I am on the lookout for a pilot/military style watch as I am missing one from my little group. At the moment it seems to be between a Zenith Pilot Big Date Special and a Longines Heritage Military. The Zenith is harder to find and more expensive but I seem to be leaning that way. Can anyone guide me with pros an cons or any experience. Please don’t just tell me to buy what I like as I like them both. Thanks
It’s the Zenith for me. A design that goes all the way back and much more going on from a movement perspective. I am a Longines owner as well, but owning both there is little comparison. The Longines heritage pieces are tempting, but I am more interested in what Montblanc has been doing in the same general market space.
If you’re looking for a military/aviation style Longines, this would be my choice. https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/longines-avigation-bigeye-value-proposition-hands-on
And leaning more field / military, the Hamilton Khaki Pilot Pioneer deserves a mention. https://gearpatrol.com/2019/08/30/hamilton-khaki-pilot-pioneer-w10-watch-review I’m generally not that into Hamilton as it feels like a nameplate trading on a legacy with no real earned continuity to its storied past, but this watch has my attention. And it’s at an attractive price, to me, relative to the Longines. But I guess it mostly comes down to style. I’ve been very close to picking up one of the standard field models from Weiss Watches as well. I think he’s doing great things at an accessible price point for what he is producing. Hand assembled, increasingly refined and customized movements, classic style. https://weisswatchcompany.com/collections/standard-issue-field-watch Not that you asked for other options but sometimes I know I get so fixated on “this or that” that it helps to be reminded of what else there is in the same segment and how far your money goes with one versus another. No bad choices!