In both form and function, the Pilot’s Watch Mark XVII is a perfect example of a classic pilot’s watch. Like cockpit instrumentation, the dial is black with white indices and reduced to essentials: legibility is a top priority. Compared with its predecessor, the Mark XVI, the stainless-steel case has increased by 2 millimetres to 41. In this model too, IWC’s designers have modified the date window to make it look more like a cockpit instrument: with its vertically arranged numerals, it is now reminiscent of an altimeter. The watch, which is water-resistant to 6 bar, is powered by an automatic 30110-calibre movement and has a 42-hour power reserve. In terms of precision and robustness – and like all its predecessors – the Mark XVII meets the full schedule of requirements for professional Pilot’s Watches from Schaffhausen. With its soft-iron inner case for protection against magnetic fields and a front glass secured against sudden drops in pressure, the Mark XVII takes up a tradition established by its historic forebear, the legendary Mark 11 of the 1940s. The most famous of all IWC Pilot’s Watches was discontinued only in 1981, over 30 years after its epoch-making launch, and rapidly attained cult status among watch devotees.
