When it comes to watches, though diver’s may have their fair share of decent timepieces in my opinion its the pilot’s watch that truly reigns supreme. It seems I’m not on my own in this opinion as a group of like-minded individuals with backgrounds in history, aviation, watchmaking and fashion have joined forces to create their own beautiful re-interpretations of this design classic. With a dedication to producing designs that are an homage to both the men and the machines of the skies, each precision-built watch takes it’s influences from a range of iconic war planes such as the Hurricanes and Lancaster Bomber as well as the cutting edge engineering of planes such as the 1980s Hawker Harrier. Those familiar with their legendary aircraft will recognise the original cockpits, engines, fonts and silhouette designs all making an re-appearance in AVI-8’s designs.
Recently launched in Basel Switzerland the brand is already gaining a reputation for their military aviation appeal as well as their quality, with all pieces powered by precision customised Japanese quartz and automatic mechanics. The pricing is surprisingly reasonable too with the quartz range starting from £125 and the automatic offerings at £230 which should leave you some cash left for flying lessons or a nice new bomber jacket.
avi-8.co.uk
