You can get away with a relatively large pilot watch owing to their heritage as 55mm+ behemoth designed for wear outside of a flight jacket. If you're comfortable with a visially larger piece then it'll be fine.

From a comfort or wearability standpoint be aware the lug-to-lug measurement is 50mm. I have a slightly larger wrist at 6.5 inches and I like watches with a 48mm (or ess) lug-to-lug measurement. With the shape of my wrist, anything longer makes the watch feel uncomfortable even if it looks visually proportional. If you have a flatter wrist top, you may be able to pull it off, however if your wrists are more rounded, you might have issues.

 

My wrist is 6" and I find my Orient Mako and Seiko 007 46mm lug to lug comfortable.

 

Nice looking watch. Take a look at the video and pictures on Orient Watch USA website as well as the review linked below. They they should give you a sense for how it would fit. The lugs don't look very long so that should help in the fit. A soft, not thick and pliable strap will help a lot in getting the watch to sit comfortably. The Orient strap looks thick and stiff.

FER2A002F0 FER2A002F ER2A002F | Orient Automatic Watches & Reviews | Orient Watch USA
Orient Flight Watch Review | aBlogtoWatch

 

I agree with what KronoZen said. Fliegers are supposed to wear big.

Archimede has options down to 36mm if you do end up wanting something smaller though.

PILOT 36 Automatic SW 200-1

And a 39mm as well.
PILOT 39 Automatic Eta 2824

There are priced higher than the Orient but they are on another level with excellent in-house cases.

 

I agree with what KronoZen said. Fliegers are supposed to wear big.

Archimede has options down to 36mm if you do end up wanting something smaller though.

PILOT 36 Automatic SW 200-1

And a 39mm as well.
PILOT 39 Automatic Eta 2824

There are priced higher than the Orient but they are on another level with excellent in-house cases.

Whoa never heard of that manufacturer.

I like the Pilot 36, but I don't feel it's worth it yet. I mean, it sill doesn't have a screw down crown (does it?) which gives it less water resistance (50 vs 100m). Plus, I read that its Sellita movement is basically a copy of the ETA 2824-2 whereas the Orient uses an in house calibre. So far the only advantage I see is the sapphire crystal versus the Orient's mineral. But wow, that watch is pretty nevertheless and the size seems just perfect. You're tempting me to duplicate my budget with this suggestion! Might need to reconsider...

 

I have a 6.5" wrist and the lug to lug length on that, if it is indeed 50mm, would be too long for me. Wrists do come in different shapes though, and I wouldn't say that mine is particularly flat. Nevertheless I feel that a 40mm or less case diameter would be a safer choice. I wear a 39mm flieger.

 

How about the Seiko SNK fliegers e.g. the SNK809 and SNK805? I find their 37 mm diameter to be a great size for my 8 inch wrist. Love those watches.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions, I'm currently looking over all of them.

Just going to compare them side by side both for my reference and for compariso:

Orient Flight (MSRP: $310)
42mm
Mineral crystal
Stainless steel
Orient Caliber 48743
-21 jewels
-beat rate 21000
-no hacking
My opinion:Certainly not the height of Japanese horology but a great beater watch which is what I'm looking for. Have heard the orient movement is a formidable workhorse which is also appealing.

Archimede Pilot Automatic (MSRP € 585)
36mm
Sapphire front, mineral back
Ickler stainless steel
SW 200-1 movement
-jewels ?
-high beat
-hacking
My opinion: Really like the superior specs, the aesthetic is just as nice as Orient but more streamlined. Very Very tempting to increase my budget. Would result in no money left for strap.

Stowa Flieger Baumster B (MSRP€ 860)
40mmSapphire on both sides
Stainless steel, hand grinded
ETA 2824-2 movement
-28 jewels
-beat rate 28000
-hacking
My opinion: The dial is basically identical to the Orient and really love the precise aesthetic of it. The price, though, is more than threefold.

Seiko SNK millitary watches (MSRP $88CAD)
37mm
Hardlex mineral front and back
Stainless steel
Seiko 7126 Malaysian made movement
-21 jewels
-I assume same beat rate as Orient
-no hacking
My opinion: Don't like the dial at all (not very clear) but the price and size combination is really appealing. Will leave $$ for a veeery nice strap.

So far these are all the options available. Currently truly considering all options, although the cheaper ones do seem more feasible as I am truly in search of a watch that is cheap enough for me to wear daily without regard for it breaking or being stolen.

If anybody owns either of the watches, an opinion would be interesting. Also, if anybody happens to own 2 or more of the watches at hand, it would be really intriguing to hear comparisons.

Thanks

 

$310 for that Orient is a rip off. In Japan it goes for less than half.

On size, be careful. Myself I have a 6.5 flat and nothing above 40mm works. It might help to try it on a NATO strap to give a better fit.

 

$310 for that Orient is a rip off. In Japan it goes for less than half.

On size, be careful. Myself I have a 6.5 flat and nothing above 40mm works. It might help to try it on a NATO strap to give a better fit.

Orient shows an official prize on their website, but the watch sells for less in the market.

Thanks for the advice. I currently rock a 40mm watch, and while it doesn't look terrible, it does fit on the larger side. Will keep an eye on what you said.

 

IMO, if limited between those three options, I'd go with the Orient Flight. Orient has robust internals, as another member already mentioned, and gives you ample room to find that perfect strap. It might be a tad large (from what I can tell based on your preferences) but that is the "pilot" style after all.

I also very much like the additional indices on the Orient. The very bland face on the Archimede, coupled with their meh trademark (if the model you're interested in has it) simply does not justify the price.

As a diver junkie, I feel compelled to bring up the new Orient Mako USA line though FEM6500FB9 FEM6500FB EM6500FB | Orient Automatic Watches & Reviews | Orient Watch USA...For $225 (find a member or friend from the states to ship it to you as it currently is a USA exclusive), you get 200m water resistance, screwed down crown, sapphire crystal, 120 click bezel, and their new upgraded solid end links. Downside is it might not be the style you're looking for. Still, for the price, it's a helluva upgrade when compared to the Orient flight. PLUS, you get their stainless steel band. Keep that bad boy in a box, rock a nato for a while, and if/when you want to flip it, you have a brand new, untouched band.

Food for thought.

 

I suggest looking at Pilot style watches with integrated bracelet. The integrated bracelet makes bigger watches wear better on the wrist visually. I suggest Laco pilot watches on bracelet.