watch. Great video... and Boomer Sooner!
Well, first of all, Boomer Sooner for the OU t-shirt! I was happy to see you start of with the Blue Angels watch you were wearing...I come from a family with a history in Naval service and I've seen the Blue Angels perform many times, going back to the early 60s. Oddly enough, I also happened to be wearing a pilot watch when I spotted this video, a Citizen Eco-Drive AW1361-10H. It's a modern take on the Type B Flieger. Nice looking and pretty affordable (although more expensive now on Amazon than when I bought it a couple of years ago). Pilot watches are one of my favorites, along with field watches. I like both the old school Fliegers and the modern chronographs, but prefer the Flieger aesthetic. Great video, thanks Jody!
Actually, the Casio has a very good, solid link bracelet. It's also listed at 45.5mm but that includes the crown, the watch has a 44mm diameter, just like the Duro. Should probably get it and review it, no good reviews for it on youtube yet.
Thanks for the info mate! On the list.
There is a NON-Edifice line slide rule chrono Casio that's currently running around 50 clams from Amazon.
@@mrz80 link?
Thank you Jody for bringing to us these fantastic recommendations!. I have just flew in a little Cessna and a Pipper, but I like this style watches two. Thank you!
Saludos!!
Citizen is well represented in the Flieger business. I have a Seiko SNN231 on a seatbelt NATO, which is basically a IWC Pilot Chrono clone, and I like it a lot.
You really missed one of the best bang for buck brands: Escapement Time from Aliexpress (Type A and Type B). Amazing specs and quality, below USD 100.
The AOPA Pilot's Chronograph from Jack Mason is an excellent buy. That said it's my first aviator watch. I have several dive watches though and it was the AOPA's rotating bezel that hooked me into the buy as I use that feature often to track an ETA at work on the fly - no pun intended. I just discovered your channel and love its title - JUST ONE MORE WATCH - as I seem to use it often following the purchase of my most recent timepiece.
Jody, you never cease to dissappoint. Great videos, great commentary, great Jody. Keep it up brother.
The main problem I have with a lot of modern pilot watches is that there is way too much on the dial, the citizen and seiko is even hard to look at cause there’s so much on the dial
Dials like Yema’s Flygraf are sooo much cleaner!
I have both, possibly a mistake as they are so similar, but everything is very clear. Perhaps you need glasses.
Nailed it, they’re too busy to be useful in flight.
@@mintywebb no they’re hard to look at cause they’re ugly when watches are too busy
Agree. I can’t tell the time for all the information.
Great one J. You did leave out some great Aliexpress deals. I purchased the Escapement Time Flieger (US $100), an amazing deal. The GEERVO also seems very interesting for the price (US $80).
All these watches were fine (especially the Citizens). I hope to see my personal favorite pilot watch (Bulova Moonwatch - 96B258 $330 on Jomashop) in the future. It is a replica of one of the watches actually used by The NASA Apollo 15 mission in 1971. The new replica includes a special quartz movement that is as accurate as +-10 seconds in a whole year!
Quite ironically, my Addiesdive Flieger is my go to small and light watch at the moment.
This was the first Ali Express watch I got just 3 weeks ago. I wasn't sure if I'd like a fleiger so got this as it was cheap and I could try it out to see if I wanted a dearer one. Well, I loved the watch, it's very nice, stainless steel, sapphire crystal with AR coating great all night lume, and +3 spd with the NH35 movement....now I'm happy, don't feel the need to buy another one!
@@brianmsahin That’s all of the Flieger you’ll ever need!!
I also went with the bronze Steel Dive 1940 with sterile dial... (ironically not steel or a diver😁)
Chinese factory “brands” are upping their game, big time!👌
I picked up one of these after Jody's recent Aliexpress homage watches video, along with the upgraded clasp he recommended. I've most certainly not been disappointed, it's a great watch!
Last week I ordered the SteelDive Flieger (SD1940) which seems to be exactly the same watch. I got it directly from Steel Dive at www.steeldives.com for $99 USD. I added on a waffle strap (for another watch) to bring the total above the $99.99 required for free DHL shipping, which took 3 working days to get to Canada ! I love it. Nice brushed top and sides, NH35, sapphire crystal, screw down crown, classic Flieger Type-A style dial and 200m water-resistance .. incredible value for the $$$. - Michael
@@wmb2292 Value is hard, if not impossible to match - this is one tough, wearable watch...in some ways feels like “the poor man’s” Sinn 556!
Thank you, Jody! Especially interesting were Dekla and TWCO. Would be glad to see a Top 10 about tactical/military watches under 500.
Another cracking top ten Jody. Love the Seagull 1963 although I have my eye on a Laco as well. Been honest though my Dan Henry 1963 nails it too.
