Gear Patrol

If you’re like us, you have a long list of watches you’d love to own. The watch companies maintain a continuous flow of tantalizing images of their new creations, the Web is rife with chronic watch flippers offering good deals on minty timepieces, and suddenly that watch you’re wearing is starting to look a little rough around the edges. Time for an upgrade. But reality steps in, along with bank accounts and eagle-eyed spouses, and your watch love remains unrequited. What’s a guy to do? Want This, Get This presents a lustworthy timepiece along with a more affordable alternative that scratches the same itch.

We have yet to see a G-Shock watch that looks as if it couldn’t withstand a few strikes from a jackhammer. The Casio G-Shock Aviation Series GWA1000D-1A ($600) is no exception. This time, it’s geared for pilots and other such world-travelers who need a multi-function watch as formidable as they are. The GWA1000D-1A (who names…

Just in time for their 120th anniversary, Hamilton has added a new flagship to the Aviation line of Khaki watches, the X-Patrol, and it represents a terrific value in fully-featured mechanical pilot’s watches. To this end, the X-Patrol features a functional computational bezel that allows would-be Lindberghs to calculate on-the-fly metric conversions for miles to…

Reaching down to deploy the cupholder, you glance through your aviators at the chunky pilot’s watch on your wrist. You’re good for an on-time arrival. Suddenly, you spy a minivan bearing down on you at four o’clock so you quickly disable cruise control and switch into manual mode as you approach your exit. This is…

LACO (LAcher & CO.) has built some of the finest pilot’s watches since the 1920s and has been in the business for nearly 90 years. Known as ‘Fliegeruhr’ or ‘flyer watches’, they are highly legible and classic in style. Having been one of the five authorized watch manufacturers to supply watches to the German Luftwaffe…

While it is widely acknowledged that the best watch movements come from Switzerland, watch collectors and industry insiders also know that some of the best watch cases are made in Germany. Maybe it’s due to the strong heritage of craftsmanship and steelworks or just a national appreciation for good design and impeccable manufacturing. Companies like…

Part Iceman and all Maverick, the IWC Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph Edition Top Gun ($12,000) pays homage to the fearless pilots at the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School, who epitomize courage and skill. IWC has emblazoned the Top Gun emblem (and thankfully not Tom Cruise’s mug) on the back of the titanium and black…