Like cars and yachts, planes are a material status symbol that wormed their way into the watchmaking industry in beautiful fashion. From sleek pieces inspired by aeronautical design to functional watches built for pilots on the job, aviation-oriented timepieces are now an essential fixture in many brands’ lineups.

The brands that sell ‘flyboy’-targeted timepieces gave shoppers plenty of models to consider purchasing – across a range of prices – but trelet identified a few favorites that seem to stand out just a little bit from the rest.

Three watches were just a cut above – one Breitling, one Bremont, and one Sinn (and none cheap!). Three more watches made the list of honorable mentions, and you would struggle to go wrong buying any of these, too.

At the end of the day, if you love planes, you’re almost certain to find a watch that suits your passion, regardless of how much you want to pay for it.

In this week’s newsletter, check out:

This Week in Watches

• In recognition of Detroit’s contributions to the success of the Apollo missions, Shinola just released the Mooncraft Monster: Apollo 11 Edition watch. The limited-edition run will be capped at 500 pieces, each retailing for $3,995. For that price, Shinola’s latest masterpiece offers a 43mm titanium case, a Swiss-made Sellita Caliber SW510 M b Chronograph movement, and details inspired by the Apollo missions, including a mission number and date on the blue dial.

• Hodinkee and TAG Heuer dropped a collaborative piece this past Thursday (August 8th): the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Seafarer x Hodinkee. It was announced earlier this week with a teaser on Hodinkee’s website, which featured the companies’ crests against an oscillating ocean surface background. The watch revives the popular Abercrombie & Fitch Seafarer and retails for $7,950.

• What’s Daniel Craig wearing in Paris? The famed actor and Omega ambassador was spotted by Gear Patrol wearing an unreleased Omega Seamaster with no date display. He appears to be teasing a potential upcoming release, which is not altogether surprising given two no-date James Bond-inspired watches have come from Omega thus far. It will come as little surprise, then, if the watchmaker releases a no-date Seamaster (without a nod toward everyone’s favorite 00) in the coming year.

🛩️ + 🕜 = Premier Watches

So you like planes.

Or maybe you like watches.

If you’re reading this, you probably like both.

And if you’re looking for an aviation-inspired watch, you’ll find yourself spoiled for choice.

Several watchmakers have their roots in aviation – Avi-8, Aviator, Breitling, Bremont, and Sinn are noteworthy names amongst them – and therefore produce a fantastic assortment of pieces geared toward pilots and other aeronautical enthusiasts.

It would be difficult to misstep by purchasing from any of these watchmakers, but there are a few that stand out above the rest for their unwavering commitment to quality and style with every model.

Here are the trelet favorites:

Sinn Spezialurhen 356 PILOT Classic Anniversary

Sinn is a German watchmaker that deserves to be recognized for its craftsmanship and engineering quality. Founded by pilot and flight instructor Helmut Sinn in 1961, the brand’s 60+-year history is dedicated to building a reputation for “uncompromising functionality and outstanding design” – and the 356 PILOT Classic Anniversary is no exception. Limited to a 500-piece run, the 356 celebrates the 25th anniversary of the model series.

Powered by a self-winding mechanical movement and constructed from sanitized stainless steel, this iconic watch resists water and pressure up to 10 bar. This Sinn also offers low-pressure resistance, a quarter-second scale for precise time measurement, and a two-dial chronograph “with a clear, aesthetic appearance, where nothing distracts you from the essentials, because form and design are subordinate to the reliable reading of the time and the stop times determined by the chronograph.”

The 356 PILOT Classic Anniversary can be purchased for ~$3,000 - $4,000 as of this writing.

Bremont Fury

Bremont built its business around aviation-inspired watches, so it should be no surprise that the 40mm Fury is a fan-favorite classic. A nod to planes like the 1930s Hawker Fury and the 1940s WW2 Hawker Sea Fury, the Bremont Fury is powered by a self-winding Bremont ENG365 caliber movement accompanying a 65-hour power reserve. Encased in stainless steel is a grained black dial with contrasting white numbering and ticks. The 6 o’clock position features a power reserve indicator in the same color as the numbering. Bremont coated the markings in layers of Super-LumiNova®, which delivers visibility in low-light conditions.

