Boldly evoking its longstanding ties with the adventurous early days of aviation, Waltham offers an appealing new pilot’s watch bearing strong connotations of the world of flight and featuring distinctive design features that confirm this heritage: Waltham Lone Eagle.

Anyone with an interest in the history of flight will recall the feats of pioneering aviator Charles Lindbergh and his famous silvery custom-made Spirit of St. Louis monoplane, including completing the first solo, non-stop flight from New York to Paris on May 21st 1927. This record was to result in a spectacular boom in aviation, as industry stocks rose and interest in flying reached unprecedented levels. However, probably only those who have also followed the development of the watch industry and of technical timekeeping instruments may also be aware that this legendary aircraft was equipped with a Waltham eight-day clock. Fewer still may know that Waltham is indeed credited with inventing the first ever such eight-day watch.

Just over a year later, on June 9th 1928, another aviation milestone was set by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith with the first Pacific crossing aboard the Southern Cross, for which he had been preparing himself for a full decade. In 1934, at the controls of the Lady Southern Cross, he flew in the reverse direction across the Pacific from Brisbane, Australia to Oakland, California. In accomplishing such daring exploits, he was also able to rely on the accuracy of an eight-day Waltham clock with red
elapsed time hands that was part of the standard equipment on his Lockheed Altair aircraft.

Primed for adventure

Moreover, aviation was not the only field to benefit from Waltham’s expertise. In parallel with thus partnering the conquest of the airs, Waltham also played a prime role in the history of railways. For many years, it was indeed the only company to make watches specially tailored to railway requirements. During the golden age of railways, there were more Waltham watches in use around the world than all the other brandscombined. National companies on all five continents chose Waltham after a lengthy process of comparison, selection and rigorous testing. Nor should one omit Waltham’s involvement in the 1909 North Pole expedition led by Robert Edwin Peary, where its watches served to observe natural phenomenon including tides and proved entirely satisfactory even in such extreme conditions.

“You can set your watch by it”

And as if such impressive credentials were not enough to establish Waltham’s acknowledged reputation as a point of reference in terms of  precision and reliability, a couple of interesting anecdotes serve to confirm this enviable status. Official records show that on two occasions, exceptional errors were noted in the timekeeping of the Greenwich Royal  Observatory, England and the Central Meteorological Observatory of Kobé Japan – both of which were identified by a Waltham watch!

The sturdy steel 45mm-diameter case features the brand’s signature fanshaped lug arrangement, while its back carries the circular seal depicting the eagle symbol traditionally used by Waltham. Despite the wide range of information they provide, the dials remain ultra-readable and come in an attractive choice of black, blue and chocolate brown, while the cambered sapphire crystal is given an anti-reflective treatment on the inside to guarantee the clarity and visibility that are all-important virtues for a watch of this kind. As befits its noble lineage, this high-performance timepiece is naturally powered by the thrust of an ultra-efficient “engine”: Dubois-Dépraz Calibre 3142, officially chronometer-certified by the COSC (Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute). The latter smoothly and efficiently drives central hour and minutes hands, small seconds at 3 o’clock, as well as a central seconds chronograph counter, 30-minute chronograph counter at 9 o’clock, flyback function, date display at 6 o’clock, as well as a central 24-hour GMT hand. Thereby implicitly and explicitly recalling the spirit of adventure that spurred Lindbergh (aptly nicknamed the Lone Eagle) and many other such pioneering individuals to heroic achievements, the new Waltham Lone Eagle pilot’s watch from Waltham is a distinguished and distinctive model imbued with a nostalgic charm that in no way detracts from its decidedly contemporary appeal.

WALTHAM – Waltham Lone Eagle SW45

• Movement: Self-winding Dubois-Dépraz 31342, officially certified chronometre (COSC).
• Function: Hours, minutes, small second counter, date, chronograph :sweep second, 30 minutes counter, fly-back function, central 24-hour GMT function.
• Case: Stainless steel, cambered sapphire crystal glareproofed inside, GMT corrector at 10 o’clock, water-resistant 50m.
• Dial: Black center, silver counters and internal bezel, luminescent Arabic numerals, date at 6 o’clock.
• Bracelet / strap : Black buffalo leather with a folding buckle and four studs.
• Other versions : With a dark navy blue dial and matching buffalo strap.
• Limited edition of 100 watches with a chocolate brown dial and matching buffalo strap.