© Decksurgeon May 2009 Der Grosse Fliegeruhr It be near impossible to cover the sheer breadth and depth of the history of the pilot's watches from the very start to present day. But here are some interesting in an abridged presentation facts and some pictures of perhaps the most famous pilot's watch of them all. The first airplanes had some form of cockpit watch. This was not a wristwatch but a modified pocket watch mounted on the instrument panel.