You sir, are a legend. 1 word. Balls. This was equally super entertaining and slightly heartbreaking at the same time (the damn 🍏watches). Grazie Erik, onwards and upwards! T.
thats the reality, only the fashion kids and the watch enthusiasts still wear "real" watches, the rest wear iWatches, fitness watches and digital multi function (citizen/gshocks)
Haha. The promaster pilots watches are rad. But seeing pilots wear garmins and apple watches dont make sense to me. Most pilots watches worn by the layman nowdays
@@ssd52800000000000 It does, they are set it and forget it and it takes to long to use a regular watch when you have to fly. My pilot instructor used a brown quartz watch while the other used an F105. Shocking!
I have experience in military aviation, a common watch I saw amongst Eagle & viper drivers was the GMT master ii. Scott O'Grady who got shot down over Serbia in his F-16 famously wore a Rolex Pepsi... in his book he used it to motivate his escape as he knew that was the first thing they'd take from him - and it was a sentimental gift from his grandparents upon graduating ROTC.
I still wear my Newmark 6BB issued by the RAF in 1982. I think that today's airline pilots have less need of a traditional pilot watch due to the sophistication of modern aircraft instrumentation, but the classic style and easy legibility of pilot watches make them undeniably attractive. As for bashing a Rolex about in a cockpit environment, well... it's not going to happen for me.
I have to say that I wear a traditional analog watch specifically an Aviator Swiss and I am at some point going to buy a GMT. But on the other hand I happen to be very traditional aaand a watch nerd and a great fan of the golden era of aviation, so to each his own!!🤷🏻♂️
Never open with can I ask you a question - folks panic. Open with “Hi I have a watch channel, can I ask what watch you’re wearing please?” I promise you’ll get a better result as they aren’t wondering “what is this guy gonna ask?🎉🎉
Exactly. I would have asked are you living the dream ? Followed up with…aAs part of your every day carry what watch do you fly with the most and then the story behind it.
Retired after 30 years of airline flying with 24,600 flight hours. As an international pilot that has flown some of the world's longest flight routes, I can tell you that I wore a Rolex GMT II. It is an uncomplicated watch, easy to read in all conditions and told the time in GMT (necessary for pilots) as well as the local time. Easily adjustable time wise also. I never see serious pilots wearing watches with complicated movements or functions with lots of dials - it's an advertising gimmic as well as an insult to professional pilots!!!
As an airline Captain I can tell you that many of us don’t wear our nicest watches to work, or expensive ones, because of safety and security during our layovers when we are walking around the streets. For instance, I fly with a Citizen Blue Angels Eco-Drive which is 11-years-old and only worth about $250 or so. My Omega Speedmaster stays home and doesn’t go flying. We just had a pilot get mugged on a layover and had his Rolex taken. Yes, some have luxury watches and fly with them…but it’s a very small percentage.
Not wearing your nice watch to work is true for many people, not just pilots. I don't want to put wear and tear on my nice watches just wearing it for work.
Long haul pilot here, two tone 2006 Breitling Aerospace and i love it. I'm an enthusiast but the truth is that most young airline pilots prefer a garmin or apple watch, however you'll see some great time pieces on older captains. Thanks for the great content!
So what we've learned here is that the real studs - the actual pilots who have the cool jobs and don't need flashy, needlessly expensive, heavily marketed tools of yesteryear - wear practical watches. And all the desk jockeys and nerds wear the GMTs because they bought into the story sold by the brands. Great.
As an Army Aviator, I wore an Omega Speedmaster, Breitling Jupiter Pilot, and an issued Hamilton Field Watch with hacking feature (1984-1995). In Afghanistan, I wore a Rolex GMT Master II and SUUNTO Vector (2005)
@ I used to live where you practice your auto rotations back in the mid 80s. I remember when you guys transitioned straight to the UH one from the Osage.
@ Do you remember the property with the 2 round horse pens in Newton? One slightly larger than the other, you guys used to do your auto rotations over there all the time I used to watch you guys fall out of sky. One of the flight instructors Sonny Craddock lived a few properties down. He used to swear to God you all stayed up at night trying to find ways to kill him lol.
I still wear my Breitling Aerospace watch. Dual time (local and GMT). Excellent time keeper. Within 1-3 seconds per year. I got the watch 24 years ago about half way thru my 30 year USAF career. I flew internationally so the dual time was a valuable feature.
Younger regional pilot here. I wear a Hamilton Khaki Pilot Day/Date. I'm normally operating only on the eastern seaboard, so I can't really justify the expense of a GMT yet. I've had my "Cooper" for three years now, I bought it when I spent a month flying in England back in '21, and it's my favorite watch. I do not own any smart watches, the closest is two G-Shock's that are solar and radio controlled for time.
As a former US Naval Aviator, I didn't wear a watch while flying. Both hands were busy: one on the throttle and one on the stick. In addition, I also wore Nomex flight gloves and a long-sleeved flight suit, so looking at a watch wasn't really practical. The instrument panel had a manual clock that showed local time, and it had a stopwatch function.
As a 22 year international flight attendant. Any pilot or F.A that is not wearing a watch is useless! We NEED them for safety. Only Americans can get-away with this. Anyway. We tend to wear cheap watches. Lots of Casio usually. The reason is: Our watches get a right battering on the flight. Especially from the carts and all of the metal containers. And secondly, we like to save our best things for when we strip our uniform off. A lot of Cartier and Rolex come-out when the uniform comes off.
@@wegian3471 Same. Useless being told you’ve 5 minutes to prep’ a cabin for an emergency landing etc. If you don’t know how long five minutes is. Or a medical case etc. Only Americans can get-away with this as their attitude to flying seems to be totally different to most of the world.
I've heard United no longer requires watches, but instead requires work phones. Makes sense because that's where they fill out emergency forms, etc. as well
I'm a private pilot and a watch nerd but I am active in a few different pilot communities that have current and retired airline pilots. I am casual observer of the watches they wear because frankly most are not watch nerds and don't give much thought to watches. There are many Apple watches, four Garmin aviation watches (D2 Mach 1 units used for general aviation flying), one Rolex GMT out of the 100 or so pilots I've observed, five Breitling Aerospace watches (including me as my favorite), three Rolex Datejusts, and the rest Seikos and Citizens. If I were to choose the most common in my circles, it would be the Breitling Aerospace. A good 1/3 to 1/2 don't wear any watches at all, they use their phones. Makes sense--count how many times you would glance at your watch in the pre-cell phone era vs. how many times you look at your phone these days. A quick glance at the time in the upper left corner after you read the latest text message will give you a good sense of the time throughout your whole day.
