Meca-quartz elegance

AV-8 meca-quartz chronograph || Crash Detectives & Burma Spitfire books

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AV-8 Flyboy Lafayette chronograph £225 www.av-8.co.uk

While aesthetics are a subjective matter, I think most people would agree that pilot watch specialist AV-8’s latest model looks rather classy. Drawing on art deco and WWI inspiration – the Franco-American Squadron’s ‘Indian head’ insignia is engraved on the screw-down back – and looking especially retro with the ‘salmon’ face and blue hands of our review sample, the Lafayette is an attractive piece. It’s also well made – the domed crystal is scratch-resistant mineral glass and not acrylic, and the case is polished stainless steel.

It’s a bit like steam locomotives with watches: most people have some level of affinity to the old mechanical technology but we all know ‘electrics’ are cheaper to make, require less servicing, and are more reliable in operation. As you would expect for a watch in this price band, the Lafayette has a quartz movement whose accuracy is within a second a day (a few seconds in a month, really) which makes it ten times better than a certified mechanical chronometer.