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With an illustrious, aviation-orientated history dating back to 1940, the IWC Schaffhausen Pilot’s Watch has proven to be a vital tool for pilots to quickly and easily read the time during flights.
In the decades since, IWC has continued to innovate within the pilot’s watch space, consistently marking its unique stamp and cementing itself as one of the leading Swiss luxury watch manufacturers.
IWC’s latest release pays homage to an exclusive Pilot’s Watch model launched in 2018 – the Chronograph Edition “Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor” – that is only available for pilots who graduate from the Navy Fighter Weapons School, otherwise known as TOPGUN.
The new addition, the publicly available Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Edition “SFTI”, is a limited edition of 1,500 pieces that not only allows the wider watch community to celebrate the achievements of those graduating pilots but reiterates the continued dedication IWC pays to class-leading craftsmanship.
Like other TOP GUN Edition IWC watches, the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Edition “SFTI” features a case made from black zirconium oxide ceramic, but is further enhanced with the use of Ceratanium®. Ceratanium® is a newly-developed material from IWC that exhibits the lightness and durability of titanium and the hardness of ceramic and one that reaffirms IWC as a revolutionary watch manufacturer.
This innovative, proprietary material is applied to the pushers and caseback, to not only make the watch practically invincible but to provide it with a stealth-like matte black appearance that is jaw-droppingly gorgeous.
Subtle red accents add to the allure of this IWC TOP GUN. The ancestral model upon which it is based featured pops of red, but this reinterpretation goes further, with colour applied to the pushers, small-seconds hand and the tail of the chronograph hand, which is fashioned to resemble a Navy fighter jet.
The engine at the heart of this IWC Pilot’s Watch is the 69380 calibre. This in-house manufactured movement allows for three chronograph sub-dials, a day and date display and a power reserve of 46 hours. It also benefits from an iron inner-casing to help better shield it from magnetic interference and extreme forces placed upon it during high-speed flight – which in turn makes it more than capable of withstanding daily wear.
It’s a perfectly executed package and one that pays faithful homage to the technical achievements and skills of the pilots it takes inspiration from and one that makes an ideal addition to any well-rounded watch collection.
Discover the full IWC Schaffhausen Pilot’s Watch collection at Kennedy