You definitely see more high end time pieces on foreign carrier pilot crews. Honestly, it’s hard to beat a smartwatch for available data. Time zone switching is automatic, alarms for setting in flight crew rest wake up times, and overall connectivity. My $.02
As a professional pilot I use 46mm gold/steel Breitling Navitimer UB0127 (with previous wing logo which is my favorite), this was my dream watch and I feel so lucky to have it brand new (was one of the last ones with wing logo)
I’m a pilot with a major U.S. airline. . I typically wear a Rolex GMT2…occasionally one of my other branded GMT’s. Depending on my location outside of the airport and hotel, I’ll sometimes take off my watch…walking in downtown NYC for example. Most of the Pilots I fly with and see at the airport wear Apple, Citizen or the occasionally Breitling.
At my company, a watch is considered part of the uniform and is required. An Apple or electronic watch is typically preferred because they change time automatically and are the most accurate which is very important for aviation. There are those of us enthusiast that prefer the mechanical or even quartz (again for accuracy). I have observed the majority in this camp to wear a Rolex (normally GMT) or some type of Citizen.
Great thread. I’ve been in aviation for over 35 years. Started collecting watches almost exactly at the same time. My favourites are my Omega Speedy Collection. The classic moon watch, 1861 caliber. My other favourite wears are my Space themed Speed Master X-33’s. The Mk 1 &2 are very useful quartz tool watches. The Mk2 is still issued for use on the ISS. The Skywalker was designed in part with the ESA. Spaceflight used and qualified. The other Omega that is designed to be used in the cockpit is the Z-33. Probably, the most polarizing Watch I own. Look it up. You’ll either love it or hate it. All these quartz pieces are in titanium, so they are exceptionally comfortable and light weight. My usual daily wear is a Rolex Explorer 2. Virtually can double as a GMT. Hefty and bullet proof. I’ve worn mine virtually every day for the past 5 years. Truly a robust tool watch. Stands up to the wear and tear on the flight line. Tough but elegant.
I work in the field. The vast majority of pilots who do wear a watch its usually a Citizen, Garmin or Apple Watch. Ive seen the odd Rolex gmt or Breitling.
I travel a fair bit internationally. I completely get the responses. I travel with an Apple Watch and Citizen eco drive as a backup. If I have formal meetings, I have a quartz Glycine GMT. I intentionally do not want to wear a flashy watch when traveling. I go places where I don't want to stand out more than I already do. Also, after traveling 10 to 12 timezones and having to navigate through immigration, etc., the last thing I want to do is reset my watch.
As a professional pilot and a bit of a watch nerd, I do own a Rolex Submariner steel & gold, Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, Omega Seamaster Diver 300 Chronograph, IWC Pilots Chronograph le petite prince, Cartier Ronde Must, Tag Heuer Carrera Chronograph and a Hamilton Khaki Murph. But as others have mentioned, we travel to various cities where we stay overnight and it doesn't seem smart to be wearing an expensive watch roaming the streets. Along with that, a lot of times we bang our watch in the cockpit against doors and flight controls etc., so there's a chance for them to get dented and scratched easily. Those two reasons, along with the fact that I need to constantly change the time based on which time zone I'm in, I too end up wearing my Samsung Smart watch most of the times. Its extremely convenient and helps track fitness/notifications etc. Although I must say I would be a bit embarrassed being caught wearing it for an interview about watches at the airport :P
Well, I am cabin crew, and I change up using 4 different watches. Rolex Yatchmaster (126622 / blue dial), Rolex Date Just (16030), Panerai Submersible (PAM973), or an Apple Watch Ultra 2.
I work as a Customs Officer at LAX. I cannot express the disappointment when I get crew coming through my line with Apple Watches on. I personally prefer a Breitling Aerospace while in uniform so I can keep track of arriving flights
I’m an international Gulfstream pilot, and I’ve had a few different Citizens and Seikos with GMT function. Great workhorse watches. My latest addition is a micro brand, Panzera Fleiger 45G (GMT). Gorgeous dial and easy to change straps. I’d love to get an Omega at some point, but as others have said, I’d be hesitant to wear it on the road due to theft.
not surprised it was mainly smart watches. they keep excellent accuracy and automatically change time zones when the pilots are on the ground if they’re tethered to their phones. i’m only surprised there weren’t more satellite synced watches like Citizen Satellite Wave or Seiko Astron
Thanks for this much needed rational insight. Wonderful accurate comments below. I used my Quartz Citizen Wingman on my Private Pilot practical examination in 1992, the Examiner got irritated and said "Use your full sized E6B!" I always loved the collaborative history of AOPA and Breitling to create the Navitimer. Sadly both AOPA and Breitling are no longer what they used to be.
My friend who works as a flight attendant told me that the crew usually don't wear expensive watches when they are on the clock and they keep it simple with a Apple Watch or Garmin etc. 😊
Thank you for sharing this very nice scene.😊 As a former Purser Flight Attendant I have a couple of Casio watches that have used from here in Chicago.😊
Exactly the same with divers. Professionals are using dive-computers most of the time. Or train drivers. For sure like these pilots in the video there are a few folks who prefer mechanical or at least analog pieces but in general pros using boring but precise and useful tools today. Thank you for beeing brave and going out in the field for us. Interessting topic!
Kept it very respectful to those people. I like that. I'm a watch collector. I was in the Air Force but I wasn't a pilot. I worked around airplane. I liked the Blue Angels citizen, G-Shocks that connect to your phone so you can tell the time automatically when you land. I also have a breitling adventure.
@@pyruvicsynthase5879 Thanks! Have another under street videos in NYC asking what people wear for watches in 5th Ave. Some incredible watches! Thanks so much for watching.
Kenya Airways pilot here 👨✈️ I am a Casio G-Shock cultist. I have 12 of them! All Tough Solar, multi-band 6, and eight of them have bluetooth connection capability.
