Advanced Flight Instruments

IWC maintains not only one of the largest fleets of pilot watches, the Schaffhausen-based manufacturer now also offers an impressive choice of materials for one of its most popular models, the 41-mm Pilot's Chronograph.

- Roger Ruegger

Over the years, IWC has become almost synonymous with pilot watches. The Swiss brand's current squadron of horological aces is divided into a "Classic" segment (with the Heritage and Spitfire models), "Performance Materials" (with Top Gun, Pantone and various other special editions) and "Saint-Exupéry" (with Le Petit Prince and Antoine de SaintExupéry models). In other words, customers can, for example, choose among the classic, 40-mm Mark XVIII in stainless steel with black dial and matching leather strap (Ref.IW327009), a heritage Mark XVIII in titanium with brown leather strap (IW327006), a 39-mm bronze pilots' watch (IW326802) in the Spitfire segment, a 41-mm ceramic Mark XVIII Top Gun Edition "SFTI" (Ref. IW324712), and a 40-mm Mark XVIII "Le Petit Prince" Edition with stainless-steel case, blue dial and brown leather strap (Ref. IW327010). Think of it like the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk made for the Army, the Sea Hawk for the Navy, the Jayhawk for the Coast Guard and the elusive Stealth Hawk for the SEALS - same airframe, different purpose.