I like the malvern better with ivory than the blakc dial, so I think that the aviator would be nicer too with ivory dial.

What do you guys think?

Hmm, I don't know, wouldn't it resemble the Malvern a bit too much?

Initially I was going to agree right off with you that I prefer the white MA to the black, but for the sake of accuracy, I thought I had better go take another look at the black dialed MA. Uhhhh, I am not sure I can even agree with that statement now. I almost always prefer a white/silver dial to a black dial. But man, that shot of the black MA on Chris' site is seducing me. The way the strap is reflecting the light...the radiant sunburst effect off the black dial...that's a good shot. I wish it were bigger though! I definitely like the contrast of the silver markers and the black dial. And that brings us to the problem I see with your proposition.

I think pilot watches are supposed to have high contrast for the markers aren't they? If so, and you make the dial white-ish, what color would you propose to make the markers so they standout well? Also, what about luminescence? It's hard to visualize a marker/number that glows in the dark, that isn't a white/greenish color. And that seems like it would just blend in to the dial, if it were white. What would you propose to do about that?