Aviator Watch Vintage Bristol V.3.18.0.100.4. Since the dawn of time, humans have dreamt of flying. The history of powered and controlled aviation, which began in the early 1900s, is inseparably connected to that of wristwatches. As aviators experienced difficulties checking their pocket watches to time their performance during flights, they started to look for a solution. This resulted in the development of mens wristwatches, which allowed aviators to keep both hands on the controls.