Bristol B-17 Flying Fortress Tribute GMT — Gold Finish, Beige Dial
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The watch
The Bristol B-17 Flying Fortress Tribute GMT is a 44mm GMT watch with a beige dial, powered by a Swiss quartz Caliber 515-24H movement. Highlights include original airframe material from the aircraft it honours set into the caseback, a production run limited to 1945 pieces and a second time zone for travel. It belongs to Hour VI, Field & Adventure, in our Expedition season: a natural choice for frequent flyers and outdoor weekends.
Model BW17E is a tribute to the iconic Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. This classic aviator design uses a precise and reliable Swiss quartz movement with a GMT function. The Super-LumiNova dial is protected by a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. The case back displays original airframe material from Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress SN#41-2595. This particular aircraft is a rare B-17E, was named "Desert Rat" and "Tangerine", and entered service February 14, 1942. It is currently undergoing an extensive restoration and will once again return to the air. The rugged B-17 flew for the Allied Air Forces in every theater of WWII and beyond. It is certainly one of the most iconic heavy bombers of WWII. Of the 12,731 B-17's built 46 complete airframes survive with fewer than 10 still flying. This model is limited to 1945 units in honor of the end of WWII.
Trademarks, trade names, aircraft models and company names are used for descriptive purposes only, to identify and describe the actual aircraft artifact incorporated into the watch.
Good to know
It runs on a Swiss quartz chronograph caliber 515-24H. Quartz keeps it accurate and low-maintenance; the battery simply needs replacing every few years.
Only splashes. It is rated to 50m (5 ATM), which handles rain and hand-washing, but it is not intended for swimming or submersion.
The case measures 44mm — a bold size that suits larger wrists (roughly 17.5 cm / 6.9 in and up). Our watch size guide (/pages/watch-size-guide) explains how to measure your wrist.
The caseback holds a genuine piece of B-17 Flying Fortress airframe, visible through the back of the case — a direct link to the aircraft the watch honours.
Yes. Production is limited to 1945 pieces, so once the run sells out it will not be repeated.
On the ChronoSeasons dial it sits at Hour VI — Field & Adventure, part of the Expedition season, and suits travel, the outdoors and long days on the move. It also appears in our Pilot & Aviation edit. Its second time zone makes it part of our GMT & Travel edit.
Yes. It ships brand-new and boxed from the brand's verified channel, with a 2-year warranty. Unworn watches can be returned within 30 days of delivery.
From the journal
Owners say
Bought this for my father's 70th birthday near the Air Force Museum. He loves the gold and beige B-17 Flying Fortress look and the airframe relic on the back. Changing the spring bars when we tested a spare bracelet took 15-20 minutes with stubborn pins.
Happy 70th birthday to your father, Dein! Dayton is the heart of aviation history, and we are honored he is wearing the B-17 Tribute there.
Gave this B-17 GMT to my dad for his retirement party. He volunteers at an air museum on weekends, so the 1945-piece limited edition numbering and real B-17 metal in the back blew him away. He wears it constantly.
Picked up the gold-finish B-17 Flying Fortress tribute for its WWII history and reliable Swiss Ronda 515-24H quartz GMT caliber. The 44mm 316L case wears comfortably on my wrist thanks to the curved lugs and supple stitched brown leather strap. The beige dial legibility under the sapphire crystal is great, and the authentic B-17 airframe fragment in the caseback is cleanly inset.
I keep the Swiss 515-24H GMT hand set to Zulu time and love how the beige dial and brown stitched leather capture 1940s bomber instrumentation. Knowing there is real B-17 Flying Fortress airframe metal set into the caseback of this 1945-piece run makes it special.
The beige dial and gold case have a warm 1940s flight jacket vibe in real sunlight. Very comfortable brown stitched leather strap. Crown setting action was a little stiff out of the box before working it a few times.
The factory brown leather strap with contrast stitching fits my wrist well and matches the vintage beige dial and gold 316L case. I also tried it on a canvas bomber strap. Date window is a little small without my reading glasses, but the GMT hand is easy to spot.
Thanks for sharing, Russell! A canvas bomber strap sounds like a great alternate setup for the B-17 Tribute.
Bought this B-17 Flying Fortress GMT for my dad's birthday because my grandfather served on B-17s in World War II. Seeing the warm gold case, vintage beige dial, and genuine B-17 airframe metal in the caseback really moved him.
