From inexpensive Digital Tool Watches to icons of Swiss luxury, military pilots still depend on timepieces as tools
Watches of Espionage is often synonymous with dive watches, worn by Special Operations Forces and intelligence officers. From the jungles of Vietnam to modern unit watches, dive watches often dominate the conversation. That said, military aviation has arguably had an equally significant impact on watch culture in our community and the greater watch industry.
While the Global War on Terror and tangential conflicts were largely SOF-driven, the past 12 months have marked a pivot to traditional military power, relying on precision air strikes and conventional force projection to achieve strategic objectives. From the June 2025 Operation Midnight Hammer targeting Iranian nuclear facilities to the capture of Nicolas Maduro and the more recent and ongoing Operation Epic Fury, pilots and air platforms are at the center of American modern warfare.
Pilots in general, whether military or civilian, have one of the strongest watch cultures of any profession, with many opting for mechanical GMTs and chronographs from brands like Rolex, Omega, Breitling, and Seiko. For aviation professionals, the Use Your Tools ethos is alive and well, and pilots are responsible for several of history’s most important watches, from the Rolex GMT-Master to the Breitling Navitimer.
A Bremont unit watch produced for B-2 Stealth Bomber pilots.
In the 1990s and 2000s, military aviators also helped to cement military unit watch culture, inspiring a broader trend that has been adopted at all corners of the W.O.E. Community. In this Dispatch, we’ll explore watch culture among military pilots and aircrew.
The Pilot’s Watch - A Brief History
The link between pilots and watches is nothing new, with one of the first watches intended for wear on the wrist, a Cartier, having been made for pioneering pilot Alberto Santos-Dumont in the early 1900s, with other early pilot’s watches coming from Zenith and Breguet. During the Second World War, the A-11, lovingly known as “the watch that won the war” was originally designed for pilots and navigators, cementing much of the design language of modern pilot’s watches.
From icons including the Rolex GMT and the Omega Speedmaster to lesser known models like the Glycine Airman, watches have been trusted tools for military pilots for decades. (Watch Photo Credit: Analog:Shift)
In the 1950s and 60s, icons including the Glycine Airman, the Breitling Navitimer, the Rolex GMT-Master, and the Omega Speedmaster were born, becoming trusted tools for legions of pilots during the Vietnam War and beyond. These watches offered complications that were especially useful for pilots in the air, whether a GMT function for managing UTC or Coordinated Universal Time, the aviation standard, or a chronograph, used for a wide variety of navigational calculations in the pre-digital age.
Modern Military Pilots & Watch Culture
Similar to divers and special operations forces, for pilots, mechanical watches were once crucial tools with life-and-death implications. A pilot in the pre-digital age took to the skies trusting a watch for timekeeping and crucial navigational calculations.
USAF Col. David Madson participates in a special operations forces exercise aboard an AC-130J Ghostrider with a Breitling Aerospace unit watch on his wrist. (Photo Credit: US Air Force)
With the advent of digital avionics, the role of watches among pilots has changed, now serving as both tools and talismans, acting as a crucial backup for numerous in-flight timing tasks while also honoring the heritage of aviation. Like countless other practitioners, many modern pilots rely on Digital Tool Watches from brands like G-Shock and Garmin, but there is also a significant subset of military, commercial, and recreational pilots who appreciate the strong connections between horology and aviation.
For modern military aviators, nowhere is this link more apparent than with the countless examples of “unit watches” ordered by squadrons the world over.
Aviation Unit Watches
The IWC Pilot’s Chronograph for US Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructors. (Photo Credit Instagram/@h.m.uhren)
A “unit watch” is a timepiece customized by a manufacturer for members of a specific unit or organization. While today, unit watches are somewhat synonymous with Special Operations Forces (SOF), that wasn’t always the case. Pilots were among the earliest adopters of custom “squadron” watches, in many ways cementing the trend for the military at large. At the center of the trend was one brand: Breitling.
Breitling Aviation Squadron Watches
Prior to 2017, Breitling was owned by the Scheider family, first Ernst Schneider, a professional soldier turned watch executive, and later his son, Théodore Schneider, an aviation enthusiast and helicopter pilot. These ties to the military and aviation led Breitling to create a program where military organizations could, with a minimum of 50 units, order customized versions of Breitling’s core models with a squadron insignia on the dial and/or caseback.
A Breitling Aerospace produced for B-2 Stealth Bomber pilots.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, Breitling was the undisputed leader of unit watches and the main end users were aviation units, or squadrons. Often utilizing the Aerospace or other ana-digi models as a platform, Breitling produced unit watches for specific squadrons and more generally for pilots qualified on certain airframes. Custom versions of the Aerospace were created for A-10 Warthog, F-16, and F-18 pilots, with numerous other models, including the Emergency, also getting the unit watch treatment.
