Pilot Watch Worldtimer Showdown!

Recently we received a letter from one of our readers*. It says, "Dear Sydney Tart, I'm a pilot and I travel the world. What can you suggest in the form of a pilot watch with world time zone functions? "

Well Mr Pilot, I'm very glad you asked that question because we have found not one, but 4 watches that are right up your alley, at different price points, so you're covered if you work for Jetstar or Emirates or you fly your own Cessna. Let's explore further.

For starters, as a criteria, all watches features the pilot watch style, along with a world time zone function. All watches in this list shows the cities from the 24 time zones around the edge of the dial, with day/night indicators. Most of the representative city names for the time zones are the same, with some minor differences here and there. One of the watches runs a manually wound movement whilst the other three are automatic. One runs a heavily modified ETA movement, the others are manufacture in-house movements. Two of the watches features no additional functions apart from date, while the other two adds the alarm function, and one goes further with a chronograph built in as well. It's up to you whether you feel you need the additional functions or you're happy with time and date. Two of the watches also feature daylight saving indications, whereas the other two you'll have to add/subtract an hour yourself. You also need to note that none of these watches show half-hour time zones, so if you're based in New Delhi or Adelaide, ahem...

This quartet of watches not only covers a fairly broad price range, they also cover a range of sizes, from 42mm to 46mm. Some will wear larger/smaller than others so as always, we recommend that you try the watches on if you can. As worldtimers, you're not going to have a clean dial, Although one brand does it quite well. All the other have fairly busy dials. Hopefully this will give you a good idea of what's available, and depending on you needs and wants and thickness of your wallet, you can't go wrong with any of them. But, we do have our pick, which we will reveal after the specs for each model.

Alpina Startimer Pilot Worldtimer

Movement: Automatic caliber AL-718, 

48 hour power reserve

Case Diametre: 44mm

Water resistant: 100m

Limited Edition: 8888 pieces

Price: USD3,450

IWC Pilot's Watch Worldtimer

Movement: Automatic Caliber 30750, 

42 hour power reserve

Case Diametre: 45mm

Water resistance: 60 meters

Price: USD9,650

Vulcain Aviator GMT

Movement: Mechanical manually-wound Manufacture Vulcain Calibre V-10,

42 hour power reserve with alarm function.

Alarm Duration: Approx. 20 seconds

Case Diametre: 42mm

Case-back: triple case-back acting as a resonance chamber 

Water resistant: 100m

Price: USD5,525

Zenith Pilot Doublematic

Movement: El Primero 4046, automatic, 50h power reserve, 36.600 A/h, big date, chronograph, World Time, alarm

Case Diametre: 45mm 

water resistant: 50m

Price: USD14,200

Our pick of the bunch would have to be the Zenith. Yes it is the most expensive watch here but to us it is also the best value for money, given all the included complications. 

*the reader and/or the letter may or may not be fictional. Juz sayin'

Baselworld 2013 - Moonphase trend continues...

We mentioned a trend that was happening during SIHH this year in January - the triple date moonphase trend, and this continues on in Basel with Vulcain AND Maurice Lacroix both releasing a triple date moonphase in the classic layout (ie day and month just under 12:00 and moonphase at 6:00).

Vulcain 50s President's Moonphase have certain done a very good job with it, and personally am very happy to see the slate/anthracite grey dial used on a stainless steel entry level model. The movement is ETA based, with a calendar/moonphase module stacked on top. Given the price range of the Vulcain range, I wouldn't expect the RRP to be all that unreasonable. At 42mm this is quite wearable, and definitely plays well above its price grade. The difficult part would be to actually find one to look at and try on in Oz. Unless you're willing to buy sight unseen... The 42mm case can be had in rose gold or stainless steel, with sapphire crystal front and back, powered by an automatic Vulcain caliber V-58 (base ETA).