I love my Laco and awaiting a Seagull from an AliExpress special
Love my Nighthawk / Navihawk. I initially bought it purely as it's a cheap GMT and thought I'd dislike the huge, busy dial, but I find I wear it far more often than any of my autos. It's running at about +1 second a month, too - super accurate.
That TWCO though... WANT
Great video as always Jody
Citizen is the most underrated brand, they're the best value for money.
I have a glycine f104 40mm and I find it's really nice....nobody ever reviews it and or shares my sentiments tho lol
Not really. Casio makes everything better than Citizen and still makes it less expensive than Citizen. Therefore, Casio is, by far, the best brand in the world regarding value for money.
@@damyr really...? Never seen any citizens with misaligned bezels, chapter rings, hands, etc. Meanwhile citizen had no problem in this regard.
@@RM-el3gw Yes, really. I never saw any Casio with such defects, either. But that doesn't mean they don't exist. The same goes for Citizen.
On the other hand, Jody made the video about a new Rolex watch who has such problems.
No brand is immune to some faults in production. And Casio is definitely not known to have such problems on regular basis. Actually, they even developed a special mechanism to take care about misalignment of second hand with indices, which they built into the best watch line in the world - Casio Oceanus.
@@damyr I would say Casio gives a little bit more bang for your buck, but Citizen often has better designs to my taste. Love them both though, and am a proud owner of a stunning Oceanus 🌊
A pilot is a glaring hole in my collection! I want one as bad as I need one. Great review as always Jody!!!
Picked up the 1963 in 40mm sapphire. A big departure from my usual fare of automatic divers, but I love it. Hasn’t left my wrist since it arrived!
You might want to add the Aristo 47mm Flieger, especially the sunburst blue dial. Absolutely gorgeous. I have mine on a Laco closed loop strap.
I love my Laco! Happy to see it on your list 👏🏻
My recommendation is a Nodus Sector Pilot. Such a neat little watch. I got a Sector Sport and I am waiting for my preferred colorway of the Sector Pilot to come back in stock.
Awesome list and video. Geeze. Looks like I will need more than JOMW!
How about top 10 pilots under $100? Corgeut, Addie's Dive, Escapement Time, Parnis, Phylida, etc....
Great review! Thanks Jody!!!
Great review and some excellent pieces. Bulova A15 is also a worthy contender for this top 10.
I've got an older Citizen Skyhawk Blue Angels, the ani/digi model. With a main dial, no less than 4 sub dials, 2 digi displays and the slide rule bezel it's utterly baffling in it's complexity. While in a way I love it for that absurd complexity, I rarely wear it and there have been many times where I've considered flipping it and using the proceeds to buy the Seiko. Thanks for reminding me!
Nice work Jody, I have a Dekla myself, it is an absolute beast of a watch
A true display of patriotic timepieces by our AU friend on the other side of the world. Timepieces will always be a true display of unity -
Thank you Jody!
Oooh that Avi-8 Lafayette looks good. Learn something new with every video on this channel! Appreciation from India. Please rate Titan watches.
Citizen Avion should be on this list imo! Yes it's the biggest watch I own at 44.5mm but it's just a perfect combo flieger style watch. Easy to read, three hand date, cool blue liked hands, 100m wr and of course eco-drive!
Thanks Jodi. Very timely. I am looking into the subject matter as well. I am currently looking at the Hemel airfoil. Comes with vk64 or st19 and with variety of rotating bezels like a 12 hr GMT as well.
I'm a pilot, and I always take up my Vostok amphibia or my Seagull 1963. They're both very legible, and it's always bumpy where I fly so legibility is important. After all, the less time spent with your head down trying to read something gives you more time to actually fly the plane
That citizen blue angel chronograph is awesome. Definitely on the To Buy list!
I have a Citizen Navihawk I wore for 15 years before I got into mechanical watches. It is tank, the glass got scratched over the years but it's still a great watch that works flawlessly.
I've been looking at the Yema Flygraf on the bracelet. Very nice watch with in-house movement.
Great review Jodi
Also the Bulova Lunar Pilot.... Easily under $500....
The laco Aachen is a great watch it’s a daily for me. I have an addiesdive type a I got recently and it’s my “doing work around the house” watch. So comfortable and durable and very stylish too
Highly recommend you check out the Marathon Navigator. Tritium lume and actually used by US military. We have marathon clocks throughout our submarine. There are two versions of the navigator that now has a sapphire instead of hesalite.
It has fixed spring bars that can be lightly hammered out if you want to use spring bars. By design, it's only supposed to compatible with nato/zulu straps.
Great video Jody!! You missed the Escapement Time Flieger. An amazing value Chinese special! Definitely worth checking out for a top 10 Ali Express Pilot's episode :)
Stop buying Chinese crap.
@@toddgaak422 I think you're in the wrong place.......