IWC’s Unit Watch Program & TOP GUN
IWC’s unit watch program was born from a 2007 licensing deal allowing the brand to use the US Navy’s TOP GUN insignia and name. Having seen watches from the commercial TOP GUN collection, pilots from the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School, the real TOPGUN, reached out to IWC to investigate the feasibility of making a customized version.
A Royal Australian Air Force IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic in service in the air.
The first IWC unit watches were delivered in 2018, and the brand has since made numerous squadron-specific examples, including several iterations of the Pilot’s Automatic and Chronograph for TOPGUN instructor pilots, a Pilot’s Automatic for the “Black Aces”, a US Navy F-18 squadron, and another Pilot’s Chronograph for the F-18 pilots of the Swiss Air Force’s Fliegerstaffel 11 “Tigers”. IWC’s strong roots in aviation, having produced watches for both sides of WWII, make it an ideal brand for pilot’s squadron watches.
A New Omega Unit Watch For Military Pilots
Astronaut, former SEAL, Naval Aviator, and medical doctor Jonny Kim wearing the new Omega Speedmaster Flight Qualified unit watch on the International Space Station. (Photo Credit: NASA)
In the early 2000s, Omega produced several custom versions of the Seamaster for military units, including the Special Boat Service and the Australian SAS, but the majority of the brand’s unit watches during that period were carried out using the analog-digital X-33 as a platform, typically for aviation units. Today, Omega’s unit watch program has expanded to include a special version of the Seamaster Diver 300 that has been produced for US Navy SEALs, Danish Frogmen, and the US Secret Service, among numerous other organizations.
Released in 2024, one of the most recent additions to the world of aviation unit watches is Omega’s Speedmaster Flight Qualified, which can be ordered by US Military pilots and aircrew with a wide variety of different caseback insignia for various squadrons and airframes, including the U-2 Spy Plane, as well as more general versions intended for any qualified US Military pilot.
Bremont Unit Watches
Another brand with close ties to the W.O.E. community is Bremont, which has produced over 500 unit watches for various military and government organizations, starting with a squadron watch for U-2 spy plane pilots from Beale Air Force Base in California in 2009. Bremont has also produced a slick custom version of its ALT-1 chronograph for CH47 Chinook pilots and a unique U-22 for F-22 pilots, along with dozens of other examples.
A Bremont ALT1 produced for the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment as well as a Bremont S500 made for Royal Navy Submariners. (Photo Credit: James Rupley/W.O.E.)
In 2023, Bremont changed hands, with founding brothers Nick and Giles English also exiting as part of the deal. Since the change, the brand has provoked the ire of the watch community for a rebrand and novelties that feel disconnected from the Bremont’s original aesthetic and ethos, Despite these challenges, Bremont’s unit watch program continues. Just last week Bremont announced the release of a Bremont B-2 II, specifically for B-2 pilots, complete with the iconic airframe on the dial.
Pilot’s Watches in Hollywood
Gifted actress Monica Barbaro wore an IWC Pilot's Watch Mark XVII TOP GUN Edition SFTI in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick. (Photo Credit: IWC)
Hollywood has played a significant role in shaping aviation watch culture. Whether life imitates art or vice versa, watch brands understand the influence of popular films, with IWC and Porsche Design both stepping up to provide watches for virtually all of the actors in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick.
Both the original Top Gun from 1986 and the new version influenced thousands to pursue careers in aviation while simultaneously planting the watch-collecting seed for future pilots. Just as the watches worn by Navy SEALs influence the LARPing crowd, the impact of watches intended for pilots is not limited to those actually flying for a living, extending into the broader market of aviation enthusiasts.
Legendary pilot and WWII Fighter Ace Chuck Yeager has been featured in numerous Rolex advertisements over the years. (Photo Credit: Rolex Magazine)
The marketing value of pilots has always been a crucial part of the industry, with Rolex leaning on Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager to market the GMT-Master, in particular. The role of adventurous, experiential watch marketing may have faded, but the universal appeal of pilots remains a go-to option for luxury marketing professionals.
Enduring Pilot’s Watches
Whether you’re a military pilot or simply a fan of aviation and its inextricable ties to horology, there are certain references that have achieved cultlike status in the aviation-centric corners of the W.O.E. Community. Among the most revered is the Rolex GMT-Master, which has been used as a tool in military aviation contexts since its debut in 1954. Today, while Rolex has ascended to the heights of luxury, many military pilots still celebrate a promotion or deployment by purchasing a GMT-Master II, with certain examples even seeing action in the air.
Another legend of flight is the Breitling Navitimer, which was created with pilots in mind back in 1953 in association with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association or AOPA. In contrast to the Rolex GMT-Master, which tracks a second time zone, the Navitimer provides a chronograph as well as a slide rule bezel used for numerous in-flight calculations. There are dozens of modern iterations, many of which have been used as tools by military pilots, juxtaposed against high-speed digital avionics. Is it a realistic feature for pilots to use today? Probably not. But it is a not-so-subtle nod to those who paved the way.
