AVI-8 was a brand that first caught my attention when wandering through the halls of Baselworld in between appointments. Back then, I hadn’t heard of the maker before, but their watches had such intricate details, that I was simply drawn me to their stand. With their focus on historic military aviation, AVI-8 loads their timepiece with intricate details inspired by this. This combined with their rather pleasant price point, the watches make for a nice entry into the watch world for a novice enthusiast or a fun addition to the collection of a more seasoned collector.

The Farley Multifunction Hawker Harrier Night Sky is, despite its rather long name, a good example of this. It is named after Hawker Harrier test pilot John Farley, explaining three of the words in its name. Night Sky refers to the color combination of the watch, with its dark-toned case and bezel combined with a matching dial, strap, and buckle. The word ‘Multifunction’ relates to its combination of complications, including a date, retrograde second timezone, and 24-hour display. With its 44mm in diameter, the AVI-8 is a bold statement, but it cleverly disguises its size with the dark-toned theme and captivating dial.
As I am not an aviation expert, my knowledge of the Hawker Harrier doesn’t exceed the fact that it can take off and land both horizontally and vertically. The dial is inspired by the plane’s instrument panel, and the amount of details is staggering. A fr...