Nice video!!! Longines here… just an entry level but it is beautiful and easy to read. On my portfolio I carry an apple watch in case I want to explore the city or surroundings a little bit.
I’m long haul (777). I have a Tudor BB GMT and a Longines Spirit Zulu time. Both are superb. The Tudor is my daily beater and has easily done more than a million miles with me. I wear the Longines when I’m socialising and need something less ‘tooly’ and more dressy. I love the heritage in aviation of Longines! GMT travellers complication simply a must for me. I tried Brietling and had a Chronomat Longitude GMT but it kept poor time, and I had an Aerospace but it was just way too fiddly to set the time zone I was in. By the uniform standard in our airline, pilots MUST wear a watch.
Loved the video and the interactions. Could see easily that watch fans expectations and reality will leave us in disappointment here. I'm from india and the public sector watch brand was the HMT and HMT Pilot was made for pilots back then. Traditional watches fitting all kinds of day to day activities tbh. Edit: HMT Pilot was available to civilians as well but it was made keeping in mind the pilots. Another spin off from the famous HMT Janata.
Ok, I’ll bust the curve. I am a long haul pilot and wear a Longines GMT. I used to sport a Rolex Date Just and will always love that watch. After watching this video I can say that there are many pilots that have Rolex watches. We need to be careful wearing them out in layovers in some parts of the world. Awesome video but bad sample group!
@@frankancona6460 Thats what I thought. Also, I used to fly to Asia and far East a lot and found that Cathay, Singapore etc.were more into watches - dont know what you think? Thanks so much for commenting and watching.
Erik, you first must give them a heads up that you have a channel about wristwatches! Given the world we live in, people are often simply trying to stir up controversy asking weird questions in public. Edit: Great idea for a video. Thanks for posting!
I'm a watch nerd and a longhaul pilot. On most of my international flights I wear a Breitling Chronoliner. During my OFF days or when I'm out on an airfield flying small planes, I take my Breitling Super Avi B04 Chronograph GMT 46 P-51 Mustang with me. Somewhere in between I'm also wearing my Breitling Navitimer B01. Depends on my mood.
As a flight attendant 🧳 and a watch collector too. Flying on short ans medium haul flights. Many of my colleagues wear watches like I do. Most of the time quartz, like g-shock, citizen, Swatch and old Casio. (Off course I can see sometimes an Apple watch) But many of us have mechanical watches, like Montblanc, Cartier, Oméga, Yema, Rolex, Tudor and even micro brand. I use myself diver's watches (Citizen, Yema, Doxa, Seiko) because the bezel ils useful to tell me the remaining time. If I do a flight that last more than 2 hours, I use my Autodromo Group B chrono. But I do not represent the majority of cabin crew members, because I am a watch fan 😁⌚
Hi dear ! Great video thank you ! I’m an Airline pilot in Europe on Boeing 737 and by my side I wear 2 watches.My « Night » watch is a Casio Gshock DW5600 and my day watch is an Manual Watch Laco Memmingen 42mm.
Massive Kudos for doing something like this! Takes guts to do what you did. I'm sure you know this but you should definitely clean up the approach though. I think starting off with introducing yourself and your watch channel will be a good ice breaker. The reason I'm glad you did this video is the same reason I was when Teddy B did a video with normys, asking about the price of watches. Most people don't have a clue and could care less. Our hobby goes overboard romanticizing about these trinkets and borderline cosplays with the watches. I grew up in a beach town. Lol, literally all the divers I knew didn't wear dive watches. Looks like it's the same for GMT pilots watches. Thanks again for doing this kind of video.
5:29 Why did you include the gentleman who said he does not want to be on camera? Telling your camera guy to turn it off, but still include the footage is an asshole thing to do.
Airline Pilot here, I fly 737s and I wear my IWC Top Gun Ceramic Pilots Chronograph 41. Highly scratch resistant case and quite accurate, just loosing 3 seconds a day. I can sync the time with the on board gps watch accurately every time.
My first pilot watch was a Citizen Nighthawk from 2010, eco-drive, dual time and still works great. Nowadays, I wear mostly a Grand Seiko GMT with their amazing 9F caliber. Many airlines still have a requirement for pilots to wear watches. I guess in the US that requirement has eroded over time.
When I flew Army, usually a Citizen (good watch I didn’t mind wearing in the field) but my most worn at work (airline) is the Breitling Aerospace Evo. Close second is between a BB58 or Explorer. Then again I find myself a bit of a minority with about 30 other watches, some barely worn. A good excuse for a watch nerd not having a GMT on at work is that we have digital GMT display on the flight deck.
So much for m6 Navitimer. Reminds me of a aqjuantence who went to Dallas for the first time wearing a Stetson and Tony Lamas and when he got off the plane the people were all wearing ball caps and tennis shoes😂
Amazing. Subscribed on the strength and originality of this segment. Very telling, like asking an auto mechanic if he drives the latest and greatest sports car.
Surely the Casio AE1200 aka Casio Royale is the perfect pilot watch imo. 10yr battery,Multiple time zones & 5 alarms...plus all the usual digital watch features too. It's inexpensive so loss & damage isn't a major headache financially or emotionally & its not an Apple watch. 👍
A watch is part of a pilot uniform, especially a Chrono, I'm old school .used to wear Brietling Aerospace 1, but now it's Protrek with ABC or Garmin D2.
I’m a pilot and Rolex owner. There’s NO WAY I would wear anything other than Apple when on the road, certainly not a GMT. Apple functionality is 100x better. We aren’t flying for Pan Am in the 1950’s anymore using sextants to navigate, etc, not to mention a GMT is so much more likely to be damaged or stolen away from home.
Being honest, I'm kind disappointed that a lot of flight crew members are'n into the watches world. I do fly for a living and I really enjoy some traditional watches. Started my collection a few months ago, and bought myself a Seiko 5 GMT. Great content by the way. Keep the good work! Regards from Brazil.
Been a professional pilot all my life. When I started out I used a Seiko….great watch, then an Omega Speedmaster professional. Flew DC10’s back then and the cockpit literally ate the Speedmaster. It didn’t hold up well to all the knocks and bumps. Then for years and years I wore a Rolex GMT. Currently on a fitness binge so it’s been a Garmin for last 6 months, but I’ll go back to the trusty GMT soon I expect.
