IWC has dubbed 2012 the “Year of the High Flyers. ” Accordingly, we have seen several changes and additions to their Pilot’s collection, most prominently the the Miramar Top Gun watches (Big Pilot’s watch TOP GUN Miramar and Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Miramar).  In addition, we see the release of the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar TOP GUN, shown here.  IWC’s Perpetual Calendar is a perennial favorite amongst fans of the brand, and the TOP GUN models have been in the lineup since 2007, so this is a nice coming together of the two.

The IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar TOP GUN combines the classic instrument look with the sport-inspired design of the TOP GUN line, and the timepiece features a wealth of complex technological features including perpetual calendar with four-digit year display together with date, day and month displays as well as a moon phase display.  All the displays are easily adjusted via the large onion crown.  Certainly this timepiece is one of the most complex pilot’s watches ever built, and I really like the look.

IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perptual Calendar “Top Gun” (Ref. 502902)

48mm ceramic case, titanium “onion” style crown, automatic mechanical IWC manufacture 51614 calibre, on black soft strap

The new IWC TOP GUN Miramar line features a polished ceramic case, hands and chapter ring in beige, and green textile strap was inspired by the colour and material range typically favoured by the military.  Thanks to the 51111 calibre, the largest manufactured in-house by IWC, the watch will continue running for a week when fully wound. The sapphire glass is secured against drops in pressure in the cockpit….interesting.  Like the Miramar Top Gun Chronograph, I find the dial to be a bit funky — the unconventional division of the dial into an external chapter ring and an inner hour circle is a reference to the deck watches of the 1930s and 40s, and thus the historic legacy of IWC Pilot’s Watches.  I will definitely take this watch over the chronograph version.  Love that big onion crown!

IWC Pilot’s Watch TOP GUN Miramar

48mm ceramic/titanium case (15mm thick), automatic mechanical IWC 51111 movement

The new IWC Pilot’s Watch Worldtimer shows current local time and can be advanced or turned back in one-hour steps to show the new local time, even when crossing the International Date Line.  The 24-hour ring makes it easy to read off all 24 time zones.  If the wearer passes through one or several time zones, the time can be adjusted forwards or backwards in one-hour steps via the crown to show the new local time, even when crossing the International Date Line. The date simply moves in sync with the jumping hour hand. Once set correctly using the crown, the black-and-white 24-hour ring encircling the dial enables the wearer to read off the time in all 24 time zones.

IWC Pilot’s Watch Worldtimer (Ref. 3262)

45mm steel case (13.5mm thick), automatic mechanical caliber, date, hacking seconds, worldtime

The 23 place names on the external city ring each represent a time zone, and standard time is centred below the name of the city. In the illustration, the dial shows local time as 10:10. The 24-hour ring displays the current UTC time in London, where it is 18:10, while the time in New York is 13:10. In cities on daylight saving time, the time can be read below the dot linked to the city name with a line. If local time is changed on the dial, the time shown by the 24-hour ring remains unaffected and the movement continues to run during the changeover.

Though SIHH 2012 is just weeks away I still have a few special watch previews to share.  For IWC, 2012 will be all about its “Pilot’s watch” collection, following 2011 being the year of the Portofino.  Thus, here is the new IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph “Top Gun Miramar” edition, one of five new Pilot’s watches we can expect to see from IWC for 2012.   The IWC Top Gun Miramar watch is a tribute to the place in California where the myth of the elite pilot (the “Top Gun”) was born.

This watch features a sleek looking dark grey ceramic case (48mm in diameter — pilot worthy, but far too large for me), and a somewhat vintage-military color set, including the green textile strap.  My first impression is ho-hum.  I guess it is that the colors on the dial do not work for me.  IWC claims this is by design for reasons of providing increasing focus on the hours and minutes ( camouflage-like beige minute markers and hands) rather than the hours (red, inner-ring).   I’m not a fan of the “3-date” window, either.  Ah well, there will be more to talk about, including a new Pilot’s Watch Worldtimer….stay tuned in to Perpetuelle.

