AVI-8, as the pun in their name suggests, are dedicated to aviation watches of all stripes and styles from tactical fliegers like the Flyboy to more experimental designs like the HUD. Their latest limited edition falls squarely in the latter category with a dial that recreates the Pegasus turbofan engine of the Hawker Harrier. It’s a watch fittingly called the AVI-8 Hawker Harrier Pegasus Limited Edition.
Immediately this is a watch with a lot of presence. It’s big, measuring 44mm in diameter, with an all-black steel case and matching black Pegasus engine dial and hands. The Pegasus engine was built by Rolls-Royce and is a core component in the jump jet’s vertical take-off capabilities and precise manoeuvrability. With its sharp angles and intense three-dimensional structure, it actually feels like quite a menacing watch – as if a James Bond villain might use it as part of an elaborate deathtrap with which to kill him.
Comparisons to the Perrelet Turbine are of course unavoidable but the watches sit in very different price ranges so I don’t suppose there will be much overlap between collectors. Plus, where the Perrelet Turbine actually spins, the AVI-8 is fixed. That’s not necessarily a bad thing because as I mentioned, the AVI-8 is dramatically more accessible.
Unlike the Pegasus engine itself, the engine inside the AVI-8 Hawker Harrier Pegasus Limited Edition was not built by Rolls-Royce. It’s a Miyota 8245, which is the Japanese manufacture’s accessible small seconds movement with automatic winding and a 40-hour power reserve. Reliable and easy to repair thanks to the ubiquity of Miyota movements. Though admittedly the 8245 is one of the less common ones because of its small seconds function.
Priced at £350, the AVI-8 Hawker Harrier Pegasus Limited Edition an accessible novelty with a dramatic look to it that might appeal to certain audiences. It’s not for everyone but then, not everyone can get one as it’s limited to 500 pieces.
Price and Specs:
More details at AVI-8.
