COLORED CERAMIC WATCHES FROM IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN
Color codes from the world of naval aviation, translated into eye-catching ceramic colors and striking monochrome watches: the “Colors of TOP GUN” collection combines the functional design and high robustness of IWC’s Pilot’s Watches with the company’s extensive know-how in advanced materials and case engineering. Created in collaboration with PANTONE®, the ceramic colors in this collection result from a complex manufacturing process. With its extreme hardness and high resistance to corrosion, ceramic is the perfect material for a watch that always has to perform on top of its game.
DISCOVER THE COLLECTION
A DISTINCTIVE AND LIGHT BLUE SHADE
“IWC TOP GUN Miramar” is the newest addition to IWC Schaffhausen’s portfolio of ceramic colors. This striking shade was developed in collaboration with PANTONE®. Its name pays homage to the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, the original home of the Navy’s TOPGUN program. The light blue color is inspired by the t-shirts worn by TOPGUN instructors under their flight suits.
TWO CHRONOGRAPHS FEATURING “IWC TOP GUN Miramar”
The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 TOP GUN Miramar features a ceramic case in the new color called “IWC TOP GUN Miramar”. The ceramic case is combined with a matching dial and rubber strap, all in the same shade. The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 boasts a dial and rubber strap in “IWC TOP GUN Miramar”. This marks the first stainless steel chronograph to feature a dial in a color developed by IWC Schaffhausen and PANTONE®.
TWO CHRONOGRAPHS FEATURING “IWC TOP GUN Miramar”
The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 TOP GUN Miramar features a ceramic case in the new color called “IWC TOP GUN Miramar”. The ceramic case is combined with a matching dial and rubber strap, all in the same shade. The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 boasts a dial and rubber strap in “IWC TOP GUN Miramar”. This marks the first stainless steel chronograph to feature a dial in a color developed by IWC Schaffhausen and PANTONE®.
A STRIKING CONTRAST OF BLACK AND WHITE
The Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 TOP GUN Lake Tahoe features a 41-millimetre case made of striking white ceramic. The ceramic color Lake Tahoe is inspired by the winter landscape around Lake Tahoe, a mountainous area frequently used as a training ground by aviators from the nearby Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Program (SFTI). The distinctive and subdued white shade has established itself as one of IWC Schaffhausen’s most emblematic ceramic colours.
BORN IN THE DESERT
The Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 TOP GUN Mojave Desert features a meticulously crafted 41-millimeter case made from sand-colored ceramic. The ceramic color “Mojave Desert” is inspired by Navy pilots’ flight suits and the desert landscape around the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, home to some of the Navy’s most skilled pilots.
FROM POWDERS TO CERAMIC BODIES
Ceramics are lighter and harder than steel, scratch-resistant and have a velvety surface. These properties make it ideal for use in wristwatches. Technical ceramics are based on polycrystalline powders such as silicates, aluminium oxide or silicon carbide. They are mixed with additives, shaped to a so-called “green body”, machined close to the final geometry and then sintered at high temperatures in a kiln. During this process, the additives vaporize and leave behind extremely stable ceramic bodies. The manufacture of a ceramic watch case is particularly demanding because the material shrinks by about a third during the baking process. This shrinkage must be factored in as early as the design phase.
