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Air Force Collection
In 2017, I began research and design of Be Your Own Pilot Air Force collection. The design goal was to not only inspire others in aviation, but to also create automatic pilot watches that were inspired by aviation cockpit dials that provide maximum visual acuity for pilots. Each model variant has a specific design including some with second hands that match aircraft colors red, yellow, and orange. Every function provides pilots with a simple yet bold design that enhances the ability to read the dial quickly and with accuracy.
Main Features
Ideal Case Size: A Hypoallergenic, surgical grade, 316L stainless steel case designed for the modern day pilot's wrist comfort and displaying a case size of 42mm wide, 48mm length, and 13mm thick.
Quality Seiko Automatic Movements: Highly regarded Seiko NH-35A automatic watch movement industry known for quality and robust durability.
Internal Rotating Bezels: Internal rotating bezel controlled by upper crown. Various models designed with different functions such as timing, 2nd time zone, and compass.
Aviation Dials: Our number fonts correspond with U.S. aviation military standards. Dial designs taken from aviation instrument dials displaying relative proportions and simplicity to enhance readability. Our select Pantone color palettes provides ideal visual contrast for accurate legibility.
Aviation Hands: Same as aviation instrument dials, we chose prominent white sword style hour and minute hands with black centers provide for optimal visual contrast. The second hand is designed as a instrument styled gauge needle and is select color (white, red, yellow, orange) coded to correspond with each variant and function.
Swiss Super-LumiNova C3: Hands, indices, and numbers on the dials and bezels are engineered for bold night vision using one of the industry’s highest quality luminance. This luminescent is not only known for known for its greenish colored brightness, but also its ability to maintain enduring light over time.
Sapphire Glass: To resist all chance of scratches or cracks, the front and back case glass use sapphire crystals that are 1 step below a diamond in hardness.
Blue anti-reflective coating: is used on the inside of the front sapphire crystal to reduce glare and reflection to enhance reading of the dial at a quick glance.
Grooved Crowns: Specially designed grooved edged crowns that enhance textile feel and grip for easy rotational control.
Stealth Date Window: To further increase the visual acuity of reading time on the dial, we engineered a deep-set date window with gray numerals that create a subtle display of the date to not interfere with the reading the dail.
Genuine Lather Watch Strap: Select top-grain durable leather strap with branded tapered buckle for enduring wrist comfort.
Exhibition Case Back: Designed for visual display of the engineered watch movement and branded mechanical rotor.
Aviator | a·vi·a·tor |ˈāvēˌādər | noun 1. a pilot using an intricate timing scale to measure distance, speed and time to destination.
This is a bold Pilot watch designed with maximum visual acuity and bezel timing functions emphasizing time measurement in seconds, minutes, and hours. Official military number fonts on the dial and aviation instrument dial hands. Triangle at 12 0' clock and rectangular indices at the 3, 6, 9 positions on the dial were chosen for this variant to enhance the proportional balance of the dial and bezel to be read simultaneously. Internal rotating bezel controlled by upper crown. All numbers, indices, triangle, and hour/minute/second hands use Swiss Super-LumiNova to provide viewing in low-light or darkness.
Navtimer | nav·tim·er | nāvˌtiˌmər | noun 1. naval pilot using more precision timing to measure distance, speed and time to destination.
This is a bold Pilot watch designed with maximum visual acuity with an emphasis on seconds, minutes, and hour time measurement. Official military number fonts on the dial and aviation instrument dial hands. Internal rotating bezel controlled by upper crown with 5-minute interval numbers, minute and seconds indices were designed to extenuate precision timing simultaneously with reading of the dial. Emphasis of this variant is precision timing of seconds, minutes, and hours. The double indices at the 12 o' clock position on the dial, rectangular indices, and a select aviation pantone color yellow on the second hand was chosen for this variant providing quick readability of the dial time simultaneously with timing of seconds, minutes, and hours. Select aviation yellow was chosen for the second hand making it highly visible to the human eye in contrast to the black dial. All numbers, indices, triangle, and hour/minute hands use Swiss Super-LumiNova to provide visibility into darkness.
This is a bold Pilot watch designed with maximum visual acuity and an emphasis on a 2nd time zone function. Official military number fonts on the dial and aviation instrument dial hands. Internal rotating bezel controlled by upper crown - hour numbers are designed for a 2nd time zone and triangle marker may be used for hour, minute, or seconds timing functions. The number 12 on the dial, rectangular indices, and aviation pantone color orange was chosen for this variant providing quick readability of 2 times zones as primary. All numbers, indices, triangle, and hour/minute hands use Swiss Super-LumiNova to provide timing function into darkness.
Navigator | nav·i·ga·tor |ˈnavəˌɡādər | noun 1. a pilot who directs the route or course of an aircraft by using a navigation compass and maps.
This is a bold Pilot watch designed with maximum visual acuity and aviation timing functions with an emphasis on navigation using cardinal points and degree orientation to the sun and time zones. Official military number fonts and numbers on the bezel and aviation instrument dial hands. Internal rotating bezel controlled by upper crown - emphasis on navigation orientation using cardinal points and degree orientation to the sun and time zones - triangle may be used for hour, minute, or seconds timing functions. The cardinal points on dial, rectangular indices, and aviation pantone color red was chosen for this variant providing quick readability of compass headings while simultaneously providing quick visual display of hours and minutes time on the dial. All numbers, indices, cardinal points, and hour/minute hands use Swiss Super-LumiNova to provide directional bearings into the sunset and time and timing display after dark.
Avitimer | a·vi·tim·er | ˈāvēˌtimˌər | noun 1. aviator pilot using a general timing scale to measure distance, speed and time to destination.
This is a bold Pilot watch designed with maximum visual acuity and aviation bezel timing functions. Official military number fonts on the dial and aviation instrument dial hands. Internal rotating bezel function controlled by upper crown - used for timing of hours, minutes, and seconds. Emphasis is on all dial hour numbers as primary and bezel timing as secondary. This balance allows for a strong visual focus on the hour numbers on the dial but still provides for 5-minute increment numbers and bezel timing function numbers to be clearly read simultaneously. The Swiss Super-LumiNova second hand was chosen for this variant to provide a distinct timing hand that provides timing function into darkness.
Naviator | na·vi·a·tor | nāvēˌādər | noun 1. a naval aviator pilot using an intricate timing scale to measure distance, speed and time to destination.
This is a bold Pilot watch designed with maximum visual acuity and aviation timing functions with an emphasis on time measurement of seconds, minutes, and hours. Official military number fonts on the dial and aviation instrument dial hands. Internal rotating bezel function controlled by upper crown - used for precision timing of hours, minutes, and seconds. Emphasis is on a select combination of a visual balance of numbers and indices in both the bezel and dial. The numbers at 12, 3, 6 9 positions on the dial, rectangular indices were chosen for this variant as to enhance a proportional balance of the dial and bezel to be to optimize reading the dial and bezel simultaneously. All numbers, indices, triangle, and hour/minute hands use Swiss Super-LumiNova to provide timing function into darkness, including a distinct luminescent second hand that continues to provide timing functions.