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Old 7 February 2018, 08:24 AM   #1
huib15
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GMT owners in the aviation business

I'm wondering, as the GMT was developed as a pilot watch,. how many GMT owners are really working in the aviation business? not necessarily as a pilot, but in the aviation industry in general. ?

I own a GMT batman, and I'm in the aviation business for 30 years, started as a mechanic, tech. specialist, and now have my own company on buying and selling aircraft and parts, and recycling aircraft.

i'm traveling a lot, and in aviation most of us 'work' with "zulu" time, the GMT is besides a very beautiful watch also a real tool for me.

So that made me curious how many of 'us' are out there,.
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Old 7 February 2018, 10:09 AM   #2
Scottosan
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I'm in the aviation business, not a pilot but my job affords me the opportunity to travel a lot and the GMT was the first Rolex I got and still the one I wear the most
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Old 7 February 2018, 10:17 AM   #3
hambone1983
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I'm not in the aviation biz. Sometimes I wear my milgauss when I'm busy not being in the engineering biz. But I'm ready if a job offer presents itself from either of these fronts.
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Old 7 February 2018, 10:25 AM   #4
DMM_78
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I own a Batman and i’m a pilot for a major us airline. However, I wear a shinola to work.
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Old 7 February 2018, 05:48 PM   #5
Foxglove
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I own a Batman and i’m a pilot for a major us airline. However, I wear a shinola to work.
Why?
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Old 7 February 2018, 11:31 PM   #6
DMM_78
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Why?
A couple of resasons.

1) Like another poster said the polished links/case get pretty banged up in the airplane. It’s desk diving times a 100.

2) I don’t really worry about the unknown. However, a lot time on layovers is spent on your unknown in unfamiliar environments. I figure leaving my shiny Batman at home is a good way not to draw attention.
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Old 8 February 2018, 12:10 AM   #7
Jim Smyth
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Flew for the Airlines my whole career. Never wore a GMT in the cockpit. The Captain of our airline taxied on the ground and the tiller was on his side which was the left seat. Very tight tolerances behind the tiller and your watch would be getting scratched up on every flight if you wore it on your left hand while operating the tiller which was common for a righty.

As a FYI the Tiller is on bottom left hand corner of the photo which is about where your left knee would be. It looks like a half moon shaped device that had about 180 degrees of travel, 90 each way.

Over the many years I really never seen many/any Rolex's being worn by any of us that did it for a living. I could count them on one hand for a 30+ year career. My watch of choice was a thin light weight titanium Breitling Aerospace. For me the alarm feature was more important than the GMT setting.
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Old 9 February 2018, 02:41 AM   #8
Foxglove
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A couple of resasons.



1) Like another poster said the polished links/case get pretty banged up in the airplane. It’s desk diving times a 100.



2) I don’t really worry about the unknown. However, a lot time on layovers is spent on your unknown in unfamiliar environments. I figure leaving my shiny Batman at home is a good way not to draw attention.


Yeah that makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the reply!



