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Introduction
The flieger style watch is one of the most unmistakable designs in watch history. Originally produced in the 1940?s exclusively for the German Air Force, it was used as a mission critical tool for pilots in World War II for purposes of navigation and mission coordination. Much like the American pilot watches, these units were produced on-spec for the German government by a handful of outside contractors, namely Stowa, A. Lange & Sohn, Wempe, Laco and IWC.
There are typically two ?classic? styles of flieger recognized today, with an infinite amount of modern variations. Known as the ?Type-A? and ?Type-B?, these two styles are generally similar. Both were packed into massive steel cases (55mm+) with oversized onion-crowns. Designed to be worn over flight suits, the size aided in legibility and operability with leather flight gloves in cold high-altitude environments. German Flieger Type-A vs. Type-B
The differences between the two start with the design of the dial. Although both contain diamond shaped sword hands over a stark black and white dial with arabic numerals, the ?Type-B? style (otherwise known as B-Uhr, or Observer), contained an inner-chapter ring and blunted hour hand. The ?Type-A? was only produced for a couple of years before the release of the ?Type-B?, and it?s speculated that the ?Type-B? was a design iteration to reduce confusion between the hour and minute hands.
Today, the flieger style watch is more popular than ever, wit...