Thank you for an ideas the topics ,My self an aviator i do like watches even not a specific watch such a dual time or GMT from branded until infamous one,it’s depends on your needs btw lately i prefer use Suunto for my needs! thank you for your efforts i dunno why all the guys didn’t want it to say something maybe about their policy during wear the uniform or endorse thing 😂🎉
Good video! frustrating but yeah; pilots don't like watches, period! I'm a pilot and I do love watches but that's me. I own Omega, Breitling, Fortis, Sinn and many GMTs. I also love my vintage Seikos (UFO, panda, Speedtimer, etc) but again, that's me
Interesting to see some Citizen wearers. Perhaps, if they were in the military before at the time when Blue Angels Citizen watches were popular... And what happened with Breitlings??
@ …enjoyed it! And for your interest, I’m a pro pilot of 29 years; my regular work ‘beater’ is a Submariner. It’s practical for me because I use the bezel to keep track of event timings. I do have a GMT II also but mostly use that for my own leisure travel farther afield. I think I’ve seen a GMT with 60 minute ‘mission’ bezel from Sinn, that would be the ultimate work watch for me, but I’m too much of a Rolex ‘fanboy’ to be so sensible. As an Instructor and Examiner these days, if I ever catch a pilot without a watch, I direct them straight to Amazon for a FW91W!
You sir, are a legend. 1 word. Balls. This was equally super entertaining and slightly heartbreaking at the same time (the damn 🍏watches).
Grazie Erik, onwards and upwards!
T.
@@theurbangentry Thanks Tristano! All the best.
I want a Laco more than ever now.
@@drbobsnightmare2521 👏👏👏 Well played.
@@theurbangentry they need a RM2 GMT! Ciao!
@@paulbugoni2846 Agree with that as perfect for a pilot!
Man seeing all of those Apple & Garmin watches on pilots really broke my heart! I can definitely respect the Citizen wearers though!
thats the reality, only the fashion kids and the watch enthusiasts still wear "real" watches, the rest wear iWatches, fitness watches and digital multi function (citizen/gshocks)
I own several Citizens. Most reliable, easy to own watches ever.
We are broke guys , what do you think 😂😂
Haha. The promaster pilots watches are rad. But seeing pilots wear garmins and apple watches dont make sense to me. Most pilots watches worn by the layman nowdays
@@ssd52800000000000 It does, they are set it and forget it and it takes to long to use a regular watch when you have to fly. My pilot instructor used a brown quartz watch while the other used an F105. Shocking!
So what we have learned is....Pilots don't wear traditional Pilots watches or GMT's, those are for watch nerds! Great idea and Video, thanks!
@@robcar80 Thanks for watching!
Sample size.
I have experience in military aviation, a common watch I saw amongst Eagle & viper drivers was the GMT master ii.
Scott O'Grady who got shot down over Serbia in his F-16 famously wore a Rolex Pepsi... in his book he used it to motivate his escape as he knew that was the first thing they'd take from him - and it was a sentimental gift from his grandparents upon graduating ROTC.
I still wear my Newmark 6BB issued by the RAF in 1982. I think that today's airline pilots have less need of a traditional pilot watch due to the sophistication of modern aircraft instrumentation, but the classic style and easy legibility of pilot watches make them undeniably attractive. As for bashing a Rolex about in a cockpit environment, well... it's not going to happen for me.
I have to say that I wear a traditional analog watch specifically an Aviator Swiss and I am at some point going to buy a GMT. But on the other hand I happen to be very traditional aaand a watch nerd and a great fan of the golden era of aviation, so to each his own!!🤷🏻♂️
Never open with can I ask you a question - folks panic. Open with “Hi I have a watch channel, can I ask what watch you’re wearing please?” I promise you’ll get a better result as they aren’t wondering “what is this guy gonna ask?🎉🎉
Exactly. I would have asked are you living the dream ? Followed up with…aAs part of your every day carry what watch do you fly with the most and then the story behind it.
Yeah, unfortunately he isn't very good at this. I was thinking the exact same thing. He just wasn't asking the question correctly.
Still it’s fun content. I was just trying to help. 😊
"can I ask you a question" is asking permission for something you want to do, but you’ve already done it:)
its a stupid question to begin with, also he is not even waiting for them to answer :)
Retired after 30 years of airline flying with 24,600 flight hours.
As an international pilot that has flown some of the world's longest flight routes, I can tell you that I wore a Rolex GMT II. It is an uncomplicated watch, easy to read in all conditions and told the time in GMT (necessary for pilots) as well as the local time.
Easily adjustable time wise also.
I never see serious pilots wearing watches with complicated movements or functions with lots of dials - it's an advertising gimmic as well as an insult to professional pilots!!!
@@geoffreycoury1171 Thanks for commenting and watching!
As a pilot I wear a Citizen Eco drive. Always accurate and easy to read.
@@captain007x Love the eco drive and Citizen make some great watches! Thanks for watching.
As an airline Captain I can tell you that many of us don’t wear our nicest watches to work, or expensive ones, because of safety and security during our layovers when we are walking around the streets. For instance, I fly with a Citizen Blue Angels Eco-Drive which is 11-years-old and only worth about $250 or so. My Omega Speedmaster stays home and doesn’t go flying.
We just had a pilot get mugged on a layover and had his Rolex taken. Yes, some have luxury watches and fly with them…but it’s a very small percentage.
I always wear a GMT2. However, outside of the airport and hotel, I’ll sometimes remove my watch…depends on where I am.
Wow! Interesting.
I like all the Blue Angel watch models. they're very reliable that citizen makes
They don't cost an arm and a leg to own.
Not wearing your nice watch to work is true for many people, not just pilots. I don't want to put wear and tear on my nice watches just wearing it for work.
Long haul pilot here, two tone 2006 Breitling Aerospace and i love it. I'm an enthusiast but the truth is that most young airline pilots prefer a garmin or apple watch, however you'll see some great time pieces on older captains. Thanks for the great content!
Sketchy dudes wear Breitling.
So what we've learned here is that the real studs - the actual pilots who have the cool jobs and don't need flashy, needlessly expensive, heavily marketed tools of yesteryear - wear practical watches. And all the desk jockeys and nerds wear the GMTs because they bought into the story sold by the brands. Great.
