As many watch enthusiasts are aware, the history of aviation and horology have long been linked through the necessity of a pilot needing to know the time immediately while in the air. Through this, the pilot’s watch has developed over the decades to become the recognizable icon it is today. The flieger triangle at 12 o’clock, the oversized case and crown, and the development of lume have all been tied to catering to a pilot’s needs while in flight so it was only a matter of time before watch brands embraced the altimeter. In this visit to the WatchTime Archives, we look at five brands that have done just that in recent years. 

Oris Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter

In 2014, Oris tapped its flight heritage to release the Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter. The watch has two crowns: the crown at 2 o’clock adjusts time and date, while the crown at 4 o’clock operates the altimeter. To activate the altimeter, you must unscrew the second crown into position one, indicated by a red ring. At position 2, the altimeter can be set. Once this is completed, the watch illustrates the altitude through the yellow indicator and the air pressure via the red indicator. The altitude scale is read through the outer dial ring and can measure the altitude up to 15,000 feet. The air pressure scale is located between the altimeter scale and the central dial. The 47-mm watch uses the Oris Caliber 733, which is a modified Sellita SW200 movement. The watch costs $3,800 on a textile strap and $4,100 on a bracelet.

Favre Leuba Bivouac 9000

In 2017, Favre-Leuba marked its 280th anniversary with the Bivouac 9000, a mechanical watch that boasts the capability of measuring altitudes up to 9,000 meters (29,527 feet) above sea level. This isn’t exactly new territory for Favre-Leuba, as the Bivouac 9000 is the direct descendant of a 1962 wristwatch the brand released that was the first timepiece that could measure the altitude up to 3,000 meters. The 48-mm titanium case houses an aneroid barometer, which allows the watch to indicate the elevation at a given point by reacting to the changing air pressure surrounding it. The central red altimeter hand indicates altitude gain in 50-meter steps and goes up to 3,000 meters in one rotation. Once the watch has completed three such rotations, you know that you’ve reached an altitude of 9,000 meters The price is CHF 7,500, or approximately $8,000.

Casio PRG-650Y-1

Casio is a popular choice for many daredevils that want extreme functionality without compromising on good looks. Last September, the Japanese brand expanded its Pro-Trek collection to add the PRG650Y-1 and PRG650YBE-3, two new timepieces that include a magnetic sensor for compass readings, a pressure sensor that functions as an altimeter and a thermosensor for temperature. The two analog-digital watches also have stopwatch capabilities, up to five daily alarms, water resistance up to 100 m, a worldtimer, and a countdown timer. This kind of souped-up gadgetry is what Casio is best known for and it doesn’t disappoint here. Both watches are powered by Casio’s Tough Solar Power technology that eliminates the need to change a battery. It’s worth noting that every watch in Casio’s Pro-Trek series includes an altimeter. The PRG650Y-1 is available for $320 and the PRG650YBE-3 for $340.

Citizen Promaster Altichron

Citizen’s main focus in 2017 was on ultra-rugged watches that spare no expense. Along with a diving watch that can reach a depth of 1,000 m, the Japanese brand introduced the Promaster Altichron which has an altimeter that reaches up to 32,000 feet. Citizen chose to display the time and functions in analog rather than digital form to simplify the information available. The various functions include the altimeter, a compass, a power reserve, and a date window. Like all Eco-Drive watches, the Promaster Altichron is powered by light and it has a rate of plus or minus 15 seconds per month. You can find it for $550.

Bremont U-22

It’s no secret that Nick and Giles English, the British founders of Bremont, are quite fond of flying. At Baselworld 2015, the young brand unveiled the U-22, which contained a date window inspired by an altimeter. Yes, this technically doesn’t have a functioning altimeter but it’s a great looking watch that has been flight tested by the brand up to 100,000 feet for over 12 hours in the air and to temperatures as low as -50 degrees. The watch also features a bi-directional rotating bezel that has been altered to form a compass quadrant, often used in weather mapping. The Bremont U-22 uses the COSC-certified caliber 12 ¼ BE-36AE and has a 38-hour power reserve. It costs $5,195.

In the past decade, we have witnessed more and more professional climbers and explorers tackle the world’s tallest and most treacherous mountains wearing rugged timepieces designed to withstand unfathomable extremes. It is a phenomenon, though, that will reach far into the future.

For just about a century, top watch brands have been inextricably linked to explorers and mountain climbers as they strived to reach new heights, conquer new summits and explore Earth’s greatest mountains. Each expedition in real life, where watches went to extremes with explorers brave enough to push the boundaries, resulted in better, stronger, more precise timepieces. Today, watch brands continue to accompany climbers to mountain tops worldwide with timepieces that can go the distance.

