FLIGHT TIME

A new book devoted to pilots’ timepieces of all kinds shows why these watches have gone the distance...

- JARED PAUL STERN

It’s little wonder that pilot’s watches have always fascinated gentlemen of taste and style, no matter how earthbound. In the plainest terms, the wristwatch owes its very existence to pilots; specifically pioneering Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, who commissioned the very first one from Cartier in 1904. The stylish inventor wanted to be able to look at the time without removing his hands from the controls of his aircraft, pocket watches being too cumbersome while performing maneuvers in midair.

While pilot’s watches have since evolved into, in some cases, complex machines for performing all sorts of calculations and functions, it’s their essential utility (why collectors call them “tool” watches) that remains a large part of the appeal. And they’ve always been at the forefront of innovation, since Santos-Dumont’s time. The iconic Rolex GMT-Master for instance was initially created for Pan-Am pilots flying new transatlantic routes who needed to keep track of two time zones simultaneously. Pilot’s watches are the focus of Air Time: Watches Inspired by Aviation, Aeronautics and Pilots, a fascinating new book from Rizzoli that is the latest release in the Timepiece series created by Aaron Sigmond.