OWNERS MANUAL
P-1 Pilot
The P-1 draws its inspiration from a long line of aviation watches used by flyers in the 20th century as a vital aid in navigation. At altitude, easy and quick legibility was paramount in order to make split-second navigation decisions when travelling at high speed over ground.
The wide open dial of the P-1 aids visibility, with its double anti reflective coated sapphire crystal, and large arabic numerals in white Swiss Super LumiNova® in low light.
See below for the specifications, setting instructions, maintenance tips and servicing.
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P - 1 Pilot Specifications
- Diameter 43mm
- Swiss self-winding movement
- Case and buckle in 904L stainless steel
- Water resistance 10ATM/100m
- Swiss made
- First edition run of 300 pieces
- 3-year warranty*
- Interchangeable straps with quick release bar
- Case diameter 43mm,
- Lug-to-lug 49.8mm
- Lug width 22mm
- Case thickness 15mm
- Weight (without straps) 82 grams
- Screw-in 904L brushed stainless steel caseback
- Caseback engraved with key specifications
- Matching serial numbers on caseback and rear of bottom right lug
- Water resistance 10ATM/100m
- Sellita SW200-1 Automatic movement
- 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz)
- 38-hour power reserve
- 26 jewels
- Hacking seconds
- Matt black dial with white markers
- Grey accents (daylight) on bezel, second hands and crown
- Swiss Super-LumiNova® in white on dial, Aera Logo, hands and crown
- Domed sapphire crystal with double-sided anti-reflective coating
Winding and Setting Your Watch
All Aera watches come with a screw-down crown to maximise water resistance. To wind your watch, first gently unscrew the crown anticlockwise until it pops out to the first position.
Always remove your watch from your wrist to wind it to prevent putting lateral pressure on the winding stem.
Winding
Gently wind the watch in a clockwise direction to energise the mainspring. A minimum of 27 full rotations is needed to fully wind the mainspring. We do not recommend winding beyond 40 rotations to avoid stressing components. However if you are wearing the watch immediately, as an automatic, half that number will suffice to get it running; it will also energise the mainspring simply with the movements of your arm.
Once set, return the crown to the first position, and wind the crown in until it stops, a gentle tightening is all that is required; excess force can damage the crown, case and movement.
Time Setting
From the first position, gently pull the crown out for two clicks. From this position, you are able to set the hour and minute hands. A hacking function built into the movement also freezes the second hand, allowing you to make precise to-the-second settings.
Once set, return the crown to the first position, and wind the crown in until it stops, a gentle tightening is all that is required; excess force can damage the crown, case and movement.
Aera Straps
All Aera watches come with a screw-down crown to maximise water resistance. To wind your watch, first gently unscrew the crown anticlockwise until it pops out to the first position.
Always remove your watch from your wrist to wind it to prevent putting lateral pressure on the winding stem.
–– 01 Remove Your Strap
Each strap-end has a tab-operated spring bar mounted inside.
To remove a strap, slide the tab towards the middle of the strap and gently pull away from the tab side first.
–– 02 Fitting A Strap
To add your chosen strap, repeat step 1 in reverse. Insert the pin, furthest from the tab side into the hole in the lug. Keep your thumb on the tab, so that it’s fully retracted into the strap, before aligning it with the hole in the lug. Check the pin is fully aligned before releasing. You should hear a light click as the tab engages with the case.
–– 03 Check Your Strap Is Secure
Using a light touch, attempt to pull each strap away from the case. If the strap is fitted correctly, there should be little to no movement. If there is a gap visible between the strap end and the case, the pins may not have engaged correctly.
If unsure, repeat the process.
Automatic Movement
On a basic mechanical watch movement, after hand winding, the mainspring power slowly drains as the watch runs until it’s wound again. As the mainspring winds down, the accuracy of the watch's timekeeping quality drops off slightly, which means keeping it wound is better for its performance.
An automatic or self-wound watch, like Aera’s P-1 Pilot and D-1 Diver, however, is designed to top up the stored energy in the mainspring with the movements of your body. The movement’s oscillating weight rotates with every movement, keeping the mainspring topped up with its potential energy.
The stored energy - referred to in watch circles as the power reserve - only starts to reduce once the wearer becomes inactive, or removes the watch. If you wear your watch every day, there is no need to wind it. From fully wound, even if you don’t wear them, Aera’s P-1 and D-1 watches have an optimum power reserve of 38 hours.
Caring For Your
Aera Watch
This is the basic part. You need to have a common knowledge of the do’s and dont's when cleaning and maintaining the proper working conditions of any automatic watches. Click onto each title to find out things to do with your watch and things to avoid.
Correct Care Of
Your Aera Watch
It may sound obvious, but when fastening your watch, do it over a soft surface like a sofa or bed in case it slips out of your hand. We know from experience that watch cases and sapphire crystals don’t like marble floors.
Store your watch at room temperature. Extreme heat or cold can cause expansion and contraction, putting wear and tear on critical parts and shortening the life of the water-resistant gaskets.
