RGM Pilot's Watch

“Pilot’s watch” is a tricky term to define — especially for pedantic watch collectors like us! Generally, however, it’s understood that a pilot’s watch needs to be legible above all else. The timepiece itself could take the form of the diminutive Cartier Santos-Dumon or the positively gargantuan B-Ühren of the Second World War, but if a pilot couldn’t quickly read the dial, the watch was largely useless. RGM, America’s premier watchmaker, took this to heart in designing its 107, its oldest surviving model. Available in black or blue dials and reminiscent of aviation classics such as the IWC Mk. XI, it’s been a stalwart of the RGM collection since its debut in the 1990s.  The particular model we have here is a 107P. Featuring a stainless steel 35mm case with sapphire crystal; unsigned crown; display caseback; service handset; and black Super-LumiNova dial with highly legible Arabic indices and traditional pilot’s “triangle” index at 12 o’clock, it’s a true pilot’s watch through and through. Powered by the automatic ETA 2892-A2 movement with Cote de Genève decoration and perlage, it also features a convenient date window at 3 o’clock. With its 35mm case, the 107P is the perfect pilot’s watch who craves something with the proportions of a midcentury classic, but with an unfussy automatic movement — and good looks, to boot!