As an Army Aviator, I wore an Omega Speedmaster, Breitling Jupiter Pilot, and an issued Hamilton Field Watch with hacking feature (1984-1995). In Afghanistan, I wore a Rolex GMT Master II and SUUNTO Vector (2005)
Rucker?😊
@@IMSJoseCuervo Where I trained to be a pilot, yes.
@ I used to live where you practice your auto rotations back in the mid 80s. I remember when you guys transitioned straight to the UH one from the Osage.
@@IMSJoseCuervo I was there in 1984-1985! You may have seen me!
@ Do you remember the property with the 2 round horse pens in Newton? One slightly larger than the other, you guys used to do your auto rotations over there all the time I used to watch you guys fall out of sky. One of the flight instructors Sonny Craddock lived a few properties down. He used to swear to God you all stayed up at night trying to find ways to kill him lol.
Great video! Forget the quartz crisis, the smartwatch crisis is far worse….
Agree with that! Thanks for watching.
I still wear my Breitling Aerospace watch. Dual time (local and GMT). Excellent time keeper. Within 1-3 seconds per year. I got the watch 24 years ago about half way thru my 30 year USAF career. I flew internationally so the dual time was a valuable feature.
@@mcahill135 Yeah, legendary watch. Thanks for watching.
For my 50th birthday, I went on a flight experience in a Tiger Moth. The pilot was wearing a Casio F-91W.
🤣
simple, reliable, no-nonsense
I wear the same on my BMW K1300S. I leave the good stuff at home just in case I crash 😊
Younger regional pilot here. I wear a Hamilton Khaki Pilot Day/Date. I'm normally operating only on the eastern seaboard, so I can't really justify the expense of a GMT yet. I've had my "Cooper" for three years now, I bought it when I spent a month flying in England back in '21, and it's my favorite watch. I do not own any smart watches, the closest is two G-Shock's that are solar and radio controlled for time.
As a former US Naval Aviator, I didn't wear a watch while flying. Both hands were busy: one on the throttle and one on the stick. In addition, I also wore Nomex flight gloves and a long-sleeved flight suit, so looking at a watch wasn't really practical. The instrument panel had a manual clock that showed local time, and it had a stopwatch function.
@@jsusna1972 Thanks for the input and for watching.
As a 22 year international flight attendant. Any pilot or F.A that is not wearing a watch is useless! We NEED them for safety. Only Americans can get-away with this.
Anyway. We tend to wear cheap watches. Lots of Casio usually. The reason is: Our watches get a right battering on the flight. Especially from the carts and all of the metal containers. And secondly, we like to save our best things for when we strip our uniform off.
A lot of Cartier and Rolex come-out when the uniform comes off.
@@ektrolleyboy Thanks for commenting and watching!
As cabin crew, I am thinking the same. At my airline you get sent home if you show up with no watch, or a watch that s not working….
@@wegian3471 Same. Useless being told you’ve 5 minutes to prep’ a cabin for an emergency landing etc. If you don’t know how long five minutes is. Or a medical case etc.
Only Americans can get-away with this as their attitude to flying seems to be totally different to most of the world.
Stripping uniforms off, you say ... lil sus.
I've heard United no longer requires watches, but instead requires work phones. Makes sense because that's where they fill out emergency forms, etc. as well
I'm a private pilot and a watch nerd but I am active in a few different pilot communities that have current and retired airline pilots. I am casual observer of the watches they wear because frankly most are not watch nerds and don't give much thought to watches. There are many Apple watches, four Garmin aviation watches (D2 Mach 1 units used for general aviation flying), one Rolex GMT out of the 100 or so pilots I've observed, five Breitling Aerospace watches (including me as my favorite), three Rolex Datejusts, and the rest Seikos and Citizens. If I were to choose the most common in my circles, it would be the Breitling Aerospace. A good 1/3 to 1/2 don't wear any watches at all, they use their phones. Makes sense--count how many times you would glance at your watch in the pre-cell phone era vs. how many times you look at your phone these days. A quick glance at the time in the upper left corner after you read the latest text message will give you a good sense of the time throughout your whole day.
You definitely see more high end time pieces on foreign carrier pilot crews. Honestly, it’s hard to beat a smartwatch for available data. Time zone switching is automatic, alarms for setting in flight crew rest wake up times, and overall connectivity. My $.02
Thanks for commenting and for watching.
As a professional pilot I use 46mm gold/steel Breitling Navitimer UB0127 (with previous wing logo which is my favorite), this was my dream watch and I feel so lucky to have it brand new (was one of the last ones with wing logo)
I’m a pilot with a major U.S. airline. . I typically wear a Rolex GMT2…occasionally one of my other branded GMT’s. Depending on my location outside of the airport and hotel, I’ll sometimes take off my watch…walking in downtown NYC for example. Most of the Pilots I fly with and see at the airport wear Apple, Citizen or the occasionally Breitling.
Why do you take it off in NYC? Is it dangerous to wear one?
The older pilots had class,these young pilots just want quick function.
Agree. Thanks for watching.
I was actually surprised…very few are watch lovers…I was hoping that someone would say Navitimer or a Big Pilot😂
The older pilots could afford them, the younger one not so much.
They are most of them in debt to their eyeballs.
A pilot without a watch?..we’re f.k.d.
@@marcusherts9345 Thats what I thought! Thanks for watching.
Same thought with a pilot who wears an apple watch.
I would expect a pilot to be wearing a Rolex, or at least an Omega FFS..
At my company, a watch is considered part of the uniform and is required. An Apple or electronic watch is typically preferred because they change time automatically and are the most accurate which is very important for aviation. There are those of us enthusiast that prefer the mechanical or even quartz (again for accuracy). I have observed the majority in this camp to wear a Rolex (normally GMT) or some type of Citizen.
@@benholtvoigt8135 Thats what I thought. Thanks so much for watching.
Same for my job as a bus driver, but not really enforced
No seiko Astron GPS solar dual Time?
3:15 THE MAN Right here!!!
Great thread. I’ve been in aviation for over 35 years. Started collecting watches almost exactly at the same time. My favourites are my Omega Speedy Collection. The classic moon watch, 1861 caliber. My other favourite wears are my Space themed Speed Master X-33’s.
The Mk 1 &2 are very useful quartz tool watches. The Mk2 is still issued for use on the ISS.
