Looking at our stats, I see that demand for recommendations regarding diving watches is a seasonal thing with most visitors coming in summer and then gradually declining till Christmas only to start growing again in early January. “Pilots” are different animals: I have an impression that people are always interested in “aviators” regardless of the time of the season. So, for your reading pleasure, a choice of fifteen timekeepers from under $200 to more than $10,000 as priced by online retailers that I find worthy of being considered while shopping for your new (or maybe your very first!) pilot’s watch this year.
Hamilton
Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Automatic (ref. H82305931)
With this gorgeous Khaki Navy Scuba Automatic H82305931, Hamilton not simply expands its line of diving companions. It finally offers a model that is not just “different” from the rest of the crowd, but -unlike their last year’s Navy Frogman- can be worn by a casual person without attracting weird glances from persons who “just don’t get it.”
Hamilton Broadway Day Date (H43515735 & H43515135)
The 2017 Broadway Day Date Automatic (refs. H43515735 & H43515135), Hamilton’s recent attempt at grabbing their share of the growing “affordable dress watch” market, offers a nice blend of the interesting exterior, good build quality, and one of the best “long-play” mass-produced automatic movements that you can get in the sub-$1k price range.
Hamilton Jazzmaster Auto Chrono (Ref. H32596551)
Hamilton has recently updated its Jazzmaster family with a new automatic chronograph that sports a fairly fresh Caliber H21 automatic movement that we have already seen inside the 2012 Khaki Aviation X-Patrol.
Based on the time-proven ETA Valjoux 7750 blank caliber, the movement features an upgraded energy storage module with a maximum power reserve extended over 60 hours.
(Sort Of) Vintage Hamilton Khaki Aviation Pilot Chrono
Look who has just got a sibling! The military-styled 2010 Khaki Pilot (ref. H64715885) has just received a younger brother. Called Hamilton Khaki Aviation Pilot Chronograph (ref. H646666735), the new “aviator” from the legendary brand nicely fits a bullet-proof ETA Valjoux 7753 movement into the same mid-sized body of a (sort of) tactical timekeeper.
Welcome 2 the Evolution: Hamilton Aviation X-Patrol
The new Hamilton Khaki Aviation X-Patrol (refs. H76556331, H76556131, and H76566751) looks like an evolution of the stealthy Khaki X-Mach Pilot that was presented almost exactly three years ago in February, 2009. The difference between the two? Well, preserving all the controls and being powered by virtually the same movement, the new version now lets you convert nautical miles into statute miles and back. And the watch has also become smaller.