2manywatches
Tyme Machine
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2019
- Messages
- 2,719
It’s clear that Thomas over at Pitot Watches (@PITOT watches ) has high situational awareness when it comes to designing a winning aviator watch, and, how lucky I am that I spotted his greeting over in our New Member section, and took a look at his new brand.
About a minute of browsing was all it took to place an order.
I haven’t asked Thomas why he chose the brand name that he did, but some quick research revealed that a pitot tube is used in wind tunnel experiments and on airplanes to measure air flow speed, although I’m sure the brand founder has the details on it. I originally thought it said “Pilot” since I was unfamiliar with the word, Pitot, and my brain did the work of filling in the wrong information, haha.
Looking over the selections on his web site, I’d happily buy many of his offerings, but I particularly liked the Top Gun “Maverick” design, being a big fan of the film, and excited to see the sequel, if the world ever gets back to normal.
Not sure how real naval aviators felt about the movie, but, as a young fella back in the day, it was the testosterone fueled rush into the "danger zone," that captured many hearts and minds, and it still holds up well today as film, and, no matter what I think of Tom Cruise’s personal issues, the man makes some great flicks, Top Gun being a big one.
Not too shabby either that, pushing nearly sixty, he’s still jumping into fighter planes (for the Top Gun sequel) leaping across roof tops and even hanging on to the side of jets now and again. Still inspiring us, even as we age along with him.
The aviation watch niche is loaded with options (I think the naval aviator might refer to it as a target rich environment, for anyone with a hankering for a pilot watch) and, I hope some day to score an IWC, as one of the pinnacle brands in that arena, but, in the meantime, I have wound up with a lot of pilot style watches at more affordable price points, and so it’s not always the case that I see something different enough that, while still capturing the style, stands out enough to be worth adding another aviator to the existing squadron.
But, I sure found it here.
The colorway is immediately outstanding, as the helmet colors of Maverick, the hero of the original film, and it is echoed in the dial, and strap. One doesn’t need to be a Top Gun film fan to just appreciate how good the color blend looks – bold, dark navy blue, with black accents, all brought to life with elements of white and red.
You get excellent clarity on the dial, thanks to the high contrast layout, and I appreciate the seconds hand that extends into the seconds chapter ring, for accuracy if needed. I’d only say that the minute hand could have been made a bit less blunt. While it is an excellent companion to the stout hour hand, a more pointy pointer would reveal exact minute position perhaps more readily.
But, as I say, only a glance is needed to tell the time, and I love that you get a fighter jet at noon, and an outer ring of minutes with an inner ring of hours. It’s just a great twist on a well established segment of the watch world.
One of the more visually striking elements is the custom rotor and, while that stays against the wrist, of course, it’s this kind of work, not short cutting, and instead going for full thematic detail throughout, that reveals the dedication of the brand creator, who is a former military aircraft mechanic. With F-14 on one side, stylized big air intakes in the case architecture, and a custom crown further emphasizing the fighter jet DNA, this watch is on target in every way. The look, like the jet itself, imparts a sense of speed, precision and purpose.
The case back further sports, “Anytime Baby,” which was originally coined by Norm Gandia, a real life TOPGUN aviator, with 30 years as a carrier-based fighter pilot, including during the Cuban Missile Crisis, with over 500 carrier landings. He served in combat in Vietman, and completed a tour as a Demonstration Pilot for the Navy's famed Blue Angels, as lead solo position number 5.
He stated the “Anytime Baby” term as a challenge to the U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagle. He was also key in the development of the Tomcat logo for the F-14, which is its own amusing story, reading up on it.
Further to the assertion that the F-14 was unconcerned with competition from the F-15, there was an illustration created of the Tomcat rear-ending the Eagle with the word "Gotcha." Nothing subtle there.
Norm passed away in March of this year. I’m sure he is smiling down in appreciation of this beautiful watch.
Perfectly sized at 45mm, the stainless steal case has a blue PVD coating, has 100m of WR, and is powered by the reliable Seiko NH35. An AR coated sapphire is the choice for the crystal element.
The “Maverick” colored strap is a thick nylon that is extremely comfortable to wear, with darkened hardware to match the rest of the design.
The SL lume is pleasing, but, after about 20 minutes, the camera can't fully capture it anymore (although it remains visible to the eye -- especially the generously lumed hands). So, that could possibly be an upgrade to consider, for those of us loony for lume. In particular, when a watch’s lume is so well laid out in the lumed elements, as is the case here, I always want it to last longer. Then again I'm a bit spoiled by power house Micros like Zelos setting a very high bar for lume quality and sustained glow.
All in all, this is just a very lively looking piece, and really ups the game for a pilot style design, bringing something truly fresh to this segment, which, honestly, can tend to start looking somewhat derivative at times, with many brands just safely following after familiar design cues.
The competition should watch their six, given the rapid sales of Pitot’s launch, which, as brand founder Thomas has shared, are already finding their way all over the globe.
