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The 85-year legacy of Pilot’s Watches
IWC’s Pilot’s Watches bring the magic of flight to all who wear them, in an especially elegant form.
Design Highlights
The big conical crown of the Big Pilot’s Watch
The striking conical crown of the Big Pilot’s Watch harks back to the pioneering days of aviation, when pilots had to face the elements in unheated cockpits. The original Pilot’s Watches had particularly large crowns that were easy to grip so that they could be set and wound by a pilot wearing thick gloves and a padded flight suit.
Design Highlights
The cockpit-instrument look of IWC’s Pilot’s Watches
The black dials of cockpit instruments with their contrasting, luminescent displays has been the inspiration for the cockpit design of classic Pilot’s Watches for decades. The dial is reduced to the bare essentials, with striking luminescent hands and numerals that stand out against the matte-black background.
Design Highlights
The triangular index at “12 o’clock”
IWC influenced the cockpit-instrument look of classic pilot’s watches during the 1930s and 1940s. The white triangular index at “12 o’clock” allowed pilots in the cockpit to instantly recognize the position of the hands and the time at a glance. The upright equilateral triangle has two dots at either side to make the dial easier to read, and is also luminescent.
Pilot´s Watches Families
Antoine de Saint Exupéry
These special edition watches with their blue and tobacco brown dials commemorate the literary work of the author/pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. No other writer succeeded in describing the excitement of the pioneering days of aviation more vividly than he did.
Classic
The very first IWC Pilot’s Watches of the 1930s and 1940s set technical benchmarks, and the dial designs determined the instrument look that has remained characteristic to this day.
Performance Materials
The search for innovative materials which allow for advanced functionalities is a central component in IWC's approach to engineering and shapes the bold aesthetics of these watches.
History
Special Watch for Pilots
The first IWC pilot watch was produced in the mid-1930s for civil aviation purposes. It was particularly robust and resistant to fluctuations in temperature in the range of - 40 degrees Celsius to + 40 degrees Celsius, and was also anti-magnetic.
Mark 11 Navigators Wrist Watch
In response to an invitation for tender issued by the British Government, IWC developed a service watch for pilots of the Royal Air Force. Production of the legendary Mark 11 commenced in 1948. From November 1949, the watch was supplied to airborne personnel of the RAF and other Commonwealth nations and remained in service until 1981.
Pilot's Watch Double Chronograph
The Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph, reference 3711, was presented at the Basel watch fair in 1992. It was the first automatic double chronograph at IWC, and featured the automatic 79230-calibre movement.
Pilot's Watch Chronograph Ceramic
In 1994 IWC launched a Pilot's Chronograph, reference 3705, for the jet age that came with another top-flight feature: zirconium oxide. The high-tech ceramic used for the case, is as hard as sapphire and virtually indestructible. In 1988, the Pilot's Watch tradition was sustained by the Pilot's Chronograph.
Pilot's Watch Mark XII
In 1994 the Mark XII Pilot's Watch succeeded the Mark 11. As to be expected, it was state of the art, and featured an automatic movement and date display.
Pilot's Watch UTC
In 1998 the Pilot's Watch UTC, where changes to both the time and date can be made using simply the crown, was IWC's reaction to growing mobility in an increasingly globalized world.
Chronograph Spitfire Automatic
Spitfire – the name is already familiar to IWC enthusiasts; it was given to a limited special edition of 1000 watches in the year 2000. In 2003 IWC began producing a Pilot's Watch series named after the legendary Spitfire. However, the Spitfire watch line owes more than its name to this fabulous aircraft.
The Big Pilot's Watch
The Big Pilot's watch of the 21st century contains, in addition to the 7-day movement reserve, the new feature of a date display at six o'clock and the central seconds’ display that is so essential for use in aviation. The high-performance movement calibre 5011 took care of the preciseness and has a case diameter of 46.2 mm with a height of 15.8 mm.
Chronograph Edition Antoine de Saint Exupéry
In 2006, IWC introduced a special Pilot's Chronograph named after Antoine de Saint Exupéry to commemorate the publication 75 years earlier of his novel "Night Flight". The Antoine de Saint Exupéry Pilot's Watches, all available in limited editions from IWC, have remained popular favorites to this day.
Double Chronograph Edition Top Gun
In 2007, the first watch bearing the name TOP GUN joined the IWC Pilot’s Watch squadron. The name comes from a special training course offered by the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School, the “Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor”, better known by the legendary accolade “Top Gun”.
Pilot's watch Mark XVIII Edition Le Petit Prince
Celebrating the 80th anniversary of its Pilot’s Watches, IWC in 2016 introduced the Mark XVIII in the typical design of the “Le Petit Prince” editions with a midnight blue dial – paying tribute to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s most famous novel.
Pilot’s watch Timezoner Chronograph
For the Pilot’s Watch Timezoner, IWC’s engineers created a functional complication for frequent flyers: To set the watch to another time zone, the wearer simply needs to push down the bezel, turn it to the desired time zone and let it go – the hour hand, 24-hour day/night display and the date automatically move with the bezel.
Big Pilot’s Watch Big Date Edition “150 Years”
The Big Pilot’s Watch Big Date Edition “150 Years” is the first IWC Big Pilot's Watch to feature a large date display located below the “12 o'clock” triangle. Created to mark the 150 year anniversary of IWC Schaffhausen, this reference is limited to just 150 pieces.
Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph TOP GUN Ceratanium
The Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph TOP GUN Ceratanium is the first Pilot's Watch from IWC to feature a completely “jet black” design code.
Pilot’s Watch UTC Spitfire Edition “MJ271”
The Pilot’s Watch UTC Spitfire Edition “MJ271” in high-quality bronze is the first to integrate the UTC function in an in-house calibre.
Big Pilot’s Watch 43
The Big Pilot’s Watch 43 combines iconic design with superb movement technology and pronounced versatility in an ergonomic case diameter of 43 millimetres.
BIG PILOT’S WATCH SHOCK ABSORBER XPL
The Big Pilot’s Watch Shock Absorber XPL features one of the world’s most advanced anti-shock systems. Eight years in development, the IWC patented SPRIN-g PROTECT system is an extraordinary feat of engineering made real.
Featured Pilot’s Watches