The black leather strap features white contrast stitching and a stainless steel buckle, complementing the timepiece’s black-and-steel construction. Rigorously tested against the Bremont H1 Timing Standard (similar to the ISO3159:2009 Chronometer test), the Fury ensures precision and accuracy in every second.

With all these features comes a hefty price tag – Bremont offers the Fury for $6,900 – but that price tag is well worth it if you’re hoping to purchase from one of the most reputable aviation-inspired luxury watchmakers.

Breitling Super AVI B01 Chronograph GMT 46 P-51 Mustang

You totally missed out if you didn’t have the chance to play Breitling Reno Air Races (The Game). That air-racing app was my introduction to specialized watch brands, and Breitling remains a personal favorite of mine years later. The Super AVI P-51 Mustang honors both the legendary P-51 Mustang aircraft and the Breitling Huit Aviation department’s Ref. 765 AVI pilot’s watch, which paved the path for the modern Super AVI line.

The 46mm stainless steel case is attached to an elegant bracelet crafted from the same material. Behind the glare-proofed and cambered sapphire crystal sits a black dial featuring highly legible Arabic numbering and a chronograph powered by a COSC-certified Breitling Manufacture Caliber B04 movement. This watch offers a ~70-hour power reserve and claims water resistance up to 10 bars of pressure.

Priced at $11,400, the Super AVI P-51 is decidedly not cheap, but it packs an outstanding punch from a top-notch brand.

3 Honorable Mentions

Price: $775

Overview: The least expensive watch in this week’s newsletter, the Citizen Promaster Blue Angels Skyhawk A-T, offers a surprisingly large array of functions, including atomic timekeeping in 43 cities, a chronograph, a digital backlight, and alarms (to name a few among many). These offerings make this piece one of the most feature-rich in today’s newsletter despite costing the least. Constructed from stainless steel and thematically color-matched to the Blue Angels’ iconic paint scheme, the Promaster Blue Angels Skyhawk A-T is likely a standout piece – even beyond the aviation community. Powered by Citizen’s proprietary Eco-Drive power technology, this 43mm piece is an airplane-inspired watch that almost anyone will appreciate.

Price: $995

Overview: Hamilton went all-out during the Khaki Aviation Pilot design process. Features include an H-40 automatic movement with an ~80-hour power reserve, a 42mm stainless steel case that is water-resistant up to 10 bar, and a calf leather strap that matches a dial with classic pilot’s watch looks, yet modern influence and styling. All this and more comes with the Hamilton Khaki Aviation Pilot Day Date, which provides these many features for just shy of $995. Completely classic at first glance and uniquely modern upon closer inspection, this Hamilton watch closely resonates with the idea that style should be functional. Different enough to stand out but classic enough to remain iconic, the Khaki Aviation Pilot Day Date delivers across all fronts regardless of your affinity for aviation or airplanes.

Price: $6,100

Overview: The Bremont ALT1-C Griffon is leaps and bounds pricier than the other two honorable mentions, but this timepiece is grounded in not only the company’s roots but also its co-founders’ and their family’s. Crafted from hardened stainless steel and chronometer-rated to ISO 3159 standard., the ALT1-C recognizes the Spitfire brand, which Bremont co-founders Nick and Giles English’s father once operated. The black dial – reminiscent of cockpit gauges in vintage airplanes – features Super-LumiNova®-coated numbering and inlaid hands, ensuring this watch is functional and visually pleasing. Water-resistant to 10 ATM and powered by a Calibre 13 1/4" BE-50AE automatic movement with a 42-hour power reserve, this Bremont is an inspired and capable take on a classic pilot’s watch.

Don’t Take Off Without Subscribing!