IWC Big Pilot’s Watch TOP GUN Miramar (Ref. 5019)

48mm ceramic case, IWC cal. 89365 flyback chronograph movement, green textile strap

titanium caseback:

And of course who can forget TOP GUN, the 1986 movie starring Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, and Val Kilmer  – my association, not IWC’s

Perpetuelle SIHH 2012 Previews >>> Ralph Lauren Slim Classique, Richard Mille RM037, A. Lange & Sohne Datograph Up/Down Watch, Cartier Skeleton Pocket Watch, Cartier Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater, Baume & Mercier Capeland Flyback Chronograph,  Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 40th Anniversary Watch, Panerai PAM 422, Girard-Perregaux 1966 Small Second, Piaget Altiplano Skeleton Automatic, Cartier Cadran Lové Tourbillon

Here’s a one-off special edition of IWC’s popular new Portguese Yacht Club model.  The launch of this watch coincides with the official start of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-2012, an exciting around-the-world race covering over 39,000 miles through some of the world’s most treacherous waters.  Compared the new-original Yacht Club (see the Portuguese Yacht Club, introduced 2010, HERE), this watch features a few things of note:  first, it is the first IWC Portuguese Yacht Club with a titanium case, and second, it has a black carbon fiber dial.  As for me, I find this watch to be so-so as I am not a big fan of the style/shape of the chronograph pushers on the Ref. 3902.  Maybe sailing fans see it differently, though.  How about you?

IWC Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph (Volvo Ocean Race Edition)

Ref. IW390212

45mm titanium case (14.5mm thick), carbon black dial, automatic mechanical IWC caliber 89361, flyback chronograph, small hacking seconds, black rubber strap

theme shot:

WOW Watch…

Quick first look at the new IWC Ingenieur Double Chronograph Titanium watch (Ref. 3765).  Most intriguing about this new double chronograph is the choice of metal — titanium.  Apart from a few simple models in the 1980′s and 90′s, IWC notes that titanium was used exclusively in the Mercedes AMG Series — stainless steel has been the metal of choice for the Ingenieur.  Accordingly, the IWC Ingenieur Double Chronograph Titanium weighs in at a scant 130 grams, a real featherweight when compared to the Ingenieur Mission Earth at 245 grams (including steel bracelet), for example.  The new Ref. 3765 brings to the Ingenieur for the first time a split-seconds chronograph (aka a “rattrapante”) as well as a few other design tweaks.  Also, the antimagnetic soft-iron inner case is also absent from this model.  The overall look of the watch is 100% awesome, and I expect that this watch will be a real object of desire for hard-core IWC collectors and armchair watch enthusiasts alike.  IWC Ingenieur Double Chronograph Titanium price is $12,700.

IWC Ingenieur Double Chronograph Titanium (Ref. 3765)

45mm titanium case (16mm thick), blue chrono counters, vulcanized pushers, automatic mechanical IWC Caliber 79230

Note that the five bore holes around the edge of the case now feature black DLC-finished screws — this substantially enhances the technical appearance of the watch

via:  Watch International (IWC’s in-house print/electronic magazine)

IWC Schaffhausen is commemorating British adventurer David de Rothschild’s successful Plastiki Expedition (i.e. the water-bottle boat)  with an addition to the Ingenieur watch family:  a limited edition Ingenieur Automatic Mission Earth, Edition “Plastiki”.  It is a great looking watch with nice blue/white/gray color scheme, but there is one drawback on this watch which I present with a question — why oh why oh why does IWC insist upon its “One out of ####” notation on its special edition pieces?  Can somebody give me a coherent explanation as to why I as a Buyer should like this over an individually numbered piece?  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — it seems to me that by not individually numbering these pieces IWC has a bad case of laziness.  Judging by the comments on the similarly stamped Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar I highlighted yesterday, I’m not the only one who feels this way.

IWC Ingenieur Mission Earth “Plastiki” Edition (Ref. IW3236PL)

Limited Edition 1,000 pieces (“One out of 1000″ stamp on case)

46mm stainless steel case, soft-iron inner case (antimagnetic), automatic mechanical IWC Caliber 80110; fitted on a blue rubber strap

the case back engraving commemorates the “Plastiki” expedition and depicts the catamaran and its sea route from San Francisco to Sydney:

Did You Know?

