Ronald Steffen Creations is Kickstarting a new pilot watch inspired by the company’s own WWII-era P-51 Mustang fighter plane. The inspiration is hard to pinpoint—the watch “shares the same dynamism, agility and craftsmanship … . Power and speed were to be the key words.” Whatever that means. But the look is unique and the details are interesting, if a bit overwhelming. Super early birds can land one for €495, or ~$540.
The 44 x 14 mm case is stainless, the movement an ETA 2824-2, but this watch is set apart by its distinctive lugs, crown, and dial.
The lugs are beefy and long, with 22 mm in-between for an assortment of leather straps, held on by nicely finished slotted screws. No spring bars here, it seems. The lugs and screws make a strong statement.
The screw-down crown protrudes a whopping 10 mm at 2:00. It’s a unique place for a unique crown. While it is nice to have a screw-down crown—and it achieves 100m water resistance—it might not be necessary in a pilot watch on a leather strap. But you’ll be all set in case of a water landing.
The two-piece sandwich dial echoes the aesthetic of RSC’s other watches, with bold Arabic numerals at 9:00 and 3:00. Notations for minutes mark each hour and a 24-hour register surrounds it all. The white-on-black date at 6:00 matches the dial and balances the logo at 12:00 nicely. The lollipop at the tail of the second hand also echoes the circular theme. From there the dial goes downhill, with too much text and a drawing of the P-51 cluttering the already aggressive design.
But RSC has been making watches since 2006, so they must know a thing or two about what their customers like. Half-funded with about two weeks left, the P-51 will take flight in May 2017 if all goes according to plan.