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Old 7 February 2018, 10:26 AM   #9
Enicarman
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My GMT was left to me by a very close pilot friend who proudly used it throughout his airline career. It is a 1959 model.
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Old 7 February 2018, 10:38 AM   #10
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My GMT was left to me by a very close pilot friend who proudly used it throughout his airline career. It is a 1959 model.
Fantastic
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Old 7 February 2018, 10:51 AM   #11
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I'm in the process of getting my single engine fixed wing ticket.....but I've never crossed a time zone
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Old 7 February 2018, 10:58 AM   #12
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I'm in the process of getting my single engine fixed wing ticket.....but I've never crossed a time zone
You will file your flight plans in Zulu.
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Old 7 February 2018, 10:04 PM   #13
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My GMT was left to me by a very close pilot friend who proudly used it throughout his airline career. It is a 1959 model.
Beauty and what a great memory of your friend
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Old 8 February 2018, 08:23 AM   #14
rrlx
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My GMT was left to me by a very close pilot friend who proudly used it throughout his airline career. It is a 1959 model.
Beautiful watch.
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Old 8 February 2018, 08:32 AM   #15
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My GMT was left to me by a very close pilot friend who proudly used it throughout his airline career. It is a 1959 model.
Beauty...and if that thing could talk I’ll bet it could share a story or two.
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Old 10 February 2018, 12:07 PM   #16
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Beauty...and if that thing could talk I’ll bet it could share a story or two.
Mile High Club of course there ares some stories.
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Old 12 February 2018, 07:55 AM   #17
huib15
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Beauty...and if that thing could talk I’ll bet it could share a story or two.
Also real tool watch use,.
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Old 7 February 2018, 10:37 AM   #18
Reddy_Kilowatt
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I am Batman and I wear an ordinary black GMT.
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Old 7 February 2018, 11:06 AM   #19
stlwx21
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Not a pilot, but pretty much everything at work revolves around Z time.
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Old 7 February 2018, 11:07 AM   #20
Brainh18
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Part 91 corporate pilot. I alternate between my Batman, and my Sub. Love em both.
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Old 7 February 2018, 11:17 AM   #21
elcompa
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Althought not directly working in the aviation business, I work on Zulu time and fly internationally very regularly...sometimes hopping countries a couple times per week. My BLNR has been a grerat companion since 2013.
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Old 7 February 2018, 11:22 AM   #22
meganfox17
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I'm not in the aeronautical industry but in my younger days as an undergraduate and postgrad studying overseas, I use to travel very frequently, my uncle is a pilot flying for United Arab Emirates and I have two aunties and a cousin who were once cabin crews or flight attendants for Malaysian Airways( MAS).
Anyways, based on my personal experience talking to commercial airline pilots, during flights many of them actually preferred G Shocks, Seikos, Timex and Citizens watches esp the Nighthawks, these days, the Garmin D2 GPS seems to be quite popular.Only real watch enthusiast pilots wear Rolex watches as far as I know (I saw pilots wearing Subs but havent met a pilot spotting a GMT Master before!)
Oh Yeah just remember guys, the Speedmaster is NOT a (True) pilot watch so there you go....
Thread Drift! Sorry, I'm a little biased. Let me post some photos of my friends, one, a Captain for a commercial airliner and the other, a US Jet Fighter pilot flying a USAF T38A seen here....Dedicated to all the Pilots in the World who fly us safely to our destinations and guard our airspace. Blue Skies Y'all !
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Old 7 February 2018, 01:42 PM   #23
Trek737
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Thread Drift! Sorry, I'm a little biased. Let me post some photos of my friends, one, a Captain for a commercial airliner and the other, a US Jet Fighter pilot flying a USAF T38A seen here....Dedicated to all the Pilots in the World who fly us safely to our destinations and guard our airspace. Blue Skies Y'all !

Great pics of the the fly boys... Just to give you a heads up when you sit in the right seat and have three stripes you are called a First Officer not a Captain...

