IWC Schaffhausen Has Made The Ultimate Green Watch

"I feel the need – the need for green!"

IWC Schaffhausen Has Made The Ultimate Green Watch

One of the biggest watch trends of the last 24 months has been green dials. Green is the colour of the moment in watches, and all the big players have been coming out with exciting, verdant takes on their most popular models: the OMEGA Speedmaster, the Panerai Luminor, the Patek Philippe Nautilus…

But now, at Watches & Wonders 2022, IWC Schaffhausen has released a timepiece that we reckon is the final word in green watches. It’s called the IWC Schaffhausen Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Edition “Woodland” – and while that might be a bit of a mouthful, it’s perhaps the best green watch ever made.

Not only is the Woodland Chrono’s case made out of 100% dark green ceramic, but its dial is also dark green, while its numerals and hour markers are printed in a lighter hue of green. It also has a matching green textile/rubber strap, whilst other hardware elements such as the chrono pushers, crown and back case are made out of matte black Ceratanium, IWC’s signature scratch-resistant, ultra-tough titanium/ceramic composite.

This is how you execute a green watch, people. Using a lighter shade of green for the indices as well as exercising restraint with some of the hardware… IWC are true artisans.

Indeed, their dedication to colour has seen the enterprising Swiss firm team up with Pantone to officially register ‘IWC Woodland’ as its own unique Pantone colour, a move they’ve also done with some of their other ceramic colours and Ceratanium.

L-R: the IWC Schaffhausen Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Edition “Lake Tahoe” (ref. IW389105) and “Woodland” (ref. IW389106). Image: DMARGE

Accompanying the show-stopping Woodland is another colourful ceramic chrono, the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Edition “Lake Tahoe”. The Lake Tahoe – which IWC CEO Christoph Grainger-Herr jokingly dubbed ‘The Stormtrooper’ yesterday at Watches & Wonders – features a stark white ceramic case, matching strap, a black dial and steel hardware. Both the Woodland and the Lake Tahoe are limited editions of 1,000 pieces each.

“These new chronographs not only underscore IWC’s longstanding and extensive experience in the fields of in-house chronographs and advanced materials.  The white and green ceramic used for the cases also illustrates the current evolution of TOP GUN from a collection primarily focused on performance to a bold style statement and an expression of a distinct way of life,” Grainger-Herr elaborates…

They truly are style statements. It’s hard to overemphasise how innovative and simply different these two new watches are. In an industry dominated by increasingly vibrant colours and radical materials, the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Edition “Woodland” and “Lake Tahoe” stand out from the pack.

We’re resisting the urge to make a joke about being green with envy…

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