Almost 70 years ago, in 1953, Rolex made history on the wrist of Sir Edmund Hillary when he and Tenzing Norgay became the first explorers to summit Mount Everest. For that successful climb, Rolex (which had begun furnishing expeditions to the Himalayas with watches decades earlier) equipped the expedition with Oyster Perpetual watches. Those timepieces made it to the summit intact and still working precisely — attesting to the strength and durability of watches, as well as man. The now-famed Explorer watch that was able to withstand those extreme conditions was launched later that year, followed by evolutions ever since.

A couple of decades after Sir Edmund Hillary’s daring 29,032-foot Mount Everest ascent, in 1970, adventurers Naomi Uemura and Teruo Matsuura became the first Japanese to reach the South Peak of Everest from the steeper Southeast Ridge. Uemura was a fan of the Seiko dive watch and during that climb, he wore a Seiko 6159-7001 watch. He continued to believe in Seiko watches for his expeditions: when he became the first adventurer in the world to reach the tallest peaks in all five continents later in 1970. He went on to wear that watch on a two-year solo dog sled expedition from Greenland to Alaska in 1974 and, while he disappeared forever in 1984 on the descent from Denali, Seiko honored him last year on what would have been his 80th birthday by creating a modern interpretation of the watch, the Seiko Prospex Diver’s Automatic. Each of these expeditions, and the many others over the years that led to physical conquests and fulfillment of knowledge, were reallife tests for the timepieces before the extensive laboratories of today existed. The watches were put to harsh tests of altitude and temperature changes, water resistance and so much more, and as climbers rose to new heights, the watch brands accompanying them did, too.

Today, certain watch brands are keen on continuing collaborations with explorers, adventurers, and others to make their watches better, stronger and more wearable to the everyday consumer who wants reliability and durability. The ultimate goal is also to equip today’s explorers with the tools they need to get the jobs done.

Pushing the Limits Without Oxygen 

Montblanc is one such brand that supports adventurers. In fact, the brand partnered with Reinhold Messner a couple of years ago, in 2020, to create the 1858 Geosphere that was named in his honor. He was one of the first to climb Mount Everest without the assistance of supplementary oxygen in 1978 (and also summited Everest solo two years later).

Now, as Montblanc wants to real-life test its newest 1858 Geosphere Zero Oxygen watch on Everest, Messner suggested working with mountaineer Nimsdai, Nirmal, Purja, who is began his ascent in May 2022. An ex-Gurkha and an honoree of the British Military, Purja has accomplished the fastest ascents in a single season to the world’s 14 highest peaks. The current expedition to Mount Everest is being done without supplemental oxygen — something Purja has not accomplished before.

The 1858 Geosphere Zero Oxygen watch accompanying him was made in an oxygen-free environment at Montblanc’s workshops. By allowing no oxygen inside the watch case, fogging as climbers endure drastic temperature and altitude changes is eliminated and the movement delivers greater precision and decreased oxidation. Additionally, special oils are used that can perform at temperatures below 50 degrees Celsius. The 44-mm watch is made of titanium to ensure light weight, especially given Purja’s equipment weight minimums. While the watch has been tested to Montblanc’s 500 Hours standards and is certified, this adventure is the ultimate real-life test.

In a Watches & Wonders Geneva 2022 preview, both Nicolas Baretzki, Montblanc’s Global CEO, and Laurent Lecamp, the brand’s Managing Director of Watches, said the relationship with climbing is all about pushing new boundaries while remaining authentic. “We have three key pillars in our strategy,” says Baretzki, “which include working with authentic people and differentiating ourselves with innovative and distinctive elements.” (He went on to say that the third pillar is offering undisputed perceived value.) These important mantras are what led to the development of the Zero Oxygen watch.

Watches with Experiences

Another brand that anchored into the mountain climbing field in 2021 is Officine Panerai with its partnership with professional alpine climber, National Geographic photographer and filmmaker Jimmy Chin. Chin has climbed Everest, trekked on foot across Tibet’s 275-mile Chang Tang Plateau and is one of the only people ever to ski off of the summit of Mount Everest. He is also the co-producer of the documentary Free Solo, which tracked climber Alex Honnold’s ropes-free solo climb of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.

Chin was a perfect partner for Panerai, which had already collaborated with other extreme explorers, including Mike Horn, and had created special edition watches with them that were sold with an “experience.” The same held true of the Jimmy Chin relationship, where Panerai produced the Submersible Chrono Flyback Jimmy Chin Edition watch in two versions: one (in a limited edition of just 14 pieces) for customers who also were invited on a Jimmy Chin climbing experience in summer of 2021 in the Grand Tetons, and one not involving an experience.

Both versions were 47-mm brushed titanium cases housing an automatic mechanical movement with Incabloc anti-shock device and have since sold out.

