Laco Type B Dial Miyota Automatic Pilot Watch 861690

I bought this as a birthday gift to myself and was not disappointed! I've been increasingly interested in watches. I have mostly quartz watches but wanted an automatic. I can't tell you how many watch brands and types I've researched before deciding on this one! I was looking for a type of watch that would be unique. This type of watch, the B-Uhr Type B ( which is also referenced as the Flieger or Pilot watch), caught my attention. Originally, it was built during WW2 for Germany's Luftwaffe (air force). These watches were actually quite large; 55mm, and they were worn over the pilot's jacket sleeve. This "replica" is a much more reasonable size for civilians. Smaller watches are more elegant in my opinion. It also has a more modern design with its curved lugs instead of the original flat lugs and it's stainless steel finish, the original having a sand blasted finish.I ran into a few models and brands of this watch before choosing Laco. One thing I liked about this is that it is one of the original companies that made these watches for Luftwaffe. Also, the price was more reasonable. The watches with the "original features" were not enough to convince me that $800 is justified for a watch.Pros:-Affordable. If you want an exact replica, then this is not for you.-Unique-Fairly accurate-It's a hybrid between a mechanical watch(hand wind) and automatic(self wind), which is pretty cool. This means you can either wind it yourself or let your wrist power the watch. The watch reserve lasts for about a day depending on how long you wear it. This kind of watch is really for the person who wants a classic movement. Of course you have a phone, but this kind of watch is really nice to own.-Lume is not bad but nothing special.-Miyota movement. This is a Japanese movements as opposed to the ETA Swiss movement. From what I read, if you have an ETA watch, you'll end up paying more for maintenance when your watch needs it.-You can see the movement from the backCons:-In it's normal state, the crown can be turned to hand wind the watch. The first level doesn't do anything but make clicks and the second level is where you adjust the time. I think this is a generic case they use so that when they want to make the quartz version of the watch, you can change the date with the first level. Not a big deal but unnecessary.-I understand this is a low end line of Laco to compete with other companies but I really think this watch could have done without making the marks and numbers on the dial green. It's a bit distracting and doesn't look good with some watch straps. I would have preferred the more traditional black and white. But then again this is a military watch. The dials looks good with aviator sunglasses with the classic grey-green lens.-The watch strap is apparently leather but it looks and feels cheap. I wish the company would at least make the strap decent. I don't have big wrists but the strap is really bulky and doesn't exactly feel like leather. I just replaced mine with a Zulu strap. I think it looks better.-The movement does make noises.Overall, I'm happy with this watch. I'm fascinated with WW2 and don't get me wrong, Germany has a dark history, but their technological innovations became the foundation of our modern society (the radio, audio recording, car engines, plane engines, medicine, etc). This watch is no different. If you like historical artifacts, then this is for you. The Type A version with the normal hour markers is nice, but I think the Type B has a whole different thing going on. I don't wear this watch for formal occasions. Like I said, the green numbers just doesn't look good with everything, for example when you're wearing a suit, unless your suit is green. Otherwise, very cool tool/military watch.

Pilots and enthusiasts rejoice, the newest version of the Miyota 821A is a hacking movement, i.e. the second hand stops when setting the time. As a military pilot I was pleased to find the Aachen 42 I just purchased has this feature, since we are required to set our second hands daily. Laco doesn’t speak to this change on their website and I can’t say which watch models are definitely carrying the newest version of the 821A but they are out there now. Overall I’m really pleased with this watch, the finish and detailing are elegant and I was surprised how light and comfortable it is to wear. Be warned the movement is not deadly accurate, Miyota claims it to be within -15 / +40 sec per day and this is consistent with what I’m seeing... the result is that I find myself resetting the watch against my iPhone on a regular basis to ensure accuracy before flights. This is not unexpected for an automatic at this price point, but if you need multi-day accuracy, there may be better options. I have a few eco-drives that serve that role but there is something about an automatic that is just more satisfying to wear. Overall, no regrets!

Nice classic pilot watch - looks great. Nice band. Certainly fairly large as many have mentioned but not too large and not heavy so comfortable. Comes in a nice case. The automatic does make a bit of a sound when you move around/shake your arm but very small and certainly no sound in most situations. Some reviewers said the hands glowed nicely in the dark, but this is not the case. They glow very little and no really useful. But overall very happy with this high quality watch at a reasonable price. I am wearing it most days and choosing it over many other nice watches in my collection.

For those of you Fleiger/B-Uhr WWII Pilot Watch nuts on the fence about whether to spend the extra $$ to get this watch or one of the cheaper (but still very decent) Asian-made fleiger-type watches (Aeromatic 1912, Geckota K1, Seiko 5, etc.), remember this: Laco made one of the original 40s fleiger watches, and this continues that legacy of precision time keeping. Seriously, you won't regret getting this one at all. Having this on your wrist instantly brings with it a story, a timeless history, and German-made value you can't find in those cheaper alternatives. My wife gave this to me on Father's Day 2017, and I wear mine with pride - by no means is it because I adhere to Nazi ideals, but because I admire the watch's heritage of German precision, craftsmanship and quality.*Note: You may notice I have on a different strap than what it's pictured with. That's because the standard strap fits a little large on my wrist. The highest hole wasn't high enough, and I didn't want to punch a hole on this beautiful leather Laco-standard strap, so I just bought an old-world, slightly rugged styled "Ranger" strap from Hirsch and it made the watch fit better.Just thought I'd mention that the strap MAY BE TOO BIG for some wrists.

I compared this one and others in the Laco line plus compared to other similar brands. For the money this is very nice and I am very happy with this purchase. Construction is solid. Band is beefy. Watch face is really nice. I like the no battery. This is not a model where you can set the second hand that is a price way out of my budget. For the money its a great piece of history.