a-13a Pilots Watch

[996Type]

https://www.a-13a.com/shop/en/

Hello, a version with a mechanical movement is being developed shortly for anyone with an interest in this watch. Does anyone own one of the quartz versions? It looks like a good clear format and easy to read.

[Barchettaman]

CardShark has one.

Wristcheck thread, page 114.

[BOR]

Where is it confirmed that there might be a mechanical version ?

I bought one for my son, on the assumption he wouldn't like it. Unfortunately, he likes it.

Like most people in this quiet, peacefull backwater of PH, I'm a bit snooty about quartz movements, so a mechanical would make this even more desirable for me.

[996Type]

Hi,

Drop him a line and he’ll add you to the mail list.

Recall I read about the mechanical version on one of the watch forums.

[CardShark]

I've owned mine for a little while now and it gets a good share of wrist time (my apologies to those of whom dislike that phrase ) within my collection. It has a great backstory which is one of the reasons why I bought it, I appreciate both the single-mindedness of the creator and the simplicity and practicality of the design along with the fact that I tend to favour watches that are less mainstream than others.

Being a quartz doesn't bother me, in fact in normal timekeeping mode you can't tell that it has a battery in the back of it as the watch doesn't have a running seconds hand therefore the tell-tale tick isn't present - only when you operate the chrono function does it become obvious. The movement inside it has been modified to mimic the long discontinued Lemania 5100 mechanical masterpiece, the idea behind it being an easy to read 2-handed chrono display without smaller subdials. The raised minute tracker around the outside of the dial is to reduce parallax error, just as the original cockpit clocks by the same A-13A nomenclature do.

The mechanical/automatic version has been at a prototype stage for a while. You can follow Paulo Fanton's progress with the project on Facebook if you're that way inclined, here's a wornandwound article discussing the soon to be released piece as well -

https://wornandwound.com/first-look-the-a-13-pilot...

Here's my A-13A, showing 12min 48sec on the chronograph.

A-13A

Edited by CardShark on Sunday 17th November 00:35

[BOR]

Phwoar.

Thanks for that. Looks really good so far. I like the fact that it's LHD also.

I would be very tempted, but would depend a lot on the final cost.

[996Type]

Thank you Card Shark for that information.
One question, if the sapphire is damaged are they universally available in standard size or a custom item? The photo of the watch in use is great, appreciate that.

Edited by 996Type on Sunday 17th November 11:35

[CardShark]

I'd take a guess that the crystal isn't unique to the watch simply due to the fact that it would cost more to have one developed for it, given Paulo's determination to get things as close to perfection as reasonably possible though I could well be wrong.

I've just sent an email off enquiring about it, I'll post the response here when I hear back.

[CardShark]

Paolo's response this morning, I can confirm that there is a spare gasket supplied with the watch -

Ciao Stuart!
Yes I have spare crystal available. I think its about 40€ plus shipment. You should already have a crystal gasket in the spare parts kit.
All the best and have a nice weekend.
Paolo

[andy_s]

Such a good project - I'm interested in the mechanical one, not hard to see why...

[Fullook]

Kickstarter page on this is now open for anyone interested in both helping to make this happen and in bagging an early discount off the rrp.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/a-13a-pilot-w...

No affiliation etc from me, but I have always fancied the A-13a, couldn't get past the quartz though so was very interested in seeing this story develop and have now pledged on Kickstarter for one of these automatic flyback models.

[BOR]

It's too much money for me. I'd rather put €2500 into something else.

I can believe it's good value for money for a centre seconds/minutes movement, but I think it's overreaching for an unknown guy in a shed.

I hope he gets enough backers, but I'm pessimistic.

[Dolf Stoppard]

Crazy money. I've just paid that for a brand new IWC Pilot Mark XVIII. I also don't get this quote:

"It all started in 2016 when flying my ‘plane and looking at the cockpit clock, I thought that the market did not provide a wristwatch that allows a pilot to tell the time at a glance while flying an aircraft in combat."

Isn't that what all the other pilot watches available are designed to do?

