What started as a batch of 1,200 watches made in 1941 has since become one of the most iconic designs in history.
The Beobachtungs-Uhren (B-Uhren), or “Flieger” watch (“pilot” auf Deutsch), made for the German Luftwaffe, were intended only as flight tools. The paramount focus of the Flieger was legibility; robustness and accuracy were factors as well, but if the navigator or pilot couldn’t quickly tell the time, the watch was of no use.
The Flieger was primarily made for the navigator (the “Beobachter”), and was not actually issued to keep, but as flight equipment with the expectation that the watch would be returned post-mission. It was made in two types, A and B, which had similar aesthetics: a 55-millimeter case diameter, a matte black dial with luminous markers and hands, a pocket watch movement, the trademark triangle 12:00 marker, and a long leather strap with enough material to be worn around the outside of pilot’s jacket. The difference between the two was the dial layout: the Type A being very simple, with more of a traditional clock layout, and the Type B being more technical.
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