De Havilland creates authentic watches for pilots. They are the result of the experience, skills and demands of two Swiss pilots and entrepreneurs, passionate about cutting-edge techniques and active in the heart of the watch-making region.
TECHNOLOGY and FUNCTIONS
SWISS KNOW-HOW FOR A WORLD FIRST
De Havilland watches are veritable concentrations of innovations, featuring a host of characteristics and functions never before brought together in a watch. This world first promotes Swiss know-how, and in particular the potential of the industrial fabric and the micro-technical culture of the country that makes the largest number of watches in the world.
The hard-wearing push buttons, without springs, which select, engage and trigger the watch's functions without a mechanical link through the watertight case, are magnetic. The rotating bezel, which commands all the settings and data of the watch and the display, in both directions, is magnetic. The bolt on the strap's deploying clasp, with optimal amplitude of settings and micrometric settings, is also magnetic.HIGHEST-QUALITY SWISS QUARTZ MOVEMENT
The robust, watertight case encloses a unique Swiss-made movement, made of a plate machined from a solid block containing electronic circuitry that integrates a pressure sensor, the push button sensors and a microprocessor, which is the heart of the system.
The purpose of this microprocessor is to manage commands, drive the analogue movement and operate the LCD display, which is offset at 6 o'clock for optimal readability.
The temperature of the quartz, which ensures precision, is compensated by the processor's software. Not only is each component of a De Havilland watch optimised, they are also gauged, inspected and adjusted individually before delivery.
The built-in software also makes it possible to re-calibrate the altimeter/barometer's pressure sensor in the event of deregulation due to ageing.
Time is precise to +/- 3/100th of a second per day. Measures remain as reliable as is possible in the current state of the technique.
Energy is supplied by a lithium battery with minimum autonomy of 2 years, which may increase to 5 years depending on the version and use.MAGNETIC COMMAND
De Havilland proposes the only watch on the market where all functions are operated by two simple, easy-to-perform actions, even while wearing gloves: pushing a button, rotating the bezel. Pressing the button is like "clicking" on a computer mouse: it enters into a function. Rotating the bezel is like moving the cursor, making it possible to "navigate" inside the function. In this way, both for the analogue and digital display, times, values or menu options are shown, in one direction or another, before validating them by clicking.
In addition to its unrivalled convenience, this principle offers a clear advantage in terms of reliability. It uses innovative, patented technology, known as "no wearing parts" and "no entries into the case", which removes the traditional crown and its shaft. The push buttons and the rotating bezel operate the internal circuitry by magnetic field, without any mechanical link through the case. The commands are clear and precise to the touch; there are no seals, so watertightness is guaranteed, and the parts are practically imperishable.
So, while even the best mechanical buttons on the market cease operation after 15,000 pushes, a number that is reached fairly quickly when used intensively, DH magnetic buttons with permanent magnets have been operated on a test bench, with no sign of weakness even after 1.5 million pushes, thus guaranteeing a minimal lifespan 100 times longer!RACK DEPLOYMENT CLASP
The instrument is exceptionally comfortable to wear, thanks to other exclusive features. For example, all straps have the DH-patented deploying clasp, machined from solid and not stamped.
Its rack provides amplitude of 24 mm, which is the longest on the market, and can be adjusted to the millimetre. The strap can therefore be loosened at the end of the day if the wrist has swollen, and the watch can even be worn over a shirt sleeve. Compared to standard clasps, there is no excessive thickness, however it is adjusted, and it increases the lifespan of the leather strap.
Thanks to the ergonomic DH architecture, the buttons are raised in relation to the back of the case, thus avoiding the wearer injuring their wrist when flexing it.THE DIGITAL FLIGHT LOGBOOK
The built-in calculator records and displays in real time all flight logbook data that a pilot needs to report, and, depending on the version, altimetry and barometric data.
A flight chronometer menu records the date, take-off time, landing time and adds up the number of landings and the flight time. A block-to-block chronometer menu records the date, the time of removing and replacing the blocks and adds up block-to- block times by calculating the actual flight time. This digital flight logbook can display local time or UTC time, depending on choice, and memorise up to 59 flights.STOPWATCH
In addition to the flight chronometer and block-to-block chronometer of the digital flight logbook functions, there is another exclusive function: the standby chronometer. This is a rapid-to-access chronometer (simply press two buttons at once) which is "super-imposed" on the digital flight logbook, thus making it possible for example, to calculate fuel tank opera- tion time, heading maintenance operation time or launch operation time, in a convenient and safe way, without having to go through the menu.
The watch also has a 1/100-second chronometer as standard, as well as the usual calendar and alarm functions.