As a commercial pilot, I can confirm I wanted a watch with a clear easy to read dial that has a good lume... I have many watches varying from Breitling to Orient, and my go-to watch for work is the Orient pilot watch... Love the automatic movement and it has a clear, easy to read dial/lume
The very first pilot watch I bought was the Orient RA-AC0H03B10B from Jomashop for around $150. It's not on Jomashop anymore unfortunately but I love it because it's a cleaner version of the B-type dial which I've always liked!
Love Citizen Eco-drives more and more! They are kind of pushing me from automatics to solar quartz being my favourite. 👏
Got a citizen ca7040 in blue as first pilot chrono for around 150 euros. a flieger look with ecodrive its unbeatable!
I still prefer automatics, but I have a radio controlled eco drive chronograph and it is in many ways the most impressive watch I've owned.
I have 2 ecos. Great every day watches and beaters.
The Casio is a looker, and the bracelet is not too bad. It was my first serious watch 6 years ago, and still it beats on my wrist as I am writing this. Beware of the size though, 43mm diameter and 51mm L2L are not for everyone. I would have added the Citizen "the pilot" to the list: full titanium, perpetual calendar and all the typical goodies from top Citizens for 500€ when on promotion is something to take into account. Great vid Jody, greets from Spain!
Hi, thanks for the nice overview. By the greetings from Aachen, that’s my hometown!
That twco looks clean and legible, the main reason why pilots watches are appealing imo. A lot look great with synthetic/nato straps too for a more casual look.
I love my High Beat VH31 Alexander James 38mm Pilot watch. Beautiful brushed case, screw down crown and sapphire crystal and is super legible.
My only pilot watches are the Seiko 5 SNZG09 (though this is technically a field watch) and the Escapement Time Flieger Type B. The latter is currently in my daily rotation.
I have had the Citizen Nighthawk for 10+ years. It started doing the two second skip and the mineral crystal was scratched. With some inexpensive tools from eBay I changed the capacitor and upgraded the crystal to double domed AR coated sapphire. Now like new and stunning.
What size was the crystal or where did you purchase yours from?
Don't normally like big busy watches; but the Citizen Blue Angels has always captured my interest. I own it and love it.
That Hamilton Cooper is 🔥
Love every single one of these.
I recently bought a Citizen Nighthawk CB0230-81E. It’s radio controlled, solar charged, sapphire, titanium and under €500 at the moment… great watch (made a few simple video’s with different straps)
Orient has a few really affordable flieger design watches as well! Anyway, nice selection Jodi!
Helloooo Jody, the Airain Chronograph reissue is awesome. Seiko VK64, 41,5mm, full of story. Airain and Breguet made pilot chronographs for french air force, thats why he is so close to the type XX.
Funny thing. I just bought a Citizen Skyhawk A-T right before seeing this video. It could be a another recommendation since you can find some for less than $500. I bought the leather strap Blue Angels one for $488 and it does have a sapphire crystal. I think the analog/digital aspect is awesome and it's definitely a travel watch with all the crazy timezones features.
i traded my black duro with its black and grey nato strap for my edifice with the internal sliderule bezel, i loved my duro but i been wanting a ef-527 for a while now and i got it, i ran into a buddy who deals in watches so i gave him the duro and a case mini sodbuster for it. great deal
The first watch up I have the bracelet version. amazing watch, great for travel. I use the slide rule for flight planning if I forget my flight computer (which is all digital now even though I know how to use a wiz wheel which is what the slide rule bezel is in miniature)
My Parnis Flieger (Handwind) and my Escapement Time Flieger (Auto) are the two best value for money watches I have ever bought.
I use a Lad Weather LAD046. Lad Weather is a Japanese fashion brand that just started in 2009 at Kyoto. The watch is a Type B flieger with a Citizen Eco Drive radio synchronization movement. It costed me $100 from Amazon Japan.
Good review. Was hoping to see and your rating of lume on each watch.
The one I like the most is Laco. I'm going for it!
awesome ranking sir!!
There are just so many out there...I think of my lovely Geckota pilot watch (not the current flieger crop). It's elegant and beautiful, and just a solid workhorse with a bracelet from a brand who began on the strap and bracelet side. There's Torgen, while not my cuppa per se, who definitely cut a profile. And Vaer also makes some nice ones...in other words, if you want a pilot, you're covered from stem to stern.
Poljot 24 and a few other sellers still selling Strela, Aviator, Sturmanskie and Buran watches with the 3133 and 31689 (valjoux 7734) hand wind chronos. Some quite a lot over budget though. Those moments are getting thin on the ground now so they have started using the seagull st19s. I've had an aviator 31689 for years now and it still runs fine without ever having been serviced. One watch I'll never part with.