The Skywalker was designed in part with the ESA. Spaceflight used and qualified. The other Omega that is designed to be used in the cockpit is the Z-33. Probably, the most polarizing
Watch I own. Look it up. You’ll either love it or hate it. All these quartz pieces are in titanium, so they are exceptionally comfortable and light weight.
My usual daily wear is a Rolex Explorer 2. Virtually can double as a GMT. Hefty and bullet proof. I’ve worn mine virtually every day for the past 5 years. Truly a robust tool watch.
Stands up to the wear and tear on the flight line. Tough but elegant.
@@johnsmithson5376 Quite a collection! Thanks for sharing and for watching.
I work in the field. The vast majority of pilots who do wear a watch its usually a Citizen, Garmin or Apple Watch. Ive seen the odd Rolex gmt or Breitling.
@@superfast30 Thanks so much for commenting and the insight.
I travel a fair bit internationally. I completely get the responses. I travel with an Apple Watch and Citizen eco drive as a backup. If I have formal meetings, I have a quartz Glycine GMT. I intentionally do not want to wear a flashy watch when traveling. I go places where I don't want to stand out more than I already do. Also, after traveling 10 to 12 timezones and having to navigate through immigration, etc., the last thing I want to do is reset my watch.
As a professional pilot and a bit of a watch nerd, I do own a Rolex Submariner steel & gold, Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, Omega Seamaster Diver 300 Chronograph, IWC Pilots Chronograph le petite prince, Cartier Ronde Must, Tag Heuer Carrera Chronograph and a Hamilton Khaki Murph.
But as others have mentioned, we travel to various cities where we stay overnight and it doesn't seem smart to be wearing an expensive watch roaming the streets. Along with that, a lot of times we bang our watch in the cockpit against doors and flight controls etc., so there's a chance for them to get dented and scratched easily. Those two reasons, along with the fact that I need to constantly change the time based on which time zone I'm in, I too end up wearing my Samsung Smart watch most of the times. Its extremely convenient and helps track fitness/notifications etc. Although I must say I would be a bit embarrassed being caught wearing it for an interview about watches at the airport :P
@@8leosharma I get it and thanks for sharing that.
I love how defensive some of them get until he says he's just asking about watches, then they immediately relax. 😂
Tudors & Citizens, yea
Thanks for commenting and for watching.
Well, I am cabin crew, and I change up using 4 different watches. Rolex Yatchmaster (126622 / blue dial), Rolex Date Just (16030), Panerai Submersible (PAM973), or an Apple Watch Ultra 2.
And thats a nice collection. Where were you when I needed you? Thanks for watching.
@@erikkinginnyc hehe. I am in Europe😂Next I am looking at JLC. Love the Reverso, but also do love the Master Chronograph series….⌚
I work as a Customs Officer at LAX. I cannot express the disappointment when I get crew coming through my line with Apple Watches on. I personally prefer a Breitling Aerospace while in uniform so I can keep track of arriving flights
@@EmPeral562 Agree! Thanks for watching.
Thanks for this content. Would've wished more people participated but it is hard doing a cold interview. I appreciate your effort definitely. ❤
@@markmendoza3121 Thanks! Need to do it again at a different time and different airlines. Thanks for watching.
I’m an international Gulfstream pilot, and I’ve had a few different Citizens and Seikos with GMT function. Great workhorse watches. My latest addition is a micro brand, Panzera Fleiger 45G (GMT). Gorgeous dial and easy to change straps. I’d love to get an Omega at some point, but as others have said, I’d be hesitant to wear it on the road due to theft.
@@aviator_bryan Thanks for the input and for watching.
not surprised it was mainly smart watches. they keep excellent accuracy and automatically change time zones when the pilots are on the ground if they’re tethered to their phones. i’m only surprised there weren’t more satellite synced watches like Citizen Satellite Wave or Seiko Astron
Thought it was great!! Really enjoyed, exciting waiting to find that person with the golden wstch.😁
@@robertmcgregor4267 Thanks so much for watching.
When I was still flying in the beginning of 2000 ish, I wore an Omega Speedmaster!
@@myZisfantastic Love the Speedy and makes total sense. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for this much needed rational insight. Wonderful accurate comments below.
I used my Quartz Citizen Wingman on my Private Pilot practical examination in 1992, the Examiner got irritated and said "Use your full sized E6B!"
I always loved the collaborative history of AOPA and Breitling to create the Navitimer. Sadly both AOPA and Breitling are no longer what they used to be.
@@UtahJohn777 Yes, great history with AOPA that many dont know. Thanks for watching.
Great work, I really enjoyed this content!
@@3d8541 Thanks so much for the compliment and for watching.
My friend who works as a flight attendant told me that the crew usually don't wear expensive watches when they are on the clock and they keep it simple with a Apple Watch or Garmin etc. 😊
Thank you for sharing this very nice scene.😊 As a former Purser Flight Attendant I have a couple of Casio watches that have used from here in Chicago.😊
@@LMays-cu2hp Thanks so much for commenting and for watching.
You are welcome from rainy and cool temp Chicago.
Exactly the same with divers. Professionals are using dive-computers most of the time. Or train drivers. For sure like these pilots in the video there are a few folks who prefer mechanical or at least analog pieces but in general pros using boring but precise and useful tools today.
Thank you for beeing brave and going out in the field for us.
Interessting topic!
@@captaincrazy5075 Thanks for the positive input and for watching.
Kept it very respectful to those people. I like that. I'm a watch collector. I was in the Air Force but I wasn't a pilot. I worked around airplane. I liked the Blue Angels citizen, G-Shocks that connect to your phone so you can tell the time automatically when you land. I also have a breitling adventure.
Awesome video!! I always enjoy your creativity and insight. This was cool.
awesome video! first of its kind too, keep it up!
@@pyruvicsynthase5879 Thanks! Have another under street videos in NYC asking what people wear for watches in 5th Ave. Some incredible watches! Thanks so much for watching.
Kenya Airways pilot here 👨✈️
I am a Casio G-Shock cultist. I have 12 of them! All Tough Solar, multi-band 6, and eight of them have bluetooth connection capability.
Hello from Chile! I love the spontaneity of the people you ask them... Maybe you could add an image of what you perceive in the questions!! Greetings
@@fantasmafuentes4759 Thanks for that and for watching.
Great video.