The Plastiki Expedition:  The “Plastiki” expedition made environmental history. Weighing 12 tons and held afloat by 12,500 reclaimed plastic bottles, the catamaran sailed from San Francisco to Sydney on a mission to draw global attention to the health of our oceans, in particular the colossal amounts of plastic waste choking the waves. A remarkable man full of bright ideas, David is a lateral thinker and, by passionate conviction, an environmental pioneer. He and his team undertook the project as a practical realization of their vision of a society that views waste as a resource. The Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen backed the adventure as official partner, endorsing its efforts to draw attention to the untold quantities of plastic waste that litter our oceans. This partnership is celebrated with the Ingenieur Automatic Mission Earth Edition “Plastiki”, Refer- ence 3236, which is limited to 1,000 timepieces.

I believe, but am not certain, that this special edition IWC Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar watch is the final version of the same watch that I first previewed in August 2010.  Why IWC is now touting this watch despite its “2010″ status is a bit odd — my only guess is that the watches are just now starting to be delivered.  I originally referred to the watch as “yellow”, but I see that IWC refers to it as “orange” — six of one, half dozen of another, I say.  Oh, and for what it’s worth — I still do not like absolutely detest the “One out of 250″ engraving on the watch. At this level I think the pieces should be individually numbered pieces.

This watch is exclusively available at the IWC Boutiques in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.  Price is $28,000.

IWC Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar Watch Boutique Exclusive

46mm stainless steel case

Sandblasted steel case…

Here’s a cool looking new special edition watch from IWC Schaffhausen designed upon its popular Pilot’s watch collection.  This watch is a “Tribute to Patrouille Suisse” — the Patrouille Suisse is being a particularly talented aerobatic team of the Swiss Air Force.  As is the case with many  such special edition watches, availability and distribution is very limited — you’ll find this watch only in Switzerland, with just 300 piece in total being made.  The watch has a sandblasted stainless steel case which gives it a nice “soft” look that nicely matches the matte grey dial.   Long time IWC aficionados may recall that the first special watch for the Patrouille Suisse, a special edition of the Mark XII (pictured below), was made by IWC way back in 1994.   My how far IWC’s designs have come since then!

Via:  IWC Forum.

IWC Pilot’s Watch “Tribute to Patrouille Suisse” Special Edition

Patrouille Suisse with four aircraft in formation “shadow”

IWC Pilot Mark XII  ”Tribute to Patrouille Suisse” Special Edition (1994)

As you may know, Perpetuelle launched its new pre-owned watch marketplace (the watchXchange) for the U.S. market earlier this year — if you haven’t checked it out yet, I hope you will do so soon!  With its “intermediated transaction” process that provides Buyers with Guaranteed Authenticity and Sellers with Payment Protection, the watchXchange is a safe, secure and worry-free way for individuals to Buy and Sell pre-owned watches online, regardless of watch expertise or experience.  Because all watches bought on the watchXchange pass through the inspection of expert watchmakers, the risky and time-consuming burden for You to “Know the Seller” is lifted off of Your shoulders –  and instead Perpetuelle assumes this risk for you, in fact even give you “Guaranteed Authenticity”.

Today I wanted to highlight one attractive watch that is currently offered on the watchXchange – this IWC Aquatimer Chronograph Ref 3767-03 is listed as an “original owner” item with all boxes and papers, in excellent condition, with some wear to the bracelet (see photos).   The Seller is currently Asking $4,300, which is a very nice discount off of the list price of $6,000+ if you bought it brand new, and nearly $1,000 less than the ~$5,000 that many grey dealers are asking for this particular model.  Even so, if you still think the price is too high, you can always post your own Offer for the Seller to consider.  Click through to Buy or Make an Offer on this IWC Aquatimer Chronograph (or you can just view more photos + details on the watch).

IWC Aquatimer Chronograph Ref 3767-03

44mm stainless steel case, day of week and date function, bracelet-quick change system

Click through to Buy or Make an Offer on this IWC Aquatimer Ref 3767-03 (or you can just view more photos + details on the watch).