Best pilot watch

..Today I’m going to compare to watches that are actually not comparable. Nevertheless, I’ll try to do so.

Most of you know that I have an addiction. WATCHES! Yes, here we go again. I wrote so much about this before but I do it because I like to do it and today’s candidates are the: Hamilton Khaki Aviation X-Wind Auto Chrono (left) & Hamilton aviation Converter Auto. (right) I wrote about the first one before but today we are going to find out what kind of pilot watch is the best. And I promise you that it isn’t that easy and I might have a little surprise for you in the end.

GO! Alright, the X-wind (44mm) is a bit bigger than the Converter (42mm). It really depends if you have a small wrist or not. Honestly, I don’t feel so much difference between them. The inner-work of the clock is almost the same size but the gasp makes it a bit bigger. The casket of the Converter is less high and really feels like a slim watch.

In the X-Wind that placed an H21 Chronochaphes in with a 60-hour reserve and in the Converter an H10 with an 80-hour reserve. that means you can place your Converter 20 hours more on your nightstand. But be honest if you owe even one of them they will maybe only be there when you sleep. (I don’t sleep with my watch on my wrist.) Both made by Hamilton themself. Alright now, something very important but If you are not into technical watch stuff you might skip to the next paragraph below the next one.

The new Converter (brought out Nov 2020) has a new NivachronTM hairspring that is anti-magnetic. (right side of the picture) You might ask why is this important? As an airline pilot, you cross so many X-Ray scanning machines and heavy magnetic machines. Your hairspring in the watch normally can have some negative influence from it. Must say I never had it on any of my Hamilton watches so far, I did have it on a Seiko watch I’ve owned before). This spring makes your watch go tik-tok. The X-Wind doesn’t have that yet NivachronTM spring yet.

Now, let us decide what you want to do with the watch. In an earlier blog (click here) you could have seen that the X-Wind watch does what it says. You can calculate crosswinds with it, in the past, during flight school, I’ve had this way to big flight calculator with me to do that. Flying the Jet I don’t need to do that much longer because the plane can calculate it for me. The digits on the X-Wind are so big and clear during night flights. And it has a Stopwatch function which I miss a little bit on my Converter.

The Converter that I have myself (H76615530) is a watch that I can use better in my day to day life as an airline pilot, let me give you some examples. I’m really bad at head calculations with the converter it is made very easy. 15×90=…. Alright, I spare you the time it is 1350. I put the outer ring on 10 (red inner) on 90 (white outer) now to calculate. I go to the inner ring (15) and on the outside, I can read the relative outcome +-1350. etc etc. Also Km to nautical or statute miles. Groundspeed or distance, fuel consumptions, and even liters to gallons or KG tot LBS or meters to ft. can be sone by this pretty watch. If you want to find out that and how (click here for the manual)

Now we have to decide what is the best aviation watch? I told you there might be a plot twist. I am in LOVE with the Hamilton converter but on the model that I have I would like to have the stopwatch function. So, Hamilton also made the Converter in a 44mm (click here) This might be the best aviation watch there is at this very moment. With its 44mm just a little bigger than the 44mm of the one that I have and it is slimmer than the X-Wind. It had the converter funtions you use to calculate the excact same things. And you have a stopwatch. Thats the watch you see below on th picture.

I don’t regret the 42mm converter, I did buy this one with a reason. I like how it looks. As I have the X-Wind as well I wanted an aviation watch that looked a bit different. I think I would buy the 44mm converter if I wouldnt have had any other aviation watches.

I really hope you like this blog. Below in the comment section you can tell me what you would buy. Or if you have a watch already, doesn’t matter what kind of watch. I would love to know what you wear and why.

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.