@@cindywolff7540 Thanks so much for watching!
Best video so far. I love seeing what real people doing jobs where time keeping is important wear.
Nice video!!!
Longines here… just an entry level but it is beautiful and easy to read.
On my portfolio I carry an apple watch in case I want to explore the city or surroundings a little bit.
I’m long haul (777). I have a Tudor BB GMT and a Longines Spirit Zulu time. Both are superb. The Tudor is my daily beater and has easily done more than a million miles with me. I wear the Longines when I’m socialising and need something less ‘tooly’ and more dressy. I love the heritage in aviation of Longines!
GMT travellers complication simply a must for me.
I tried Brietling and had a Chronomat Longitude GMT but it kept poor time, and I had an Aerospace but it was just way too fiddly to set the time zone I was in.
By the uniform standard in our airline, pilots MUST wear a watch.
I'm a pilot and i wear an octo finissimo chrono gmt 😉 its amazing
@@realslimshaco8550 One of my favorite watches. Thanks for watching.
Great effort
@@sujit2609 Thanks so much!
Great idea !!
You should go to the financial district and ask there. I’ll bet you’ll get some interesting ones !
Loved the video and the interactions. Could see easily that watch fans expectations and reality will leave us in disappointment here. I'm from india and the public sector watch brand was the HMT and HMT Pilot was made for pilots back then. Traditional watches fitting all kinds of day to day activities tbh.
Edit: HMT Pilot was available to civilians as well but it was made keeping in mind the pilots. Another spin off from the famous HMT Janata.
@@k-trailblazer Aware of HMT and good reputation. Thanks so much for watching.
@@erikkinginnycSir, you're a legend. Amazing channel BTW!! Thanks for your reply!
Ok, I’ll bust the curve. I am a long haul pilot and wear a Longines GMT. I used to sport a Rolex Date Just and will always love that watch. After watching this video I can say that there are many pilots that have Rolex watches. We need to be careful wearing them out in layovers in some parts of the world. Awesome video but bad sample group!
@@frankancona6460 Thats what I thought. Also, I used to fly to Asia and far East a lot and found that Cathay, Singapore etc.were more into watches - dont know what you think? Thanks so much for commenting and watching.
German HEMS pilot here: most of the time 1) CWC SBS Diver 2) Fortis B42 Official Cosmonauts Chronograph 3) Sinn 856 4) Garmin Tactix
@@christianschneidt6788 Thanks for commenting and for watching.
I wish the Tudor man had time to talk. Nice idea to content. Just subscribed. I'll immediately explore the other videos right now.
Awesome, my plan is to be a truck driver, and then get my pilots license at some point, Casio Edifices, and Citizen Eco-Drives. 👌🏼
@@chrisp.5272 Thanks for watching.
Erik, you first must give them a heads up that you have a channel about wristwatches! Given the world we live in, people are often simply trying to stir up controversy asking weird questions in public. Edit: Great idea for a video. Thanks for posting!
@@BeckVMH Thanks for the input and for watching.
I'm a watch nerd and a longhaul pilot. On most of my international flights I wear a Breitling Chronoliner. During my OFF days or when I'm out on an airfield flying small planes, I take my Breitling Super Avi B04 Chronograph GMT 46 P-51 Mustang with me. Somewhere in between I'm also wearing my Breitling Navitimer B01. Depends on my mood.
As a flight attendant 🧳 and a watch collector too.
Flying on short ans medium haul flights.
Many of my colleagues wear watches like I do.
Most of the time quartz, like g-shock, citizen, Swatch and old Casio. (Off course I can see sometimes an Apple watch)
But many of us have mechanical watches, like Montblanc, Cartier, Oméga, Yema, Rolex, Tudor and even micro brand.
I use myself diver's watches (Citizen, Yema, Doxa, Seiko) because the bezel ils useful to tell me the remaining time.
If I do a flight that last more than 2 hours, I use my Autodromo Group B chrono.
But I do not represent the majority of cabin crew members, because I am a watch fan 😁⌚
@@guillaumeweber3655 Wow, nice collection of watches! Thanks for watching and commenting.
Good idea and very good video
@@Uns_Maps_8 Thanks so much for the compliment and for watching.
Hi dear ! Great video thank you ! I’m an Airline pilot in Europe on Boeing 737 and by my side I wear 2 watches.My « Night » watch is a Casio Gshock DW5600 and my day watch is an Manual Watch Laco Memmingen 42mm.
Massive Kudos for doing something like this!
Takes guts to do what you did.
I'm sure you know this but you should definitely clean up the approach though. I think starting off with introducing yourself and your watch channel will be a good ice breaker.
The reason I'm glad you did this video is the same reason I was when Teddy B did a video with normys, asking about the price of watches.
Most people don't have a clue and could care less. Our hobby goes overboard romanticizing about these trinkets and borderline cosplays with the watches.
I grew up in a beach town. Lol, literally all the divers I knew didn't wear dive watches. Looks like it's the same for GMT pilots watches.
Thanks again for doing this kind of video.
@@qwerty135797 Thanks so much for the comments and for watching.
Recent flight from LGW to OSL gave me hope. Spotted a Speedmaster triple date (blue accents like Ben Clymers), normal speedy and an X-51 🤯
@@DeanoTXR53 Thats great! I always look at watches like many of us. Thanks for watching.
New subscriber for that great idea for a video
That was fun and very informative, as are the comments from other pilots. Great job!!
I had a Casio GA-1000 for several years and gave it to my brother in law! Now I have a Casio WS-1700H black, it's not as fancy but it's a nice watch!
KLM crew always the friendliest and up for a chat
@@Motorchampion Yes, nice! Thanks so much for watching.
It's not dark out but getting there!
@@cooper7031 True. Thanks for watching.
5:29 Why did you include the gentleman who said he does not want to be on camera? Telling your camera guy to turn it off, but still include the footage is an asshole thing to do.
When It comes to the pilot's not wearing a watch. I find myself laughing thinking back at that Watch Scene in PULP FICTION.
Airline Pilot here, I fly 737s and I wear my IWC Top Gun Ceramic Pilots Chronograph 41. Highly scratch resistant case and quite accurate, just loosing 3 seconds a day. I can sync the time with the on board gps watch accurately every time.
