I'm definitely not a pilot, but I like my pilot's watches to be a little window into a world whose authenticity I have to appreciate from the back seat, so to speak, and I'm very pleased that the Mark XVIII lets me, just a little bit, feel like I'm in the cockpit rather than behind a desk. It's an outdated solution, sure, but there's something romantic, something kick-the-tires-and-light-the-fires about it. It's clean, clear, with terrific legibility and ease of wear on its side, and I'm sort of a sucker for any watch that achieves its antimagnetic resistance through an iron inner case and dial instead of through the use of amagnetic alloys and silicon, which for no particularly rational reason I just don't find as sexy. For me it was a very satisfying watch to wear. The Mark XVIII is a very simple watch, but it carries a lot of history along with it, and how much you enjoy wearing it depends a lot – maybe mostly – on how emotionally connected you are to that history in general, and what parts of that history resonate with you the most in particular. Come to think of it, a gent of sufficiently imposing and masculine carriage, probably could wear it as a sort of go-to-hell gesture even with a tux (although it takes a lot of self-assurance to pull that sort of thing off, and if you hear the slightest whisper of a doubt in your head, I wouldn't try it). Without it, the Mark XVIII has a more universal feel to it and depending on how you dress, you can probably get away with wearing it with anything short of black tie. Oddly, despite the fact that both it and the Mark XVII are nominally sports watches, to me the Mark XVIII feels a bit more like a sports watch, probably thanks to the altimeter style date window, which of course was the single most polarizing aspect of the Mark XVII's design.
![mk watch black mk watch black](https://ph-test-11.slatic.net/p/5f7729abef49d6de3d45b52ff9bdbeef.jpg)
This is a very, very versatile watch as well, thanks to the simplicity and utilitarian nature of the design. It's not as torch-bright as some of the most brightly illuminated watches I've worn, but even after the first bright glow of charged Super Luminova wears off, you can see what time it is just fine. The time is, as it should be, instantly legible, pretty much under any lighting conditions you could possibly imagine, from direct sunlight to total darkness, thanks to the high contrast dial and generous application of lume on the dial.