Super Timepieces

Torgoen Swiss Men's T06202 Pilot Computer E6B Dual Time Zone Stainless Steel Watch

Combining dual time zone tracking with a pilot's computer/slide rule, the Torgoen T6 men's watch offers a highly reliable Swiss quartz timing movement and the ability to make quick calculations from your wrist--from flight fuel consumption to currency conversion. Featuring a high-grade stainless steel bracelet link band, this T6 (model T60105B01) has an red yellow hand to denote a second time zone, which completes a full circle once ever 24 hours. Its orange/yellow dial face also includes a mix of luminous thick hour markers and Arabic numerals at the quarter hours, large luminous hands (with red seconds hand), small minute indexes, and a date window at 4 o'clock.

Other features include a scratch-resistant mineral crystal and water resistance to 100 meters (330 feet)--offering protection from accidental splashes as well suitable for swimming, snorkeling, and light recreational diving. It comes with a detailed instruction booklet on operating the flight computer features.

Using this watch's flight computer/slide rule feature, you can easily make a variety of calculations including currency conversion.

Using a Flight Computer Watch
This Torgoen watch can be used as a regular circular slide rule or a flight computer. It uses the calculation abilities of a slide rule to calculate time, speed and distance, and fuel consumption, as well as useful conversions such as statute miles to nautical miles, metric units to English units, or US Dollars to British Pounds. Easy to use after just a little practice, you'll be able to perform some calculations more quickly than with a hand-held calculator.

As an example, suppose the conversion rate for the Swiss Franc is SFR 1.60 to $1.00. Rotate the outer scale to match 16 over 10, the outer scale becomes Swiss Francs and the middle scale becomes US dollars. You can leave the scales like that until the exchange rate changes. If you want to convert SFR 4.00 to dollars you look at the number in the middle scale opposite the 40 on the outer scale. The number is 25. You can therefore deduce that SFR4.00 are $2.50 (see example image at right).

Using This Zulu Time Watch
For easy reference in communications, each of the world's 24 time zones has been assigned a letter of the alphabet (less the letter "I" and "O"). The "clock" at Greenwich, England is used as the standard clock for international reference of time in communications, military, maritime and other activities that cross time zones. The letter designation for this clock is Z, pronounced ZULU in the phonetic alphabet.

To set the time, pull out the crown 2 steps and turn. To set a different time zone, pull out the crown out only one step and then turn to one direction to change the date and the other to set the 24-hour hand to indicate a different time zone of your choice. For example, if you are in New York City, at noon, and wish to track the time in Rock Springs, Wyoming (2 hours behind New York), turn the crown until the red 24-hour hand points to 10:00 on the 24-hour scale (5:00 on the 12-hour scale).

About Torgoen
Founded by a group of aviation enthusiasts, Torgoen takes its timepiece inspiration from the cockpit, creating highly reliable instruments that have precise, clear markings for rapid readings day or night and ergonomically efficient controls. Careful attention is paid to details of every component, with all watch components required to pass the most stringent quality control procedures during and after production. Watches are tested under various extreme conditions including temperature variation, dust, humidity, impact and vibration. All Torgoen timepieces include high-quality Swiss timing movement, high-grade stainless steel cases, and non-radioactive, long-lasting luminescence.

This watch is very well made. It's no lightweight, even the band is hefty, at 22mm wide and 3mm thick. Anyone with a large wrist would be comfortable with it in my opinion, the band out of the box was very long, longer than most other watches. I needed to remove 5 links to fit it, as opposed to the usual 3. I have it adjusted down to 7.5", it fits perfectly and sits well on my wrist. And the links themselves aren't small, and they're solid, not stamped or folded steel. All of the metal has a finely brushed finish with the exception of the back, which is polished with an etched image of an aircraft and the Torgoen name. Timekeeping is very accurate. The GMT function took some tweaking to get set just right, but every other GMT/24hr watch I own required the same attention. The orange color of the face isn't as vivid as the pictures make it appear, it's more of a "orange creme" color, just a little paler than the average orange peel. It's easy to read, and has good visibility over a wide range of conditions. The crystal is very slightly domed, I don't believe enough to make it more likely to be damaged. The hands, indexes and numbers are well illuminated, I've had it last as much as six hours. I'm very satisfied with the watch. I've spent much more on other watches and not been as happy, and will be buying more Torgoen in the future. -- Torgoen T6

This is a great watch if you want something big and solid and it is a still better choice if you need or want the combination of slide rule for calculations plus the ability to have at a glance, the time in two timezones. The dial is marked for both standard and 24 hour time and you can set it for any two time zones that are handy for you, even if it IS named for GMT "zulu" time.

It just gets better if you value the ability to use the slide rule. It offers a host of ways to quickly calculate the old fashioned way, things involving time and distance and unit conversions for speed and fuel or currency exchange rates, and you can jut plain multiply and divide.

This thing is big and thick and heavy. It looks and feels like a real man watch and it seems to be pretty much bulletproof. Mine takes a real beating because I do a lot of carpentry and so far it is running fine even if it is a little bit nicked and scratched up.

If you want a glow in the dark watch that glows bright enough to really see for hours on end, standing watch in the middle of no where, or for working security outside on the night shift without a flashlight or other light source, you need something with tritium in the phosphor on the hands and dial. Whatever is in the Torgoen is probably a lot safer for your health, but they only hold a strong glow for a short while in the dark. It is not long before they are too weak to read easily, this is only a small annoyance for guys that normally live/work indoors and in daylight, but, it goes out too soon to go to war with.

That said, the T-6 is really macho looking, and if any he-man watch can actually get you laid this one should do it, ...provided the chick is not some Seal vet returning from night patrols in Iraq, who knows the real glow-in-the-dark deal when she sees it. -- good big solid watch