@@Gabriel-l6e5k Yeah, great watch and expected IWC, Breitling, Rolex ...Thanks for watching.
AMZWATCH has set a new standard for replica watches. Their craftsmanship is impeccable. Its hard to tell the difference from the originals
Super fun video idea
@@TheSweatyYeti Thanks and more to come. Thanks so much for watching.
Security! Terminal four! Crazy watch person on the loose!
@@jeeperspeepers8323 Thats what I was thinking would happen at some point. Thanks for watching.
I’m not a pilot but I wear a Grand Seiko SBGM221 a GMT watch from their Elegance Collection when travelling.
@@Chiller11 Huge fan of GS! Honestly the best watch you can buy! Thanks for watching.
Was waiting with anticipation .
GREAT VIDEO
That was fun, thanks for sticking yourself out there!
@@FireBlade57 Thanks for the compliment and for watching.
My first pilot watch was a Citizen Nighthawk from 2010, eco-drive, dual time and still works great. Nowadays, I wear mostly a Grand Seiko GMT with their amazing 9F caliber. Many airlines still have a requirement for pilots to wear watches. I guess in the US that requirement has eroded over time.
When I flew Army, usually a Citizen (good watch I didn’t mind wearing in the field) but my most worn at work (airline) is the Breitling Aerospace Evo. Close second is between a BB58 or Explorer. Then again I find myself a bit of a minority with about 30 other watches, some barely worn. A good excuse for a watch nerd not having a GMT on at work is that we have digital GMT display on the flight deck.
@@bhawkpilot4714 NICE watches! Thanks for watching.
So much for m6 Navitimer. Reminds me of a aqjuantence who went to Dallas for the first time wearing a Stetson and Tony Lamas and when he got off the plane the people were all wearing ball caps and tennis shoes😂
@@manueljnegrete5048 Yeah, near the same thing. Thanks for watching.
Amazing. Subscribed on the strength and originality of this segment. Very telling, like asking an auto mechanic if he drives the latest and greatest sports car.
Brand heritage BUSTED!! I did see one of my pilots wearing a Breitling Aerospace once!!
Surely the Casio AE1200 aka Casio Royale is the perfect pilot watch imo. 10yr battery,Multiple time zones & 5 alarms...plus all the usual digital watch features too. It's inexpensive so loss & damage isn't a major headache financially or emotionally & its not an Apple watch. 👍
@@dtuk22 True that it does all it needs to do with a great price. Thanks so much for watching and commenting.
A watch is part of a pilot uniform, especially a Chrono, I'm old school .used to wear Brietling Aerospace 1, but now it's Protrek with ABC or Garmin D2.
I’m a pilot and Rolex owner. There’s NO WAY I would wear anything other than Apple when on the road, certainly not a GMT. Apple functionality is 100x better. We aren’t flying for Pan Am in the 1950’s anymore using sextants to navigate, etc, not to mention a GMT is so much more likely to be damaged or stolen away from home.
Being honest, I'm kind disappointed that a lot of flight crew members are'n into the watches world. I do fly for a living and I really enjoy some traditional watches. Started my collection a few months ago, and bought myself a Seiko 5 GMT. Great content by the way. Keep the good work! Regards from Brazil.
@@Phenom300SIC Thanks for sharing and that Seiko you have is a fantastic watch. Reviewed it a while back.
I travel international 3 to 4 times a year, and I wear Seiko Astron. And I am on a look out to buy for a Citizen Promaster or Seiko GMT.
@@MusicLifeVideo The Seiko GMT is really nice and comes in a few color variations! Thanks for watching.
@ im not aiming for skx replacement though. I am aiming for the marine master 200 gmt. 1500usd.
Been a professional pilot all my life. When I started out I used a Seiko….great watch, then an Omega Speedmaster professional. Flew DC10’s back then and the cockpit literally ate the Speedmaster. It didn’t hold up well to all the knocks and bumps. Then for years and years I wore a Rolex GMT.
Currently on a fitness binge so it’s been a Garmin for last 6 months, but I’ll go back to the trusty GMT soon I expect.
Thank you for an ideas the topics ,My self an aviator i do like watches even not a specific watch such a dual time or GMT from branded until infamous one,it’s depends on your needs btw lately i prefer use Suunto for my needs! thank you for your efforts i dunno why all the guys didn’t want it to say something maybe about their policy during wear the uniform or endorse thing 😂🎉
Good video! frustrating but yeah; pilots don't like watches, period! I'm a pilot and I do love watches but that's me. I own Omega, Breitling, Fortis, Sinn and many GMTs. I also love my vintage Seikos (UFO, panda, Speedtimer, etc) but again, that's me
@@blackhawk5950 Thanks for the insight. I get it, if your into watches it's a different ball game. Thanks for watching
@@erikkinginnyc indeed my friend. Thank you for your feedback. Cheers!
I was expecting a lot of Breitlings for the pilots. Turn out lots of smart watches.
Interesting to see some Citizen wearers. Perhaps, if they were in the military before at the time when Blue Angels Citizen watches were popular... And what happened with Breitlings??
I proudly rock my Air King at work. Tbh, a decent group of us do love watches, unfortunate you didn't get the best turn out.
I am an airline pilot. I wear a Rolex GMT II LN
@@BriggsKellogg Great! You should have been at JFK! Thanks for watching.
@ I’m there about once a week! Probably just missed each other!
Those guys without watches… 🙄. I didn’t expect that! Respect to the Citizen chaps and the Tudor guys.
@@ukobs Neither did I! Thanks for watching.
@ …enjoyed it! And for your interest, I’m a pro pilot of 29 years; my regular work ‘beater’ is a Submariner. It’s practical for me because I use the bezel to keep track of event timings. I do have a GMT II also but mostly use that for my own leisure travel farther afield.
I think I’ve seen a GMT with 60 minute ‘mission’ bezel from Sinn, that would be the ultimate work watch for me, but I’m too much of a Rolex ‘fanboy’ to be so sensible.
As an Instructor and Examiner these days, if I ever catch a pilot without a watch, I direct them straight to Amazon for a FW91W!
Bravo! That's what I call an engaging content on watches.
Luxury brands: WTF?
Apple: Ahha yes.
This was cool! I wish you would have pulled an Internet pic of the watch after each interaction.
Thought of that after as well. Thanks for watching.