Looking for simple pilot/field watch

[ZesPak]

I'm looking for a simple "pilot/field" watch.

Budget £400, requirements (in order of priority):
- Blacked out case
- 38-44mm
- Simple, easy to read
- 20mm lugs


I've got a small list:

Really like the Timex Expedition Scout, ridiculously cheap and basically all I'm looking for, also like the fact that the entire dial lights up :



I like seiko but I'm not convinced by this one, might be the band or a bit too heavy on the face:


On the other end of the spectrum there's a Hamilton Khaki Field Titanium, but well out of budget new though:


I like Seiko's, would probably immediately buy it if they offered this with a black case:


There's also one from Fortis, but way out of price range.

Anything similar that's interesting? New or second hand?

Edited by ZesPak on Tuesday 3rd October 09:10

[bigkeeko]

Does this scrape under budget? A couple of mm too large but unlike a Seiko 5 it`ll tell the time.



https://www.steinhartwatches.de/en/flieger-watch/n...

or

https://www.steinhartwatches.de/en/flieger-watch/a...

Edited by bigkeeko on Tuesday 3rd October 01:32

[alorotom]

Christopher Ward C8 flyer currently in clearance for £197 ...

[russell_ram]

You want a pilot/field watch - then surely you should have the original pilot watch on your list.

This - https://www.pageandcooper.com/laco-aachen/ or one of it's siblings?

[ZesPak]

Some great suggestions!

bigkeeko said:

Does this scrape under budget? A couple of mm too large but unlike a Seiko 5 it`ll tell the time.



https://www.steinhartwatches.de/en/flieger-watch/n...

or

https://www.steinhartwatches.de/en/flieger-watch/a...

Wow, must be the best so far. But 47mm is just too big.
Love the look though, and would deffo spend that kind of money on that.

Not a fan of the square one though.

PS: never had any issues with Seiko 5's telling the time :P

alorotom said:

Christopher Ward C8 flyer currently in clearance for £197 ...

Looks good, the hands are not my cup of tea and it just looks a bit like it couldn't decide between being a field watch and a dress watch.

russell_ram said:

You want a pilot/field watch - then surely you should have the original pilot watch on your list.

This - https://www.pageandcooper.com/laco-aachen/ or one of it's siblings?

Does it come in black?

Edit: It does! This is going on the short list.
https://www.pageandcooper.com/laco-altenburg/

Edited by ZesPak on Tuesday 3rd October 08:00

[mikeveal]

bigkeeko said:

Does this scrape under budget? A couple of mm too large but unlike a Seiko 5 it`ll tell the time.



https://www.steinhartwatches.de/en/flieger-watch/n...

or

https://www.steinhartwatches.de/en/flieger-watch/a...

Edited by bigkeeko on Tuesday 3rd October 01:32

If by "unlike", you mean "in exactly the same way as" then I'm in full agreement. The Seiko 5 range has for the past 50+ years been giving us solid, reliable budget watches. Seiko seem to have nailed it when they set out the five tenements that a watch should have. In the watching world. the 5 range is a well very respected beater / desk diver.

Seiko make really excellent watches, they have a long history of innovation. They are a seriously underrated manufacturer.

[ZesPak]

As above, I just don't think they are underrated. They are very highly rated by most enthusiasts and collectors.
They are very accurate and reliable as well. But if that's the only measure to buy a watch, you might as well buy a quartz. The £30 Timex will have everything else on this list beat in that aspect. Why would I consider a £400 Steinhart, which cost 10x as much, will definitely be higher maintenance, less accurate and less reliable?

Hypothetically though, I love the look of the Steinhart and if they did it <44mm it would be on the shortlist already.

[mikeveal]

ZesPak said:

As above, I just don't think they are underrated. They are very highly rated by most enthusiasts and collectors.
They are very accurate and reliable as well. But if that's the only measure to buy a watch, you might as well buy a quartz. The £30 Timex will have everything else on this list beat in that aspect. Why would I consider a £400 Steinhart, which cost 10x as much, will definitely be higher maintenance, less accurate and less reliable?

Hypothetically though, I love the look of the Steinhart and if they did it <44mm it would be on the shortlist already.

Fully agree with everything you say (excepting your assertion that 10*30=400). Collectors and enthusiasts do appreciate Seiko for what they are; bloody good. Outside of these circles the rest of the world tend to think of Seiko in terms of £20 1980's ana-digi throw aways.

The only watch anyone ever needs is the F98W, it is not however the only watch you're likely to want.

[ZesPak]

bigkeeko said:

Does this scrape under budget? A couple of mm too large but unlike a Seiko 5 it`ll tell the time.

Just checked: that's an ETA Unitas 6497, the same movement as in my Victorinox Airboss. It's a manual wind, and you should really have a good inward look if you think it's going to be better at telling the time than a Seiko 5 movement.

[T6 vanman]

ZesPak said:

I'm looking for a simple "pilot/field" watch.

Budget £400, requirements (in order of priority):
- Blacked out case
- 38-44mm
- Simple, easy to read
- 20mm lugs

Pilot watch you say ......

Surely a Junkers

[ZesPak]

T6 vanman said:

Pilot watch you say ......

Surely a Junkers

Top of the list now! That's brilliant!!

Where do they sell it though?

[Dicky Knee]

Amazon

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Junkers-Analogue-Automati...

[T6 vanman]

ZesPak said:

Top of the list now! That's brilliant!!

Where do they sell it though?

https://www.jurawatches.co.uk/collections/junkers-watches/products/junkers-watch-cockpit-ju56-6152-2-jnk-058

[ZesPak]

Thanks, considering giving it to myself come newyear.

found it on the Junkers website for a decent price:
https://shop.junkers.de/en/junkers-6152-2-cockpit-...

[T6 vanman]

ZesPak said:

Thanks, considering giving it to myself come newyear.

found it on the Junkers website for a decent price:
https://shop.junkers.de/en/junkers-6152-2-cockpit-...

Cough .. commission

[ZesPak]

T6 vanman said:

Cough .. commission

happy to get it anywhere else, but most don't seem to deliver in Belgium .

[PJ S]

Up the budget…
https://www.chrono24.co.uk/search/index.htm?watchT...

http://www.nbyaeger.de/uk/collectionc2.asp

Edited by PJ S on Wednesday 4th October 22:56

[bigkeeko]

Loads of upset I see on my Seiko comment. Seiko do indeed make some outstanding pieces and I'm still pondering over a GS but I have had a couple of 5's in the past (just the two) and none of them really were accurate in the true sense of the word. One was just under a minute a day out. It was my girlfriends watch that I actually pointed her towards instead of a Michael Kors. It was a comment based on personal experience that is all.

[mikeveal]

bigkeeko said:

Loads of upset I see on my Seiko comment. Seiko do indeed make some outstanding pieces and I'm still pondering over a GS but I have had a couple of 5's in the past (just the two) and none of them really were accurate in the true sense of the word. One was just under a minute a day out. It was my girlfriends watch that I actually pointed her towards instead of a Michael Kors. It was a comment based on personal experience that is all.

Not upset, just disagreement.
If you ship the volume of product that Seiko do, even with a 0.01% fault rate (which would be really hard to achieve), you are going to upset customers by sending them duff stuff. It's an unfortunate truth. Because you had a bad experience with 5's doesn't mean that 5's are a bad product, or that they don't keep time.

[ZesPak]

PJ S said:

Up the budget…
https://www.chrono24.co.uk/search/index.htm?watchT...

http://www.nbyaeger.de/uk/collectionc2.asp

Each to their own, but no thanks.