When it comes to pilot’s watches, there are few as instantly recognisable as the IWC Pilot’s Watch, after all, it’s literally in the name. It goes without saying that over the decades there have been many iterations both civilian and military leaning in collaboration with the pilot training school Top Gun. In recent years the latter has been where IWC have experimented with ceramic cases in dramatic colours such as the khaki Mojave, white Tahoe and green Forest Green. Now they’re adding another variant with the launch of the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Top Gun Miramar (also available in a non-Top Gun steel edition.
The name Miramar (the location of the original Top Gun base in San Diego) has a Spanish origin, meaning Sea-View, which is why this new duo have a gorgeous blue dial in a tone that’s not quite sky blue but not quite ocean blue either, sitting somewhere between the two. It’s like the horizon line seen from the cockpit of plane flying over the ocean, a dramatic sea-view indeed. The dials of both models feature the classic vertical tricompax chronograph layout (with snailed subdials) with a date function at 3 o’clock.
Where they differ is that the standard steel model has a 41mm x 14.5mm case in steel while the Top Gun is 41.9mm x 15.5mm in ceramic. That ceramic is also in blue, if anything a slightly lighter tone due to the smooth finish. It’s a very unusual hue for ceramic and showcases yet again IWC’s mastery of the material. They’re one of the only brands experimenting to this extent with colour, creating more intricate shades than your full saturation electric blues from the likes of Audemars Piguet and lighter than their own Oceana blue.
Powering the watches are the IWC manufacture calibre 69385 in the steel model and the 69380 in the Top Gun. They’re the same movement with the exception that the 69385 has a gold oscillating weight and the other doesn’t. Beyond that they have the same 46-hour power reserve and column-wheel chronograph complication. They also share Côtes de Genève and perlage finishing.
The IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Miramar is priced at £5,900 and the Top Gun Miramar edition is £11,100. Ultimately these watches are an expansion of an existing range so whether you like them comes down to if you prefer the blue to any of the previous editions. I think they look great but do they beat out the clean look of the Lake Tahoe or the authentic military vibe of the regular black editions? It’s a tough call.
Price and Specs:
41mm diameter x 14.5mm thickness, stainless steel (steel)
IWC calibre 69385, automatic, 33 jewels (steel)
More details at IWC.