IWC is another brand with close ties to aviation, and the aptly-named Big Pilot’s is IWC’s ode to the Flieger watches used by the German Luftwaffe during the Second World War. For a more feature-rich option, the Pilot’s Chronograph series is available in a wide array of sizes and styles, including a commercial version with US Navy TOP GUN branding, if you’re into that kind of thing.
Providing a more affordable option, Marathon is a brand with deep ties to the US Military, having designed the Navigator, a purpose-built pilot’s watch in 1991. Priced under $500 for the lightweight composite case version, the Navigator has been issued in serious numbers to US Air Force pilots and aircrew. Leaning into our appreciation of Seiko, there is also the SRPH29, which takes a modern approach to traditional Flieger styling while falling within the attainable Seiko 5 Sports collection.
Final Thoughts - The Future of Pilot’s Watches
From the cockpit of a fifth-generation fighter to the airframes that flew over the battlefields of the Second World War, the wristwatch remains one of the few constants in military aviation. Avionics have become unimaginably sophisticated, missions more complex, with geopolitical stakes higher than ever.
Despite these changes, whether it’s an inexpensive Digital Tool Watch or a Rolex GMT, timepieces continue to serve as tools as talismans for pilots in the air, providing utility and a tangible connection to the generations who flew before.
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Read Next: Iran Under Fire: The Watches of Operation Epic Fury
10 comments
Saved at last……..
I met an A7 bomber pilot who was wearing a cheap digital casio. He said he would never take up an analog watch because he would not trust it working at 7+g, and a watch for a pilot is totally vital as it’s a backstop for estimating how much fuel there is. Modern brand mechanical watches are an exercise in marketing. Military pilots do not swim in money either. Go to an AFB and you will see Gshocks and Timex flying, not 3000+ dollar pieces.
Another great article!
I realise that in order to truly capture all watches that intersect aviation, the ‘use your tools’ ethos and watchmaking as a wider topic you would need volumes of print but I would like to make a case for a sketchy inclusion from a brand already mentioned here – the Breitling Chronomat 1983-2004 and, in particular, the Blackbird variant.
Here’s why… the original design of the Chronomat was driven by the needs of the Italian Air Force, and in particular the Frecce Tricolori, who wanted a legible aviators watch that was robust enough for operations, but smart enough to be worn with dress uniforms as well as a flying suit. The design featured the now signature ‘rider tabs’, for the first time on a Breitling watch, as a solution to a number of issues: you could grip the bezel easily with gloves, the tabs protected the domed, AR coated crystal from being smacked against the canopy in the cramped confines of a jet cockpit and the 15/45 tabs could be reversed to facilitate either a count up or count down timing function.
In addition to the function leading form aspects the case profile itself, when viewed from the side, is reminiscent of an aerofoil and the pushers, along with the screw down crown, evoke the oversize ‘onion’ style crowns found on classic pilot watches from 1920s and 1930s in the case of the latter, and propeller bosses or fan spinners in the case of the former.
The movement itself (ETA 7750 base) was modified and tested by Breitling to remain functional under 20G of force (once proudly displayed on the caseback) and they made it 100m water resistant for good measure. The dial layout was clean, contrasting and facilitated easy ‘at a glance’ read off but also managed to cram in a minute track, tachymeter and time to decimal conversion disc alongside the running seconds, 30 min stop watch and hours count marker. The idea was a wrist instrument that would survive the operating environment of a fighter jet and allow tracking of time (actual), mission elapsed time and sector time simultaneously.
When it was released to the Italian Air Force in 1983 it wasn’t even available to the general public which came later, in 1984, at which point it served as the base platform to relaunch Breitling into the minds of consumers in the post quartz rebirth of interest in mechanical wristwatches and, arguably, drove the entire ethos of the brand for the following 30+ years. As a concept, it lived the ‘instruments for professionals’ tag line that would become so synonymous with the Brand.
I mentioned in particular here the Chronomat Blackbird variants which were available until 2004 and which served as a transitional reference (the A13353) between 2002-2004 and before the Chronomat Evolution was launched since these watches, among the hundreds of variations produced over the years, most closely mirrored the design of the original 1983 Frecce Tricolori iteration.
It is a wristwatch designed by aviators, for aviators and those who used their tools but, more than that, arguably contributed to the foundation of what modern consumers view as the ‘classic pilot chronograph’ while establishing the brand, Breitling, in the wider public consciousness, as a true manufacturer of ‘Instruments for Professionals’.
No Sinn, Hanhart, A. Lange & Söhne, Laco, Damasko, Stowa, Wempe or Heuer? Come on.
It‘s time for Damasko!