As to the Jimmy Chin experience: customers joined Chin in his hometown of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for a climb of the Grand Tetons. Most came away with an incredibly humbled respect for the risk-taking and physical abuse Chin takes daily. Panerai continues its relationship with Chin, but future watch plans are currently under wraps.

New Comfort Zones

Vacheron Constantin — a brand not typically associated with scaling Everest — also embarked on new mountain adventures as far back as 2018 when it entered into a collaboration with climber and adventurer Cory Richards, who is also a National Geographic photographer and a member of Vacheron Constantin’s “One of not many” marketing campaign.

Richards has survived avalanches, including one that was a near-death experience, has summited Everest without the use of supplemental oxygen, and, in 2019, made a third ascent to Mount Everest via one of the most perilous routes, the North-East Ridge. For that trek, he took a specially made Vacheron Constantin Overseas watch with him. Its performance was stellar, encouraging the brand to create a special edition in honor of Richards, and an ensuing Everest-inspired watch.

In fact, Vacheron Constantin recently released the Overseas Dual Time Everest limited edition watch inspired by Cory Richards and his Everest climbs. It houses a new mechanical self-winding movement developed in-house by Vacheron Constantin that consists of 234 components and offers 60 hours of power reserve. As with all Vacheron Constantin, the watch carries the Hallmark of Geneva seal attesting to its quality standards. The watch offers second time zone, day/night indicator and date synchronized with local time. Crafted in titanium and stainless steel, the watch is created in a limited edition of just 150 pieces.

Beyond Thrill Seeking 

More and more, today, the list of thrill-seeking brands hoping to test their watches to the fullest, is growing. Bremont, for instance, already tests its Martin Baker watches by ejecting them out of planes strapped to Martin Baker ejection seats. This brand also recently teamed with Aldo Kane, a world-record-setting adventurer who began his career in the Royal Marine Commandos, and today provides safety services for television and aerial crews in extreme places around the world. Recently featured in Welcome to Earth with actor Will Smith, Kane has been seen scaling cliffs, heading into volcanoes and testing his Bremont S501 watch “beyond endurance.”

So, what’s the point other than giving watch brands the chance to test their timepieces in ultimate real-life settings to continually improve quality and durability? Making sure they can offer real-life people the watches that can go the distance with them. Watch lovers may not all be extreme adventurers who want to scale Everest, but they might want to climb more achievable mountains to follow their dreams — even if it’s running a mountain path.

To that end, Casio has the answer with its newest G-Shock Move sports watch. Associating with mountain runner Joseph Gray, an 18-time USA National Champion and the only African American member of the U.S. Mountain Running Team, G-Shock outfits him with the GBDH1000-1A7 watch. This piece shows off its smart side with the ability to receive GPS signals for location access, and to offer heart rate monitoring and vital information such as altitude, barometric pressure and temperature changes.

As horizons widen, and the sky seems to no longer be the limit, what watch works for you?

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The live and in-person three-day event will once again take place at midtown Manhattan’s Gotham Hall and will welcome an eclectic and impressive group of more than 30 participating watch brands, as well as collectors, connoisseurs, industry VIPs and influencers, and other members of the worldwide watch community. This year’s edition will span three days, from Friday, October 20, through Sunday, October 22, with an exclusive cocktail party and watch show on opening night, followed by full day shows, panels, and presentations throughout the rest of the weekend.

For 2023, participating brands include A. Lange & Söhne, Armin Strom, Arnold & Son, Bell & Ross, Blancpain, Bovet, Breguet, Bremont, Carl F. Bucherer, Chopard, Chronoswiss, Cyrus, Czapek, Frederique Constant, G-SHOCK, Gerald Charles, Glashütte Original, Greubel Forsey, H. Moser & Cie., HYT, Laurent Ferrier, Louis Erard, MB&F, Moritz Grossmann, Norqain, Oris, Parmigiani Fleurier, Perrelet, Reservoir, RGM, Speake-Marin, Voutilainen, and Zeitwinkel. The event is presented in partnership with the renowned jeweler and exquisite timepiece retailer Wempe.

Industry panels will be presented on Saturday and Sunday at 12pm and 2pm and are included in price of admission. 

• Watch Brand Collaborations: Moderated by Renowned Collector Jeff Kingston
• The Return of the Dress Watch: Moderated by Jeff Kingston
• Time for Sustainability: Moderated by WatchTime Editor-in-Chief Roger Ruegger
• A New Day – Trends in Collecting for Men and Women: Moderated by WatchTime’s Senior Editor Bilal Khan and Publisher Sara Orlando

WatchTime and its partners are incredibly excited to welcome you back this October for this fantastic and important event. Tickets are available now, here, along with more info on WatchTime New York 2023 and its participating brands.

