De Motu Pilot Instruments

Based at the Helsinki-Malmi Airport in Finland we’ve designed and built our own lines of aviation inspired pilot instruments and watches. Each timepiece is handcrafted here in Finland with an uncompromising level of quality and efficiency of a true pilot instrument. Designer Valdemar Hirvelä earned his wings servicing aircraft in the Finnish Air Force, where his main duty was to maintain the avionics and instrument systems of SAAB Drakens and BAE Hawks. Down the road he joined R&D projects for the Swiss watch company TAG Heuer and the Finnish watch artisan, Sarpaneva. Watch-making was all well and good, but Mr. Hirvelä still felt irresistibly pulled towards the skies: he could visualize aviation watches as potential instruments. So at a time when the market was welcoming larger cases he crafted his own accelerometer unit and fit it inside a wristwatch: it was the world’s first g-measuring watch! After half a year of tweaking, Hirvelä was ready to move forward, but first he needed adventurous extreme pilots to put the device to the test in the real world. Sami Kontio, an accomplished Aerobatic Champion, did test it and was impressed; he formally became the first De Motu test pilot. Markku Lehti, CEO of the De Motu Watches Ltd came along with Mr. Hirvelä and Sami in later stage, first sitting on the board and during the last few years taking the responsibility of running and financing the watch manufacturer. Mr. Lehti has his background in military and aviation world. As a deck officer of Finnish Navy and in later career in commercial aviation, serving as a captain of MD-11 freighter, he has 25 years of experience as an user of military and civil instrumentation. Five years of research, development and testing, advanced engineering and sophisticated design culminate today in De Motu Watches Ltd, a truly independent and innovative pilot instrument manufacturer with ideas and quality never seen before.