Five unique aviator hour angle watches
According to Christie's , in spring of 1936 both Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin were "approached by a private to develop, produce and supply a very small series of hour angle wristwatches for testing". These five watches are never presented togeth...
From the time…
A pilot actually needed a watch on the plane, rather than on the ground 😁 Thanks a lot for the explanation - the only question remaining what the significance of the split seconds complication was in this context? 🤷🏻♂️
Very good question indeed.
Maybe it was a way to make it more easy to measure the extra degrees to fly before a change of direction (and latitude). Each "second"=0,25°, so starting from zero, it's very easy to count 1 or 2 more degrees (4 or 8 "seconds")... Best, Emmanuel
Thank you for this truly fascinating post and pictures of these unique watches.
It was obvious to me from the start that these were professional use watches and somehow worked for aviators but at this size they make even a Panerai look small. I kind of understand how they work in the cockpit of a plane but wouldn't be able to make th...
Yes, flying, at that time, was an epic adventure that required many qualities, both intelligence and temperament.
And some good and useful tools! Best, Emmanuel
Yes, the two Patek usually steal all the light,
but I agree that the VC is wonderful. And the movement looks gorgeous too... Best, Emmanuel
Thank you so much for the introduction!
I was not acquainted with these beforehand! Cheers, Filip