I love pilot watches, I have the Seagull and a couple of AVI-8 's. I also have the Seiko SNK809, maybe that is worth a mention. Also I picked up a Chotovelli & Figli type A Flieger last year from Kickstarter for €99,basic but an absolute bargain with the Seiko VH31 mecaquartz movement, looks just like an auto!
Hey Jody, nice vid. I recently bought a Butler GMT. Pilot watch designed by a pilot. American micro brand, Swiss made, sapphire, screw down crown, Swiss Rhonda quartz gmt movement, 100m wr. I got it for about $130 usd, used. I got it to replace my ailing vostok as a serious beater. Wears about the same as a Rolex explorer, but it is a 40mm. I believe the retail is 349 usd. Its a nice little watch. Regards.
I’m surprised you Didn’t mention Torgoen. They make a beautiful line of aviation watches. Mainly with a Rhonda Swiss quartz movement. But there are a few with an ETA mechanical movement. I have a GMT that I love and I’m probably going to buy more from them this year.
Yes more Citizens! Incredibly quality and value.
Love pilot's watches! My heart goes with the more traditional fliegers, esp the Type Bs, but I also like the cluttered ones. I prefer the looks of most of the Seikos to the Citizens. I've had a couple Citizens but always end of selling them. I have a very similar Seiko and have a gold 4 sub dial which I've had forever. And those Edifices are amazing value! I nicked a white dial for $50 very gently used and lucked into a black dial for free that was included with a couple other watches. He listed it as non-working but sometimes they take a bit of tweaking to get a new battery to work. White dial and black dial versions for about $54 total. My heart's with the Laco though. 39mm blue dial Aachen Blaue Stunde B dial for me. Also have a 42mm Islander ISL-16 which is very nice, if a tad big for my wrist. I also kind of consider the Seiko SNKs to be a bit of a pilot/field hybrid. More of a field watch in use but clearly inspired by the B dial flieger.
Great video.
Excellent video as always Jody
Just wondered if you have an opinion on the Cincinnati Watch Company P 40M pilot watch? It’s within your budget limit and is powered by a Selitta manual wind.
I have the Casio and it’s great value at C$89 from Costco. Heavy either bracelet but great on a distressed rally strap! It scratches the Navitimer itch
Whoever sent Jody an OU shirt is the real hero of this vid.... BOOMER
Sooner!
Thanks for speaking up for the discomfort in wearing a watch-type ordered by Hermann Göring. Nothing wrong with appreciating the aesthetic, but there's definitely something dark there. In that context it's worth pointing out the Mk11 produced by Smiths/Timefactors (as well as my favourite pilot watch from that source, the Speedbird), which avoid the whiff of Luftwaffe. I do think that authenticity in a German flieger ought to come with the Frisbee size: close to the original dimensions. As to water resistance, enough Flieger ended up in the Channel and the North Sea to make some gaskets appropriate, if not exactly authentic.
Nice survey!
I will definitely have to look at the Dekla website soon...
Look ma! My Casio is on TV! I love love love the EF527d. My favorite watch in my collection, picked up one this past November.
Talk about adding salt to the injury, Jody! I've been lusting after the Nighthawk for sometime now, but Jomashop is out of stock and I refuse to pay the Amazon/eBay prices.
I prefer the standard version over the Blue Angels, but at $200 on a bracelet, I'm very tempted.
Edit: Never mind, Starbuy doesn't ship internationally.
The Citizen CA7047-Series is also a very good budget choice for a flieger chronograph.
I was going to mention that one too. There is a non-chrono version which has quite a different model number. Not sure if it’s current.
I would also throw in another Citizen - the AW1620. Type A Flieger with a date. Eco Drive, around 130 euros on a leather strap. Great everyday piece
Made a pleasant change from the usual dive watches that are reviewed.
You were correct! Number 8 is the blue angels NIGHThawk. The website you show has a mistake in their listing. In the description you inserted from the website it is referred to as the blue angels nighthawk
Jody, I'm blaming you 100% if my wife catches me again with a new watch 😂 I already have the Seiko SNA411 and it wears surprisingly small on my wrist. Love it. Btw the Navihawk looks very tempting, not gonna lie. Maybe I'll look around
Late comment, worth also looking at the Escapement Time fliegers, great specs and £100 zone prices.....that Casio looks amazing value too tho...
Ah, I see everyone else has beaten me to it....
#9 for me, it looks great!🚀✈️
This inspired me to put back on my flighty and rethink selling her.
Oh my god, that TWCO is just stunning.
Might also mention the Yema Spacegraf and the Hemel HFT20, and if you keep your eyes peeled you might find a used Yema Flygraf for the price too
I liked the addition of the casio, but I expected the Steeldive flieger, the escapement time and there's this new one on Ali that's titanium and has an NH35 for $99