Always rest a watch on it’s caseback or on its side if possible. Resting on the crown risks the watch rolling over. Resting face down can scratch the sapphire crystal when you move or pick it up again.
When travelling, if you’re not wearing your watch, store it in a soft suede pouch, a dedicated travel case (on its own) or even a (preferably clean) sock. Just don’t forget which sock.
Actions To Avoid
Never put your watch in a pocket that also contains keys, coins and other daily necessities.
Never leave watches in checked baggage on planes.
For the same reason, if you like wearing bracelets next to your watch, consider having them in softer materials like leather rather than steel. Constant movement on your arm - and against your watch case - can create repeat patterns of scratching on the side of your watch case.
Never leave a watch face down on a surface, as particles of dust can scratch the sapphire crystal when you move it or pick it up again.
Avoid leaving your watch on objects that create magnetic fields, things like radios, speakers, cell phones and tablets. These can interrupt the oscillations of the regulating unit or balance - the heart of the movement that keeps it ticking consistently.
Water Resistance
Water is everywhere and it’s the nemesis of mechanical watches. Water resistance has naturally been a horological hot potato in watch circles for almost a century and has been a driving force in research to make watches that are more protected against the damaging effects of water.
Although modern watches are far more protected against the ingress of water or moisture than most of their 20th century forebears, the industry almost overwhelmingly still uses the term “water-resistant” rather than “waterproof”. Given the widely varying ambient conditions (humidity and heat) to which a watch may be subjected once it’s on the wrist of a customer, such absolutes are rarely given.
The P-1 Pilot Water resistance is 10ATM/100m, 100m watches are suitable for general day-to-day use, non-competitive swimming, bathing, COVID appropriate hand washing etc.
The higher a rating - in metres or ATM - the more your watch is engineered to keep out moisture. Most watches come with a resistance rating that’s given in meters usually starting at 5ATM (or 50 meters). If you have a watch that says that, best stay indoors if you see clouds outside. Definitely don’t attempt to go swimming with it.
It is not recommended to expose your watch to places with both hot water and steam/moisture, like showers, saunas or hot tubs. The heat can in some cases cause moisture to permeate gaskets and seals. Air and its moisture content inside the case will be affected by external influences and can lead to condensation. Soaps and chemicals in public swimming pools affect the condition of the seal, while heat can harden the gaskets prematurely shortening their effective lifespan.
Maintaining and caring for your watch
First, check that there is no damage to your watch and check the crown is fully screwed down and, as this may cause moisture ingress, resulting in damage to the movement. Never clean or wash your watch with the crown in any other setting than fully screwed down.
- Remove the strap and set aside (and see separate note below on cleaning straps).
- Using a cold, slightly damp cloth, wipe over the watch, this will help moisten and loosen any particles, making removal easier. Do this for a couple of minutes allowing the moisture to its job. The process will already be making a difference.
- Using a soft bristle brush, gently remove any particles that may lie in hard-to- reach areas, like the teeth of the bezel or between the lugs. Rinse the brush regularly with a trickle of room temperature water, tapping off the excess thoroughly.
- Once your case is clean, dry using a microfibre cloth, to help remove any water marks, or left-over droplets. Leave in a fully dry environment before attempting to reset the time or hand winding your watches.
All materials used in straps react differently to their environment. Leather should not be immersed in water for anything but short periods, preferably not at all. Rubber is much more resistant to water which is why of course it’s typically used in dive watches, Cordura is impervious to water but can become dirty. Luckily there are tips for maintaining all your straps in good condition. It's worth taking the time to care for your straps to lengthen their useful lives.
Place the strap in warm (not hot) soapy water and leave to soak for a couple of minutes. Using a soft bristled brush, or even a toothbrush, remove the strap from the water, shake off and gently brush it with. A circular motion works well to massage out any particles. Once complete, rinse under cold fresh water, and dry with a soft cloth.
Wipe the strap clean using a damp cloth, moistened slightly with warm water. Remove any moisture left behind by using a clean microfibre cloth, then allow it to dry fully. Do not use soap. Once it’s completely dry use a leather conditioner or saddle soap to help replenish the oils removed during the cleaning process. Be aware that some leather conditioners may darken the colour of your strap.
If you have worn your watch all day, especially on a hot day, but don't have time to wash it, swap out your strap and give the leather a day off to fully dry out in a ventilated space.
Suede is more susceptible to dust and moisture than leather. Use a cloth or very soft suede brush to work the surface loosening any dirt. Bear in mind that suede used in watch straps is usually much more fine than the kind used for shoes. Treat it very gently and do not use any products on it.
Use a soft brush to agitate the fibres to help loosen any dirt.
We’d love to hear how you get on with your Aera watch
Owners@aera.co is a dedicated email address for you to contact us. Think of it as a hotline to the Aera team for any questions, comments, photos you may want to send us of you enjoying your new watch, moans and groans or of course unlimited praise. In any case, we look forward to hearing from you. We feel rewarded to see our first watches come to life and can’t wait for you to experience them too.