Time & Location

Oct 20, 5:30 PM – Oct 22, 4:00 PM

Gotham Hall, 1356 Broadway, New York, NY 10018, USA

Ticket Details

Two types of tickets are available for admission to WatchTime New York 2023: Friday Night VIP 3-day weekend admissions and general admission single day tickets. The Friday Night VIP Weekend admission is an all-inclusive offering with access to WatchTime New York’s opening night cocktail reception and re-entry on Saturday and Sunday at no extra cost. General admission permits access on either Saturday or Sunday, but not the Friday cocktail reception.

• Friday Night VIP Cocktail Reception, October 20th: 5:30pm-8:30pm
• Saturday General Admission, October 21st: 11am-5pm
• Sunday General Admission, October 22nd: 11am-4pm

Friday Night VIP tickets are priced at $189, with single day general admission tickets priced at $39.

Industry panels will be presented on Saturday and Sunday at 12pm and 2pm and are included in price of admission.

To learn more, visit WatchTime’s event site, here.

The exterior silhouette is characteristically asymmetrical, with each side of the case featuring different pushers and capabilities. With dimensions of 52mm by 50.3mm by 18 mm, it occupies a bold presence of the wrist, but remains comfortable via its construction in lightweight resin. It is made from an eco-friendly bio-based resin with a vivid red hue that continues throughout the entirety of the integrated strap. The Frogman name is printed along the left hand side of the bezel, while the diving frog logo has a home on the strap just below where it meets the bezel. On the reverse, the diving frog logo is also engraved on the case back, along with the word “30th” to commemorate the anniversary of the Frogman. 

The digital dial layout is similar to that of its predecessors, featuring three distinct sections each indicating different functions. Using the pushers on the sides of the case, the user can scroll through each of the functions and they will be displayed on the screen. Ensuring legibility, the dial has a Super-Illuminator, which is a high-brightness LED light that illuminates the surface in any light condition. Maintaining past technology, the dial also facilitates Tough Solar charging technology that uses external light sources to collect energy and reduces the need for battery replacements. 

Keeping with G-Shock standards, the new Frogman is shock resistant and water resistant to 200 meters. The complete list of features includes tough solar power technology, a double LED light, a 60 minute countdown timer, a 1/100 Stopwatch (24 Hr), dual time, a daily alarm, a day/date display, dive functions (dive time and surface interval), log data (dive start date and time, dive time), a tide graph, and smartphone linking capabilities.

Pricing for the G-Shock Frogman GW8230NT-4 is marked at $620. 

To learn more, visit G-Shock here.

The first model in the trio is the ref. DW5040PG-1 nicknamed the Project Team “Tough” model, by the brand. It is a direct reference to the original G-Shock ref. DW5000C, sharing a case silhouette that has become characteristic of the brand with its pseudo-rectangular bezel and integrated strap. For materials, the brand utilizes recrystallized stainless-steel for the caseback, a black IP and recrystallized stainless-steel buckle, and a band loop with gold colored IP. The black-colored bezel is made from a bio-based resin, and seemingly all of the materials reflect the contemporary importance of reducing the brand’s environmental impact. The caseback of the ref. DW5040PG-1 is engraved with the 40th anniversary logo while four stars on the band loop commemorate the four decades of G-Shock. 

The ref. DW5040PG-1 is shock resistant and water resistant to 200 meters in true G-Shock fashion. Its features include a daily alarm, a 1/100 stopwatch (24 Hr), a countdown timer (24 Hr), a multi-function alarm, an EL backlight, and a flash alert. 

Retail pricing for the G-Shock ref. DW5040PG-1 Project Team “Tough” is marked at $300. 

Completing the trio are two GMWB5000 models clad in a steel that debut deep-layer hardening and recrystallization technologies into the G-Shock line. This process is created by infusing carbon into the surface of the steel, ultimately making it more robust and resistant to abrasion. Not only does it enhance the surface strength of each watch, but it also yields unique visual differences in the crystalline grain of the material. Each model has a DLC coated, screw-lock case back engraved with the 40th-anniversary logo. The ref. GMWB5000PS-1 has a bright silver-tone exterior while the ref. GMWB5000PG-9 sports a warm yellow bronze colored packaging.  

In line with G-Shock standards, the GMWB5000 models are shock resistant and water resistant to 200 meters. The complete list of features includes world time functionality (38 time zones), a 1/100 Stopwatch (24 Hr), a countdown timer (24 Hr), multi-function alarms, a display that swaps between date and month, and a multilingual day-of-week display.

Pricing for the ref. GMWB5000PS-1 and ref. GMWB5000PG-9 is marked at $870.

To learn more, visit G-Shock here.