I’m certainly glad one found its way to me! A hearty thanks Thomas @PITOT watches and much success to you in your endeavors! I look forward to your future projects, because this was a great buy!!
Thanks for reading.
Keep on watching!
About a minute of browsing was all it took to place an order.
I haven’t asked Thomas why he chose the brand name that he did, but some quick research revealed that a pitot tube is used in wind tunnel experiments and on airplanes to measure air flow speed, although I’m sure the brand founder has the details on it. I originally thought it said “Pilot” since I was unfamiliar with the word, Pitot, and my brain did the work of filling in the wrong information, haha.
Looking over the selections on his web site, I’d happily buy many of his offerings, but I particularly liked the Top Gun “Maverick” design, being a big fan of the film, and excited to see the sequel, if the world ever gets back to normal.
Not sure how real naval aviators felt about the movie, but, as a young fella back in the day, it was the testosterone fueled rush into the "danger zone," that captured many hearts and minds, and it still holds up well today as film, and, no matter what I think of Tom Cruise’s personal issues, the man makes some great flicks, Top Gun being a big one.
Not too shabby either that, pushing nearly sixty, he’s still jumping into fighter planes (for the Top Gun sequel) leaping across roof tops and even hanging on to the side of jets now and again. Still inspiring us, even as we age along with him.
The aviation watch niche is loaded with options (I think the naval aviator might refer to it as a target rich environment, for anyone with a hankering for a pilot watch) and, I hope some day to score an IWC, as one of the pinnacle brands in that arena, but, in the meantime, I have wound up with a lot of pilot style watches at more affordable price points, and so it’s not always the case that I see something different enough that, while still capturing the style, stands out enough to be worth adding another aviator to the existing squadron.
But, I sure found it here.
The colorway is immediately outstanding, as the helmet colors of Maverick, the hero of the original film, and it is echoed in the dial, and strap. One doesn’t need to be a Top Gun film fan to just appreciate how good the color blend looks – bold, dark navy blue, with black accents, all brought to life with elements of white and red.
You get excellent clarity on the dial, thanks to the high contrast layout, and I appreciate the seconds hand that extends into the seconds chapter ring, for accuracy if needed. I’d only say that the minute hand could have been made a bit less blunt. While it is an excellent companion to the stout hour hand, a more pointy pointer would reveal exact minute position perhaps more readily.
But, as I say, only a glance is needed to tell the time, and I love that you get a fighter jet at noon, and an outer ring of minutes with an inner ring of hours. It’s just a great twist on a well established segment of the watch world.
One of the more visually striking elements is the custom rotor and, while that stays against the wrist, of course, it’s this kind of work, not short cutting, and instead going for full thematic detail throughout, that reveals the dedication of the brand creator, who is a former military aircraft mechanic. With F-14 on one side, stylized big air intakes in the case architecture, and a custom crown further emphasizing the fighter jet DNA, this watch is on target in every way. The look, like the jet itself, imparts a sense of speed, precision and purpose.
The case back further sports, “Anytime Baby,” which was originally coined by Norm Gandia, a real life TOPGUN aviator, with 30 years as a carrier-based fighter pilot, including during the Cuban Missile Crisis, with over 500 carrier landings. He served in combat in Vietman, and completed a tour as a Demonstration Pilot for the Navy's famed Blue Angels, as lead solo position number 5.
He stated the “Anytime Baby” term as a challenge to the U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagle. He was also key in the development of the Tomcat logo for the F-14, which is its own amusing story, reading up on it.
Further to the assertion that the F-14 was unconcerned with competition from the F-15, there was an illustration created of the Tomcat rear-ending the Eagle with the word "Gotcha." Nothing subtle there.
Norm passed away in March of this year. I’m sure he is smiling down in appreciation of this beautiful watch.
Perfectly sized at 45mm, the stainless steal case has a blue PVD coating, has 100m of WR, and is powered by the reliable Seiko NH35. An AR coated sapphire is the choice for the crystal element.
The “Maverick” colored strap is a thick nylon that is extremely comfortable to wear, with darkened hardware to match the rest of the design.
The SL lume is pleasing, but, after about 20 minutes, the camera can't fully capture it anymore (although it remains visible to the eye -- especially the generously lumed hands). So, that could possibly be an upgrade to consider, for those of us loony for lume. In particular, when a watch’s lume is so well laid out in the lumed elements, as is the case here, I always want it to last longer. Then again I'm a bit spoiled by power house Micros like Zelos setting a very high bar for lume quality and sustained glow.
All in all, this is just a very lively looking piece, and really ups the game for a pilot style design, bringing something truly fresh to this segment, which, honestly, can tend to start looking somewhat derivative at times, with many brands just safely following after familiar design cues.
The competition should watch their six, given the rapid sales of Pitot’s launch, which, as brand founder Thomas has shared, are already finding their way all over the globe.
I’m certainly glad one found its way to me! A hearty thanks Thomas @PITOT watches and much success to you in your endeavors! I look forward to your future projects, because this was a great buy!!
Thanks for reading.
Keep on watching!
Last edited:
A big congratulations!
