Horologists like Breitling are known for their watches with faces full of complications designed to assist pilots, but Citizen has a pair of new timekeepers that explore what a watch worn by an X-wing or TIE fighter pilot in the Star Wars universe might look like.
Sure, a pilot’s watch in that far away galaxy would probably be redundant given astromech droids usually tag along and give spaceship pilots all the help they could ever need, but it’s still a fun design exercise, and by resurrecting one of its ‘80s-era analogue-digital hybrid models, Citizen has done a good job at capturing the gritty Star Wars aesthetic.
Two versions of the watch are available: a $US350 ($451) silver option called the “Rebel Pilot” features symbols and graphics inspired by the flight suits and helmets of the Rebel Alliance, and a $US375 ($483) black option called the “Trench Run” that instead draws inspiration from imagery and the targeting displays inside one of the Empire’s TIE fighters.
Functionally, both watches are exactly the same, with side-by-side dual analogue time displays, plus three digital displays that indicate the current mode, the date, and other info including the current temperature in celsius whenever a button beneath the display is pressed to activate a built-in sensor. As for water resistance? Both timekeepers are only “splash resistant” which means that if your mission has you stopping off on the rainy ocean planet of Kamino, you’ll want to stash your watch in your pocket before climbing out of your cockpit.