Gavox has a new release that should appeal to those interested in military-inspired watches with strong vintage design cues that also happen to be traditionally sized. The Spitfire, as its name implies, is a simple pilot style watch, but unlike many other watches in this genre, it?s only 36mm. Remember, actual pilot?s watches from the WWII era were occasionally larger than 36mm, so Gavox?s decision to go small here says something interesting about where we are in terms of watch size preference. The writing is most certainly on the wall: the big watch era is coming to an end.

Gavox Spitfire

Case Material: Stainless steel
Dial: Black
Dimensions: 36 x 7.9 x 41.5mm
Crystal: Sapphire   
Water Resistance: 50 meters    
Crown: Push/pull      Movement: Seiko VD75
Strap/bracelet: Leather strap, mesh bracelet 
Price: $201.32
Reference Number: n/a 
Expected Release: Available now

Ok, so there will probably always be a market for oversized watches. You can?t just unring that bell ? 42mm and up simply looks correct on the wrists of a generation of watch consumers who came of age when there was little else presented to them. And good design goes a long way ? plenty of big watches work just fine. But, as an unabashed fan of smaller, slimmer watches, the fact that Gavox has released a small pilot?s watch and is marketing its diminutive size as a strength is really fascinating. 
The Spitfire is as simple as it gets. It?s a classic pilot?s watch layout with brigh...