[996Type]

I note the Kickstarter project has stalled and ended. I may get the quartz version in that case. The mechanical I would probably have paid maybe £1K for but at the stated prices it was too much for me.

[CardShark]

It's a shame that it never got off the ground however I'm not that surprised. For a Kickstarter watch project it wasn't cheap, that's not to say that it wouldn't be worth the money however his target watch nerd/pilot geek market was incredibly narrow, that and the price difference between the mechanical and the quartz models was a sizeable chunk of money. There were a few revisions to the watch other than the movement, the handset and dial were ever so slightly tweaked (for the better, IMO), however it appears that wasn't enough.

I would have been interested myself however whenever I've spent at or near that kind of money I've gone pre-owned for the increased VFM. As it is I'm still very fond of my quartz model, in fact I've been dwelling over new strap options for it for a few days now.

[CardShark]

Dolf Stoppard said:

Crazy money. I've just paid that for a brand new IWC Pilot Mark XVIII. I also don't get this quote:

"It all started in 2016 when flying my ‘plane and looking at the cockpit clock, I thought that the market did not provide a wristwatch that allows a pilot to tell the time at a glance while flying an aircraft in combat."

Isn't that what all the other pilot watches available are designed to do?

I think that he was referring to many flieger style watches being designed with aesthetics in mind as well as practicalities, whereas his own watch took function as pretty much the single priority - there was no conforming to any form of fashion, it wasn't to be displayed in a shop window in order to appeal to passers by.

An example of this functionality was to copy the raised outer minute tracker, just as the cockpit clocks have. They themselves were designed to be as functional and reliable as possible, nothing else mattered.

Edited by CardShark on Friday 14th February 22:18

[996Type]

Just heard back that he’s regrouping his efforts and will continue to pursue a mechanical version in the near future. It will be the same cost as originally stated on the funding platform as that’s what it’s costing to make it. I may instead go down the quartz route for 20% of the cost.

[andy_s]

CardShark said:

Dolf Stoppard said:

Crazy money. I've just paid that for a brand new IWC Pilot Mark XVIII. I also don't get this quote:

"It all started in 2016 when flying my ‘plane and looking at the cockpit clock, I thought that the market did not provide a wristwatch that allows a pilot to tell the time at a glance while flying an aircraft in combat."

Isn't that what all the other pilot watches available are designed to do?

I think that he was referring to many flieger style watches being designed with aesthetics in mind as well as practicalities, whereas his own watch took function as pretty much the single priority - there was no conforming to any form of fashion, it wasn't to be displayed in a shop window in order to appeal to passers by.

An example of this functionality was to copy the raised outer minute tracker, just as the cockpit clocks have. They themselves were designed to be as functional and reliable as possible, nothing else mattered.

Edited by CardShark on Friday 14th February 22:18

The Waltham Aircraft Clock TYPE A-13A and other similar designs had a centrally mounted second and minute chronograph hand; this was much clearer to see and intuit than most pilot chrono wristwatches that have a 30min subdial that has a) a smaller scale and b) a different scale to the rest of the clock; helped by a blingless/undistracting aesthetic as CardShark says.




There were issued pilots watches that featured central chrono hands, the Arctos and Tutima Bund for German pilots:



Slightly cluttered by the running seconds, hours and 24hr indicator subdials, as you can see when compared to the ZUZ issued Tutima:



And perhaps the closest issued pilots wristwatch to Paolo's project, the Lemania South African Air force:

[CardShark]

A revised watch I presume, rather than re-marketing the same?

It'll be interesting to see what revisions he makes, the movement could well be one of them as some can be put off by the idea of having a Dubois-Depraz moduled chronograph as opposed to a purebred like the now discontinued Lemania 5100. Movements do exist out there that mimic the 5100 (Sinn and Damasko both use them, for example) and they don't have the tell-tale crown/pusher placement relationship issue the DD watches have however availability and cost will be factors.

[CardShark]

andy_s said:

ZUZ issued Tutima:

I've got a bit of a thing for that watch, a Tutima may well pop up in the 'Incoming' thread some time this year.