I am a pilot for a major airline. I wear my Sub and I have seen very few pilots wear a Rolex to work. Over the last 27 years I can count less then a dozen pilots wearing one. Two reasons: most pilots are to frugal to buy a Rolex and the cockpit has lots of metal which makes it easier to bang your watch.
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Old 7 February 2018, 02:41 PM   #24
meganfox17
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most pilots are to frugal to buy a Rolex and the cockpit has lots of metal which makes it easier to bang your watch.
Thank You for the clarification Captain.I guess that's what the velcro protective cover is for...
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Old 12 February 2018, 05:38 AM   #25
lecorsaire
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Originally Posted by meganfox17 View Post
I'm not in the aeronautical industry but in my younger days as an undergraduate and postgrad studying overseas, I use to travel very frequently, my uncle is a pilot flying for United Arab Emirates and I have two aunties and a cousin who were once cabin crews or flight attendants for Malaysian Airways( MAS).
Anyways, based on my personal experience talking to commercial airline pilots, during flights many of them actually preferred G Shocks, Seikos, Timex and Citizens watches esp the Nighthawks, these days, the Garmin D2 GPS seems to be quite popular.Only real watch enthusiast pilots wear Rolex watches as far as I know (I saw pilots wearing Subs but havent met a pilot spotting a GMT Master before!)
Oh Yeah just remember guys, the Speedmaster is NOT a (True) pilot watch so there you go....
Thread Drift! Sorry, I'm a little biased. Let me post some photos of my friends, one, a Captain for a commercial airliner and the other, a US Jet Fighter pilot flying a USAF T38A seen here....Dedicated to all the Pilots in the World who fly us safely to our destinations and guard our airspace. Blue Skies Y'all !
Wow amazing pictures! Especially in the fighter! Thanks a lot for sharing!!!
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Old 13 April 2018, 07:22 AM   #26
Pavlos
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Quote:
Originally Posted by meganfox17 View Post
I'm not in the aeronautical industry but in my younger days as an undergraduate and postgrad studying overseas, I use to travel very frequently, my uncle is a pilot flying for United Arab Emirates and I have two aunties and a cousin who were once cabin crews or flight attendants for Malaysian Airways( MAS).
Anyways, based on my personal experience talking to commercial airline pilots, during flights many of them actually preferred G Shocks, Seikos, Timex and Citizens watches esp the Nighthawks, these days, the Garmin D2 GPS seems to be quite popular.Only real watch enthusiast pilots wear Rolex watches as far as I know (I saw pilots wearing Subs but havent met a pilot spotting a GMT Master before!)
Oh Yeah just remember guys, the Speedmaster is NOT a (True) pilot watch so there you go....
Thread Drift! Sorry, I'm a little biased. Let me post some photos of my friends, one, a Captain for a commercial airliner and the other, a US Jet Fighter pilot flying a USAF T38A seen here....Dedicated to all the Pilots in the World who fly us safely to our destinations and guard our airspace. Blue Skies Y'all !
The picture of the commercial pilot is a guy that is active on the omega forum
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Old 13 April 2018, 07:40 AM   #27
meganfox17
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The picture of the commercial pilot is a guy that is active on the omega forum
Yes Sir. That's @Mad Dog
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Old 13 April 2018, 07:54 AM   #28
ArthurB
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Originally Posted by meganfox17 View Post
I'm not in the aeronautical industry but in my younger days as an undergraduate and postgrad studying overseas, I use to travel very frequently, my uncle is a pilot flying for United Arab Emirates and I have two aunties and a cousin who were once cabin crews or flight attendants for Malaysian Airways( MAS).
Anyways, based on my personal experience talking to commercial airline pilots, during flights many of them actually preferred G Shocks, Seikos, Timex and Citizens watches esp the Nighthawks, these days, the Garmin D2 GPS seems to be quite popular.Only real watch enthusiast pilots wear Rolex watches as far as I know (I saw pilots wearing Subs but havent met a pilot spotting a GMT Master before!)
Oh Yeah just remember guys, the Speedmaster is NOT a (True) pilot watch so there you go....
Thread Drift! Sorry, I'm a little biased. Let me post some photos of my friends, one, a Captain for a commercial airliner and the other, a US Jet Fighter pilot flying a USAF T38A seen here....Dedicated to all the Pilots in the World who fly us safely to our destinations and guard our airspace. Blue Skies Y'all !

U2R or TR-1?
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Old 7 February 2018, 11:48 AM   #29
pilotjim
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Just bought a BLNR, and I'm a private pilot. I fly recreational and for personal business only. I love the zulu time component.
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Old 7 February 2018, 12:40 PM   #30
greenn17h
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Flight test engineer here, with a BLNR. Zulu time is invaluable (although I wish I could do 1/2 hr time zones).
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