This feature has been produced in partnership with IWC Schaffhausen

Gaze up at the sky during a 1940s dog fight and you’re guaranteed to witness a formidable silhouette humming overhead. The iconic Spitfire was a pivotal player in World War II. The aircraft which was tasked with defending Britain and its allied forces against foreign threats has seen an illustrious history of air combat during its military service.Today the Spitfire stands as one of the most significant warplanes of the past century and seeing one in the flesh is a true rarity. 

With only 60 Spitfires deemed air-worthy in the world and the rest retired to exhibitions, the question of how this particular Spitfire, still in its immaculate factory form and certified for flight, ended up in a quaint Australian hangar in central New South Wales. 

As part of IWC’s goal to realise the accomplishments of this legendary plane, the Swiss watchmaker has plotted one of the Spitfire’s most ambitious challenges to date – to circumnavigate the world in a completely restored Spitfire wearing a striking silver paint job. The ‘Silver Spitfire – The Longest Flight’ program will see two British pilots flying the propeller-driven plane over 43,000km across 30 countries during its bold journey.

In celebration of this adventurous revival, we tracked down our very own elusive unicorn of the skies on home soil. This is the tale of the last Australian Spitfire – a plane which never got to see active service but continues to carve its rich legacy into the clouds.  

The Spitfire warplane originally debuted in 1938 and quickly became famous for its air dominance during the Battle of Britain. During these conflicts Australian pilots flew Spitfires all throughout the European Theater of Operations, a military organisation of defence which operated between 1942 and 1945.

The plane was a success across the northern region but there was still an ominous risk lingering back home. During the start of the war Australia didn’t have an established air force and when the Japanese launched their offensive through the Asia-Pacific War, a squadron of Spitfire Mk VIII fighters were sent down under to reinforce the local air defence. This particular Spitfire was the very last one delivered to the RAAF in 1945 and it lives on today as a fully functioning piece of history. 

The fact that this Spitfire has survived intact is a miracle in itself. Australian pilots during WWII only had 200 hours of flight training with the Spitfires. Beyond those logged hours it was a simple case of: “There’s a Spitfire. Go fly it, son. Best of luck and bring it home in one piece.”

Fate would see to it that this particular Spitfire didn’t get shot down, crashed or left in an air field to rot away. Instead it spent the next 40 years between technical colleges and storage before its restoration and return to flight 1985. By the year 2000 it had found its home at the Temora Aviation Museum in central New South Wales where it was finally painted in the colors of Wing Commander Bobby Gibbes’ 457 Squadron RAAF, an Australian WWII fighter ace who was the longest-serving officer of the No. 3 Squadron RAAF with over 10 aerial victories to his name, 5 ‘aircraft probably destroyed’ credits, and a further 16 damaged. 

Those who knew Gibbes called him a great bloke. Those who flew with him called him one hell of a pilot. It’s a common trait which ran deep in the veins of Australian pilots of that era who were often known as larrikins on the ground. Once in the air though, they were tenacious, no-nonsense ‘get the job done’ professionals.

Flying British planes in dangerous foreign territory meant that they had to be built this way.

Long before Rolls-Royce were building luxury vehicles for the elite, they were building engines for the Spitfire. The last Australian Spitfire MK VIII is powered by the original Rolls Royce Merlin 60 series engine which is supercharged to produce a healthy 1,600hp. That figure is enough to propel the Spitfire to 650km/h with a range of just over 1,000km – perfect for that era of dog fighting in Europe, but not so much for a vast country like Australia.

This is why the Spitfire was stationed in Darwin and the Northern Territory to fend off potential Japanese air raids. In that environment the plane was used primarily as a short range interceptor. The MK VIIIs also had the advantage of additional fuel tanks in the wing’s leading edges which could give the plane 45 minutes of additional flight time.

On the offensive front the Spitfire was equipped with up to eight 4303 machine guns in its innovative ‘H-wing’ design allowing for four guns on each side. The last Australian Spitfire however does not have the real guns installed. 

Another interesting fact? Its propeller blades are made from multiple pieces of wood that have been meticulously shaped and balanced to slice through the air without interference. 

There’s no other form of flight these days that can mimic the sensation of a Spitfire. Some say it’s like flying with wings on your shoulders, a trait that can be credited to designer, Reginald ‘R.J.’ Mitchell. 

Whilst at speed the plane’s hefty weight is noticeable, the front-biased wings meant that the Spitfire was also highly responsive and manoeuvrable like a much lighter aircraft. Such was precision of Mitchell’s design that the wheels would fold flat into the body as to not disturb the shape of the wings and the plane’s impressive handling. 

Inside the last Australian Spitfire is a more British affair. It’s snug, it’s not particularly ergonomic, but it’s comfortable once you’re in there and strapped in. Pilots also had good visibility when the plane was in the air but the controls were less forgiving. 

The Spitfires were built differently to their fellow American fighter planes. The way the control panel was designed meant that there were a few differences in the switches and controls between the MK VIII and MK XVI models. The transition between American planes were much more seamless but jump from one Spitfire model year to another and pilots would find they may need to learn the Spitfire’s button layouts again. 

To celebrate the unique engineering expertise of the designers of the legendary British fighter aircraft, IWC this year unveiled a special line of Spitfire timepieces which evoke the puristic instrument design of the Mark XI. The iconic navigation watch was produced in Schaffhausen for the Royal Air Force from 1948 and was worn by many of the pilots and navigators serving at that time. That relationship today lives on in IWC’s finest collection. 

Explore the full range of IWC’s Pilot’s Watch collection