If you were a pilot...

[peacocknation]

If you were a pilot (I’m not) and you were flying through different time zones, overseas, etc. would you rather have a Sky-Dweller or GMT as your watch?

Both play-up or market themselves as great watches for travel between time zones and I believe the GMT was originally marketed/made for airline pilots. So....which would you rather have?

[JayHantz]

+1 GMT

I flew for Air Force Special Operations and travel a good bit (and still fly) for work. I love the GMT. It is easy to read, well made, and the bidirectional bezel does help with delta (local) to zulu (GMT) offsets. In my opinion, one of the best sport watches that Rolex has.

[BT1985]

Six in one hand a half dozen in the other. Really just comes down to your preference on aesthetics in my opinion. Sky Dweller dresses up better and the annual calendar complication is nice but also is quite a bit more expensive. GMT has more historical significance when it comes to Rolex and aviation. GMT seems more of a tool watch for pilots and sky Dweller seems more for the jet setter in first class / private jet. Can’t go wrong here really.


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[ratty]

I’ve voted GMT but I doubt many pilots really do this.

Do we have any pilots on here who can comment on this? Surely most just reset their watches at their destination for as long as they are there then reset again when they land at their final destination

Does anyone have a watch which automatically resets to the time zone they are in, if so, do they work well?

[Bluepilot15]

I’ve got a five digit GMT now and a BLNR on the way. The GMT for work all day. I am absolutely going to get a Sky Dweller for play, but watches get surprisingly beat up in the cockpit. Your always reaching around and bumping your watch off stuff. The SD without crown guards would scare me. I say GMT for the cockpit no contest.

[alphasports]

+1 for GMT (recreational pilot). While we're on the topic, I'm assuming that whoever decided to bring back the new Air King doesn't fly and has no concept of a flight watch. I love the AK but seriously...

[beshannon]

I will stick with my BLNR which is my go to travel watch

[lenfried29]

whether pilot or not. I don't like SD. So for me it's GMT.

[Trek737]

I’m an airline pilot... 99% of my coworkers do not even wear a nice watch to work much less a Rolex. So buy what appeals to you the most... I think GMT is more sporty and SD is more dressy...
Good luck!

[Trek737]

Originally Posted by BT1985

Six in one hand a half dozen in the other. Really just comes down to your preference on aesthetics in my opinion. Sky Dweller dresses up better and the annual calendar complication is nice but also is quite a bit more expensive. GMT has more historical significance when it comes to Rolex and aviation. GMT seems more of a tool watch for pilots and sky Dweller seems more for the jet setter in first class / private jet. Can’t go wrong here really.


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+1.

[tudorbaja27]

Iwc....

[Bluside]

Retired airline pilot here. GMT all the way.

[BT1985]

Originally Posted by tudorbaja27

Iwc....

Or you could go original pilots watch and get a Cartier Santos.


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[Busyboy]

And although I'd love a skydweller, this is where it's at for me

[tudorbaja27]

Originally Posted by BT1985

Or you could go original pilots watch and get a Cartier Santos.


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[037]

I've folded paper airplanes before.

GMT gets my vote. It's much easier to set/offset quickly.

[kbj]

I’m an airline pilot as well and have owned both watches, the GMT Master II and the Sky-Dweller. Both work really good function wise, but as someone already said, watches get beat up in the cockpit, so GMT is a better choice when working in the cockpit.

That said I don’t have either of the watches anymore. I let go of my BLNR long time ago and now I’m on a waiting list for the BLRO. Hopefully it will come sooner than later. I had the blue Sky-Dweller and it’s a great watch, just too big for me, so that’s why I let it go.

I wear all my watches to work and when I choose what to wear, it usually depends on what kind of pairing I have. So if I have a layover away from home , I usually take a dual time watch and lately that has been the Patek 5990. I just have to be very careful with it in the cockpit as not to scratch it. If my workday is just one day of flying from home base and ending home base or domestic layover, then it doesn’t really matter which watch to wear. Good to have a date in the watch though.

We have a lot of pilots and those of us with nice watches are in the minority. What my colleagues with nice watches have is usually Rolex GMT Master IIs and Explorer IIs, Omegas and Breitlings. Rest have just “normal” watches and of course Apple watches and Suunto sport watches. Seiko Astron GPS is also popular with some of my colleagues.


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[Busyboy]

5990 would be the grail option

[TheRolexKingofLV]

Lately I've noticed several pilots wearing Smart Watches (Apple etc).

[ras47]

If I were a _______________ (fill in ANYthing) I'd wear a GMT Master.

[Rocket launcher]

Air-King is the pilot watch to have

[joaoyamaka]

I am an airline pilot and in my collection I have 2 GMT. A 16700 Pepsi and a BLNR. My favourites!


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[Cryten]

I don't have a sky dweller so can't really comment on it's usefulness, but the GMT is very useful. You eventually learn the GMT offsets that matter so it's not essential but certainly handy.

Originally Posted by TheRolexKingofLV

Lately I've noticed several pilots wearing Smart Watches (Apple etc).

Sadly there are many pilots lacking in style and taste out there. One of our guys has one but could never remember to charge it, so it was always dead whenever we flew together. His back to his Citizen skyhawk now.

[JacksonStone]

Originally Posted by kbj

watches get beat up in the cockpit...

In that case, I would probably opt for my G-Shock, which has 100+ pre-programmed timezones, and is built for a beating. If I were intent on something nicer, maybe an Omega X-33, 3rd gen.

[tyler1980]

big pilot. Multiple timezones dont matter until you arrive so really they are not pilot watches at all. They are after i get there watches.

Or of course the 5524G. Pilot watch with a travel time for when you get there.

[T01]

Gmt

[Skyrider01]

I am an airline pilot and own a BLNR. I never liked the inner time dial of the Sky Dweller.
Although I do occasionally wear the BLNR while flying, most of the time I wear my Breitling. As others have mentioned, watches do take a beating in the cockpit, and I feel better beating up the Breitling than the Rolex.
Also, I fly mainly to Central and South America and the Breitling is more under the radar and safer to wear.

[JacksonStone]

Originally Posted by Skyrider01

Although I do occasionally wear the BLNR while flying, most of the time I wear my Breitling.

Which Breitling model?

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by JacksonStone

Which Breitling model?

if this was the Breitling Emergency and i saw that, i would take a different flight

[GMT Aviator]

Long Haul Airline Pilot checking in here....

My daily in the flight deck is my ceramic LN. It’s fitted with a sub bracelet with glidelock.

Now I really like the way the Skydweller looks and how it presents everything, but I just don’t love the size. The thing is a tank. I thought it would be the same dimensions as my DJ2 but I was very wrong. It’s much bigger. Too large for my tastes, but still a beautiful watch none the less.

There’s only one true GMT and it’s the GMT Master. New or old, the best tool watches ever made for people like me.