PHG Pilot 38 – TC-40

Description

01 — THE DESIGN

TC-40 stands for Telemeter Chronograph 1940s – a tribute to the land-and-air tactical timers of the 1940s, the decade when a wristwatch was still issued equipment rather than an accessory. By the middle of the war, two very different kinds of measurement had converged on the same dial: artillery observers needed to know how far away an enemy battery was, and early aviators needed to know how fast they were covering ground. The TC-40 carries both. From the dual tactical scales to the smallest detail of the dial finish, this is 1940s military horology rendered without apology.

02 — THE DIAL

Two of the defining 1940s military measurement functions are integrated into a single dial. The telemeter scale is printed on the inner ring. It works on the gap between the speed of light and the speed of sound: start the chronograph the instant you see the muzzle flash, stop it the instant you hear the report, and the scale converts those elapsed seconds directly into distance – to an enemy position, or to an approaching thunderstorm. The tachymeter scale sits on the outer ring, allowing a pilot or driver to read speed over a fixed one-kilometre baseline. Together, the two tracks give the dial the ordered, industrial character of a genuine 1940s tool: land and air, artillery and aviation, measured by the same three hands.

The dial base is a matte ivory with a fine micro-grain lacquer. The grain is not decoration – it kills the hard specular reflection that a gloss dial throws back at you, leaving a warm, settled surface that reads like something already broken in by time. The three sub-dials at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock are finished with dense concentric record-groove (CD) texturing: fine turned rings, cut close enough that angled light fans off them in a metallic arc. Flat under direct light, alive the moment you tilt the wrist.

The hands are heat-blued steel – a deep, shifting blue that stands in sharp contrast against the ivory dial. At the centre sits the PHG gothic signature, placed as a workshop mark rather than a logo.

04 — THE MOVEMENT

Powered by the Miyota 6S20 quartz chronograph movement. Central chronograph seconds hand for elapsed-time reading, supported by three sub-dials carrying the 1/20-second register, the 30-minute counter and the continuous running seconds – timing up to 59 minutes 59 seconds in 1/20-second increments. Accuracy is ±20 seconds per month, battery life approximately four years on a long-life cell. True to the 1940s originals, no date window – the dial stays symmetrical and the crown position is left clean. No winding, no servicing, no surprises.

03 — THE CASE

316L stainless steel, 38.5mm diameter, 11.5mm thick, fully brushed on the flanks and lugs – no polished surfaces, nothing decorative, just weight and restraint. The crystal is a steeply domed “pot-lid” box-dome K1 glass with double-sided coating; viewed from the side it bends and refracts the light with the slight distortion of early acrylic, giving the dial real depth and layering. The crown is domed on its outer face and deeply etched with the PHG mark, paired with cylindrical pump-style pushers that break cleanly under the finger. Push-pull crown, 50m water resistance.

06 — THE STRAP

20mm lug width. Fitted with a black leather strap and brushed stainless steel hardware.

07 — SPECIFICATIONS

08 — PHG PROMISE

Every PHG watch carries a two-year global warranty covering movement malfunctions and manufacturing defects in the case, crown, and crystal — waterproofing failure under normal use included. Accidental damage, normal wear, and battery replacement are not covered; full terms are set out in our Warranty Policy.

Each watch is inspected before it leaves our workshop.

PHG Watch Co. designs and builds this product independently from historical design languages. It is not affiliated with, authorised by, or connected to any other brand or reference.