The Monchard Pilot Watch Is on the Runway

Pilots were among the first men to sport wristwatches, as they needed timepieces to coordinate their efforts while in battle during the wars of the early 20th century. The Swedish micro brand Monchard is drawing inspiration from this history of early military watches with the new Monchard Pilot watch.

The Monchard Pilot watch was developed over a 2 year period with a goal of creating a timepiece that was reminiscent of early pilot watches but modern enough to be worn for any occasion in the modern world.

Called the Skytoucher GMT, the first timepiece created by the brand harkens back to the look of instrument dials on vintage aircraft with broad pilot hands, a large outer 12-hour track and a small military time track inside. A fashionable arrow stands out on the dial and there is a spinning calendar window on the right side between the 12 and 24-hour tracks. The indices and the hands are luminous, and the watch features a 515.24H caliber Swiss movement system.

Monchard plans to launch their new Pilot Watch by raising funds directly from customers through crowdfunding on Kickstarter. Their campaign began with a goal of 350.000 SEK, and at the time that this profile was written, the Swedish watch company had already raised more than 333.910 SEK from over 170 backers. The company appears to be on pace to achieving their goal. The Pilot watch is expected to ship in January 2017. Rewards for the Kickstarter campaign include discounts on the timepiece.