But, of course, most pilots’-watch fans aren’t pilots at all, but earthbound types who like the watches’ distinctive styling. The Zenith Pilot Big Date Special combines the historical, functional design of a pilots’ watch with several new elements. Zenith was also a major supplier of temperature-resistant and anti-magnetic aircraft clocks in the 1930s and ’40s. Today, pilots’ watches serve as emergency backup instruments for recreational aviators. Zenith equipped airplanes with altimeters and other aviation instruments that eventually made pilots’ watches unnecessary. Shortly thereafter the first cockpit instruments came into use. In 1909, the first aviator to cross the English Channel, Louis Blériot, used a Zenith wristwatch with a rotating minutes marker during his 37-minute flight.

In this feature with original photos by our own Nik Schölzel, we put this high flyer through our rigorous test.Īt the beginning of the 20th century, pilots’ watches were essential tools for aviators. Whether in the air or on the ground, the Zenith Pilot Big Date Special is always at home.

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