The Low-Down

Call me an old softie, but I often feel a little sad for tool watches. In the 1940s and 50s, and indeed the 60s and 70s, these timepieces were really living up to their names. Whilst the complicated chronographs, circular calatravas and dandy dress watches were often living simple lives; the dive, pilots and explorers’ watches were out there earning a crust and actually saving the lives of those who strapped them on their wrists. But with the advent of technology and the furious rush to shrink the once room-sized computer to something you can easily wear on your wrist, tool watches are now nothing more than a stylish anachronism for the vast majority of wearers. So, when Oris announced that they were making a limited edition Propilot watch for a pilot training school, I was all ears!

Introduced in 2016, the Big Crown Propilot Big Day Date is housed in a 44mm steel case and features a large winding crown in classic pilot-watch style. The two attributes that would traditionally be a prerequisite for a pilot’s watch would be a highly legible dial and hands layout and a winding crown that is big enough to be easily used when one is wearing gloves. The Big Crown Propilot does both these things with its oversize case and large screw down crown. The watch also sports an interesting engine-turned bezel, inspired by a jet-engine turbine which gives the watch a charming vintage-esque look that I really quite like.

IMHO

The new limited edition has been developed in partnership with the Tactical Leadership Programme (TLP), which is an elite pilot training programme based in Albacete, Spain. The school is responsible for training NATO coalition forces pilots for tactical air operations. The civilian version will be available in 750 pieces, but alongside this, every TLP graduate will be offered a unique version that features their name, year of graduation and limited number engraved on the caseback. Of course, all aircraft and especially military planes feature very sophisticated computer systems, but the romantic in me likes to think of the pilots wearing these watches for a mission and giving the tool watch at least a glimpse of what it was designed for.

The TLP watches have a special anti-glare grey PVD coating, which really adds to their military aesthetic. The dial is green that is inspired by the colour of the flight suits that are donned by the pilots on the Tactical Leadership Programme. The beige text is based on the colour of the eagle in the TLP logo. The overall aesthetic is both cool and also no-nonsense in the truest tradition of what a tool watch should be. To add to this, the strap is fashioned from Ventile, a material with a pedigree in air force use, having been a material developed in the UK for military use, especially pilots. To round off the package, each watch will be delivered in a Ventile pouch in olive and orange hues.

TECH SPECS

Movement: Oris 752 automatic with day and date complications; 38 hour power reserve.
Case and Dial: 44mm stainless steel with gun-metal grey PVD coating; green dial with beige applied numerals.
Strap: Green Ventile strap with gun-metal grey PVD coated steel deployment clasp.
Pricing and Availability: CHF2,200; Available from March 2021 in a limited edition of 750 pieces.