AVI-8 FLYBOY CENTENARY PILOT WATCH AV-4059-01

AVI-8 has released a new series into their lines of aviation themed watches for release this upcoming March and Pre-Orders taking place starting February 15th. The centenary series represents different eras of pilot watches from the early 1900s. The model I have to talk about and review today is the AV-4059 or FlyBoy centenary series. This watch has typical pilot theme aesthetics from the World War 2 era and 1940s. There are also some notable upgrades on the watch when compared to their original flyboy pilot watches they released some years ago. Let’s get into it.

Case

The 1940s centenary is housed in a 316L Stainless Steel case with a complete brushed finish which is typical of a traditional pilot watch. The finishing is quite good and as you would expect for a pricepoint of $340 USD retail. The diameter measures 42MM across and 12MM thick which are good dimensions for the average size wrist like myne or a bit of a bigger wrist as well. The caseback is screwed down and we do get 50M of water resistance as well as a see through caseback which is nice to see because they have fitted the Rotor with a nice custom Avi-8 logo.

Movement

The movement Avi-8 has chose for this model
is the tough, robust, and trustworthy Miyota 8215 automatic movement. This is a 21 jewel self winding automatic movement with a 40 hour power reserve and is used widely across the watch industry for the simple fact that it gets the job done. In terms of accuracy I have found these movements to be around +10 seconds a say at average which is not too bad.

Dial

The off white or creamish color dial on this particular model looks superb with the light brown color strap they have chose. I also have noticed a slight vintage aesthetic with thos color option as older watches with white dials tend to look like this when they age. All of the wording is printed very neatly as well. The raised applied markers also add a bit of excitement to your eyes as this is a very simple 3 handed date watch. The date window at 3 o clock is cut out neatly which is right above the 60 seconds subdial which features a black hand. The triangle at 12 O clock mimics a classic pilot watch dating all the way back to the early 1900s.

Hands

The Hands on the Avi-8 Centenary are very traditional pilot watch hands called Sword hands and they are very easy to tell the time with as they are quite thick and legible in every sense. The hands themselves are filled with SuperLuminova and light up pretty bright if you watched the video or checked the pictures below this.

Strap

The strap featured on this model is a genuine leather brown strap with a black underside. This is a 22MM strap and it definitely suits the creamish off white dial color. Another nice touch is the hand stitched ends in white which match the dial as well. One of the strong points of Avi8 has been their use of very high quality leather straps to accompany their wide array of timepieces. These straps for the most part are very supple and dont need much break in time, if any. The buckle is brushed steel signed with the Avi 8 logo.

Caseback

The caseback on this model is screwed down and executed with a nice brushed finish. They have included a nice exhibition caseback where you can get a glimpse of the Miyota 8218 automatic movement and the custom rotor with Avi8 logo which is a really nice touch at this pricepoint. I believe the window on the caseback is a mineral crystal unlike the Sapphire on the front of the watch.

Conclusion

Furthermore, the Avi 8 centenary is most definitely one of the nicest watches they have released over the years in my opinion. I love the fact that you get a watch with a meaning behind it that celebrates 100 years of the Royal Air Force. The typical no nonsense straightforward pilot watch is executed perfectly here and I do not think it has many flaws, if none. The price is right and they are even offering a special discount if you sign up early at the link below. Keep in mind that if you like ANY other Avi-8 timepiece and you are a reader of Watch Addict you can enter the code WATCHADDICT at checkout for 30% off ANY timepiece which includes FREE international shipping worldwide.

SIGN UP EARLY BELOW FOR A DISCOUNT
​Signup Link https://avi-8.co.uk/pages/centenary-20s-40s-signup