Maurice Lacroix's Masterpiece Tradition Phases de Lune offering is also quite conservative and traditional in appearance, however, you do have your choice of colour combinations and bracelet/leather straps. The stainless steel case is 40mm in diametre, with sapphire crystal front and back, 50m water resistant, powered by ML Calibre 367 (base ETA). The dial can be had with guilloche finishing or lacquered mirror finish.

Snacks on One
The Bowlers’ Club
95-99 Kent St
Sydney
NSW 2000

Lunch : 16 June 2009

Due to an unexpected set of circumstances, Tart Co-Pilot Tom and myself managed to meet up one day for a horological session of visits to a watch retailer/ watchmaker and another watchmaker, followed by a lunch which surprised me.

Watchstop the first was for me to pick up a vintage Vulcain Cricket which I had purchased from a seller (not in Australia) from whom I will never buy from again, as the watches that I purchased from him on my single visit, all of which I’d been assured were serviced and a-okay, were not, resulting in a not insubstantial further expenditure on my part in order to get them functional. Two of the watches were purchased as gifts, including this Vulcain.

The Vulcain Cricket was introduced in 1947 as the world’s first mechanical wristwatch with an alarm. Their marketing campaign as “the President’s watch” lies in the tradition of each US President since Harry Truman having been given one as a gift. Upon his inauguration, President Obama received an Anniversary Heart, a model celebrating Vulcain’s sesquicentenary, but with a specially engraved Presidential caseback.

Robert Ditisheim, designer of the alarm, used a cricket’s prominent chirp as his inspiration, designing a resonance chamber formed by fitting a two part back to the watch case. The inner part of the back is responsible for the alarm sound when it is struck by the hammer. The outer part of the back allows the sound generating inner back to oscillate freely.

After picking up the Cricket, we walked a little way to visit Max, where I picked up my “Devil’s watch”, as one of the Tarts refers to it as being. This kind moniker is due to the the rather bizarre way in which its crystal broke in December last year. Max had put in a new crystal, and after a very long and protracted farce of ridiculous proportions with Jean Richard and their local agents Avstev, I finally had my watch back!

It being lunchtime, and I being in need of sustenance, Tom took me to the nearby Bowlers’ Club, where another Tart had taken him for lunch in the past. Going upstairs to the Snacks on One, I admit that I was feeling somewhat apprehensive, as what little experience I’ve had with “club food” has been rather forgettable, to put it mildly.

What do watchnuts do when they are waiting for food? They take table shots of course!

Nomos Orion Rose-Gold, Vulcain Cricket, JeanRichard Bressel Classic, Patria

The paper on which the watches are placed are the instructions for operating the Cricket, kindly provided by watchmaker Geoff. Trust me, you need instructions!

And then it was time for lunch! I had the Ciabatta Open Steak Sandwich & Chips ($14.50)

which was described as “Minute Steak w baby rocket, oven roasted tomato, caramelised onion, garlic mayo”, and Tom had a Barbequed Ranch Burger & Chips ($13.50) -

- a “grilled beef pattie (sic) served w lettuce, tomato, bacon & homemade chutney”.

Well I learnt my lesson about being presumptive about club food, as my steak sandwich was good. Steak sandwiches are one of my favourite things to eat, and I still have fond memories of what was then considered (by Canberra standards) to be an expensive steak sandwich (at some $4) served at a small cafe in the suburban Jamison Centre shopping precinct when I was young.

The ciabatta was nicely toasted, with crunchy crust and chewyish innards. The oven roasted tomato was a nice change from the usual tomato slices that I seem to encounter, the baby rocket etc fresh, the steak itself decent, and the garlic mayonnaise arguably the thing that kicked it into the “goal!” area for me. I love garlic, and having garlicky bread made it almost seem as though I was having a sort of semi garlic bread steak sandwich. I know that this might not work for everyone, but I can say that it worked for me, and that on those days when I am simply in the mood for a solid sort of a sandwich, I’m going to head here. It beats the last steak sandwich I had, which is the double decker one at the Sanctuary Hotel, hands down, and the chips weren’t bad either!

Oh, and I am reliably informed that the burger was tasty too.... :) :)

[AP]