AVI-8 Carey Dual Time Watches

For any man that appreciates a well-made aviation inspired timepiece, AVI-8 have to be a watchmaker well and truly on your radar and they’ve really excelled themselves with one of their most recent releases – the ace-looking Carey Dual Time series of watches. Designed as a tribute to one of Britain’s most distinguished and skilled fighter aces and commanders in both Europe and the Pacific during WWII, the Carey Dual Time is a perfectly wearable pilot’s watch drawn from a classic silhouette.

The Carey Dual Time Collection from AVI-8 starts at £140 and goes up to £165 so you’re getting an awful lot of timepiece for your money and we’re loving the bold, impactful visuals of the various different dials here at Coolector HQ. The Hawker Hurricane Carey Dual Time takes its design and overall inspiration from Frank Carey, a fighter ace who began his RAF career at the age of  just 15 and ended as one of the most decorated pilots to have ever served. His final tally of 25 confirmed victories is all the more remarkable as it was accomplished across both Europe and Asia. This watch is a knowing nod to his incredible exploits.

TAKE TO THE SKIES

A fitting tribute to the global exploits of Carey, each timepiece in the Dual Time Collection is named after a location he was stationed at during his esteemed career with the RAF and includes Rangoon, Gutersloth, Orissa and Manston. To make sure these watches possess an easily readable dial, the Hawker Hurricane Carey Dual Time boasts bold applied Arabic and baton indexes with Swiss lume on a matte canvas for great readability in low light conditions. Recessed subdials are enclosed by cockpit instrument-style frames, drawn from the Hawker Hurricane aircraft.

The Carey Dual Time Watches from AVI-8 (from £140) have a 43mm case which features a heady mix of brushed and polished finishes and they offer a purposefully reserved and understated aesthetic, along with a domed mineral lens with anti-reflective coating offers a clear view to the impressively eye-catching dials. Inspired by Carey’s successes across the globe during WWII, a precise and reliable Japanese quartz dual time movement powers this timepiece, allowing the wearer to easily track time in two locations.

With comfort, robustness and style in mind, the Hawker Hurricane Carey Dual Time colourways are available in both a solid stainless-steel bracelet and hand stitched, genuine leather strap so you can mix things up every now and then and change the look of the watch on your wrist. We’re always loving the aviation-orientated timepieces from AVI-8 here at The Coolector and this range is definitely one of our favourites too emerge from their stable in a while – which is saying a lot given that we typically love them all. And the fact you can get one on your wrist for under £200 is the real icing on the cake.

Leo Davie