I Flew on a Billionaire’s Private Jet. The Owner and Both Pilots Wore the Same $99 Watch.
Eight hours over the Atlantic in a $70 million Gulfstream. Three of the most demanding wrists I’ve ever seen — and all three wearing a watch that costs less than the in-flight wine. I spent six weeks finding out why.
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Saw one on a pilot at Dubai airport. Ordered mine before boarding.Top comment · 2,104 likes
The invitation came the way these things do: a text from a friend of a friend, two days before departure. A seat had opened on a Gulfstream G650 flying from Teterboro to Nice. Did I want it?
I did. And for the first hour I did what anyone would — I photographed the leather seats, the walnut tables and the champagne nobody else was drinking. Then I started doing what I’ve done for twenty years on assignment. I looked at wrists.
You learn a lot from a man’s watch. On a plane like this, I expected a Patek, a Royal Oak, maybe a vintage Daytona worth more than my apartment.
Instead, the owner — a man whose company you’ve heard of and whose name I agreed not to print — was wearing a square titanium watch on a plain black strap. So was the captain when he came back to say hello. So was the first officer, when I was invited up front somewhere over Newfoundland.
Same watch. Three times. On a plane where a $40,000 Rolex would have been the cheap option.
Three Wrists. One Watch.
How a $99 Watch Ended Up in a $70 Million Jet
The watch is the Cobra XL from NorthTime. The captain found it first, on a pilot friend’s recommendation. The first officer followed a month later. When the owner noticed it on both of them, he asked where it came from. A week later he was wearing one too.
“I have a safe full of watches,” he told me, swirling a glass of something very old. “They stay at home. This one goes everywhere — the boat, the gym, the board room. It does more than any of them, and if I lose it, I lose ninety-nine dollars.”
I’ll be honest: I didn’t believe it. I’ve reviewed watches that cost more than a car. A $99 watch, in my experience, feels like a toy the moment you pick it up. So I asked the captain to take his off and hand it to me.
It didn’t feel like a toy. It had the cold weight of real titanium, a metal bezel with properly machined edges, and a sapphire crystal you could feel was glass, not plastic. I turned it over twice looking for the catch. There wasn’t one.
What the Captain Told Me
Twenty-two years flying, the last nine on Gulfstreams. He asked me not to print his name.
7 Reasons Men Who Can Afford Anything Choose a $99 Watch
Over the next six weeks I asked the same question of pilots, yacht captains and two more people with their own aircraft. The answers were remarkably consistent.
10–21 days on a single charge. The captain flies four-day rotations and has never packed the cable.
Titanium body, full metal bezel and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal — the same materials luxury watches are sold on.
Rated 10 ATM — 100 metres — to the EN13319 diving standard. The owner swims off the back of his boat with it every morning.
A bright 2.02" AMOLED display: dark cockpit at 3 a.m., white sand at noon.
Calls, messages and notifications on the wrist, with a built-in speaker and microphone. Works with iPhone and Android.
Heart-rate and sleep tracking to manage time zones, plus 70+ sport modes for the hotel gym.
No servicing, no insurance, no safe. “If I lose it, I lose ninety-nine dollars.”
The Classic Pilot’s Watch vs. the One They Actually Wear
What It Really Costs to Own Over 10 Years
The owner, at 41,000 feetEveryone on this plane can afford any watch in the world. We all chose the one we never have to think about.
Owner of the aircraft · name withheld
I Didn’t Take Their Word for It. Here’s My Six-Week Test.
I ordered one from my hotel in Nice the morning we landed. Then I tried to find its weak spot.
Nice to New York, then a full week of meetings. I didn’t charge it until day 13.
Swimming every morning, snorkelling, outdoor showers. It went in the sea daily.
Heart rate, workouts and sleep — all there in the app when I got home.
I stopped babying it after day two. The crystal still looks new.
Took two calls in a car park without reaching for my phone. Clear on both ends.
Nobody asked what it cost. That’s the whole story, really.
Why It’s $99 — and How Long That Lasts
When I called NorthTime to ask how they could sell a titanium, sapphire watch for $99, the answer was simple. They sell direct — no boutiques, no distributors, no celebrity ambassadors. The watch goes from their warehouse to your door, and the markup most brands spend on marble showrooms stays in your pocket.
The 60% reader price is a different matter. NorthTime agreed to it for readers of this article, but only while stock at that price lasts. When I checked this morning, most of it was already gone.
If you’ve been waiting for a watch that looks serious, survives anything and doesn’t need a safe, this is the one I’d buy. I already did.
What Readers Are Saying
Can confirm. Half our crew room wears one. Nobody planned it — it just spread.
Bought it after this article. The titanium feels like a $1,000 watch. Charged it once in 13 days.
Wore it snorkelling in Cabo all week. Still looks brand new. My Tag stayed in the hotel safe.
Salt water, sun, ropes. I’ve destroyed better-known watches in a season. This one doesn’t care.
Bought one for me and one for my son. He hasn’t taken his off since.
Claim the Reader Price in Under a Minute
The 60% reader price is already applied on NorthTime’s page — no code needed.
Free shipping on every order. Your watch ships within 24 hours.
If it doesn’t earn its place on your wrist, get a full refund. No need to send it back.
What Arrives at Your Door
What Readers Asked
Is it really the same watch the pilots wear?
Is it really $99?
Why is it so cheap?
How long does the battery last?
Can I wear it in the sea or the pool?
Does it work with my phone?
Is there a warranty?
What’s in the box?
60% OFF- Titanium body with full metal bezel
- Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal
- Water-resistant to 100 metres
- 10–21 days on a single charge
- Calls & notifications on your wrist · iPhone & Android
Take it on your next trip. If it doesn't earn its place on your wrist, contact NorthTime for a full refund — you don't even need to send it back.
Since this story ran, readers have written in from all over — including three more pilots who say half their crew room wears the Cobra XL. NorthTime confirmed it’s still 60% off for readers, for now.
NorthTime currently has the Cobra XL at $99 (regular $209.99) with free shipping at thenorthtime.com. Names have been withheld at the owner’s request.
Verified Cobra XL Owners
Honestly didn't expect to be this impressed. The case feels genuinely solid, the screen is bright even in direct sunlight and the watch faces are insane. Battery lasts me 12-13 days. Super happy with this one.
I'm a watch nerd and usually wear mechanical pieces. The Cobra XL has real heft and doesn't look like a toy on your wrist. I run the NVG tactical face and people keep asking me what it is. Genuinely impressed.
Been doing van life trips for the past year. The Cobra XL has been through rain, mud and two weeks without charging, and it still looks brand new. The topographic map face looks incredible. Would buy again.
Wore it through back day, leg day and outdoor runs and it didn't skip a beat. Heart rate is accurate and the screen stays readable when you're sweating. Looks great outside the gym too. Battery lasts 10-11 days.
Wasn't sure about ordering online but zero regrets. Arrived fully charged, setup took five minutes. The case is big and I love that, it wears bold. Getting 11-12 days of battery. Worth every dollar.
In and out of my car all day for work and it never comes off. Knocked it on the door and the wheel more than once and not a scratch. Easily 12 days per charge, sometimes 14. Exactly what I wanted.
Gym in the morning, meetings in the afternoon. This does both. The Field Chrono face looks sharp under a dress shirt and it tracks everything at the gym. About 12 days per charge. No regrets.
I don't usually write reviews but this one deserves it. Tough design, sharp screen, and the faces go harder than anything at three times the price. Battery lasts around 12 days. Legit five stars.