Introducing: Four New Additions To The IWC Pilot's Top Gun Collection

January 13, 2019

This year is all about the Pilot's watches for IWC. We've got a whole new cadre of Spitfires, which are major departures from the Spitfire models of previous collections, and even a few complicated models under the Saint-Exupry umbrella. But what we're talking about here is a relatively diverse quartet of watches that all carry the Top Gun name on their casebacks. Traditionally this family has been all about black, tactical watches that pay homage to the famous flight school C that isn't really changing, but we're getting some new expressions of the idea, taking advantage of new materials and top-tier movements.The watches certainly share a lot in common, but each has its own character, technical specs, and important innovations, so below you'll find a breakdown of the four model, each of which brings something new and interesting to the collection. If you ask me, this is the coolest collection of Top Gun watches we've seen yet. The Pilot's Watch Automatic Top Gun The most basic watch of the bunch is the three-hand-plus-date Automatic Top Gun. Until today there wasn't a simple all-black automatic in the Pilot's range (you had to choose between the blue-dialed ceramic Mark XVIII or the Miramar), which seems hard to believe. This version has a 41mm case made of matte black ceramic with a titanium case back and the dial is all about that pure pilot simplicity. It's also features a new in-house caliber that has a 72 hour power reserve. I would be shocked if this didn't prove to be a very popular model by this time next year. The Basics Brand: IWCModel: Pilot's Watch Automatic Top GunReference Number: IW326901Diameter: 41mmThickness: 11.4mmCase Material: CeramicDial Color: BlackIndexes: Arabic numeralsLume: Yes, on hands and hour markersWater Resistance: 60 meters Strap/Bracelet: Black textile strap The Movement Caliber: In-House Caliber 32110Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, datePower Reserve: 72 hoursWinding: AutomaticFrequency: 4 Hz (28,800 vph)Jewels: 21Additional Details: Hacking seconds and soft-iron inner case to protect against magnetism Pricing & Availability Price: $5,500Availability: From April 2019 Pilots Watch Double Chronograph Top Gun Ceratanium Ceratanium is a new material from IWC that is essentially a hybrid of titanium and ceramic C you get the lightweight properties of titanium and the scratch resistance and matte black finish of ceramic. Here it's used to house IWC's classic doppelchronograph movement, finished off with a black-on-black dial. Despite being on the larger side of things at 44mm across and 16.8mm top to bottom, this is about as sleek and cool as an IWC pilot's watch can get. I particularly like the use of the grey lume, which gives you that monochromatic effect in daylight but still offers the functionality of lume in the dark. The Basics Brand: IWCModel: Pilots Watch Double Chronograph Top Gun CerataniumReference Number: IW371815Diameter: 44mmThickness: 16.8mmCase Material: CerataniumDial Color: BlackIndexes: Arabic numeralsLume: Yes, on hands and hour markersWater Resistance: 60 metersStrap/Bracelet: Black textile strap The Movement Caliber: IWC caliber 79420 (Valjoux 7750 base with doppel module)Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, day, date, split-seconds chronograph with 12-hour and 60-minute totalizersDiameter: 30mmPower Reserve: 44 hoursWinding: AutomaticFrequency: 4 Hz (28,800 vph)Jewels: 29 Pricing & Availability Price: $14,600Availability: From April 2019 Pilots Watch Chronograph Top Gun Edition "Mojave Desert" This is something totally new for the Top Gun collection and it's probably my favorite watch of the bunch here (at least upon first inspection). The 44.5mm case is made from sand colored ceramic C hence the "Mojave Desert" moniker?C with a matching brown and sand colored dial. You end up with a similar tonal effect to what the Ceratanium Doppelchronograph offers, but with a totally different result. This watch is super understated and I could see it being easy to pair with lots of different strap options and styles of clothing. I'm excited to spend some hands-on time with this one, especially to see how the colors of the case and dial interact. The Basics Brand: IWCModel: Pilots Watch Chronograph Top Gun Edition "Mojave Desert"Reference Number: IW389103Diameter: 44.5mmThickness: 15.7mmCase Material: Sand-colored ceramic case with titanium caseback Dial Color: Dark brown with sand accents Indexes: Arabic numeralsLume: Yes, on hands and hour markersWater Resistance: 60 metersStrap/Bracelet: Sand colored textile strap The Movement Caliber: In-House Caliber 69380Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, day, date, and chronograph with 12-hour and 60-minute totalizersPower Reserve: 46 hoursWinding: AutomaticFrequency: 4 Hz (28,800 vph)Jewels: 33Additional Details: Hacking seconds and soft-iron inner case for protection against magnetism Pricing & Availability Price: $8,200Availability: From April 2019Limited Edition: 500 pieces Pilot's Watch Chronograph Top Gun This is probably the most classic Top Gun watch of the bunch. It's very much a traditional IWC Pilot's Chronograph, but in a matte black ceramic case housing another new in-house movement, the caliber 69380. You get a lot of bang for your buck here and the watch is technically interesting in basically every way, from the case through to the movement. It might not be the watch from the collection that jumps out at you first, but if you're a fan of what IWC's been doing in this space for years, this is a meaningful improvement that doesn't throw away any of the things you already enjoyed. The Basics Brand: IWCModel: Pilot's Watch Chronograph Top GunReference Number: IW389101Diameter: 44.5mmThickness: 15.7mmCase Material: Ceramic case with titanium casebackDial Color: BlackIndexes: Arabic numeralsLume: Yes, on hands and hour markersWater Resistance: 60 metersStrap/Bracelet: Black textile strap The Movement Caliber: In-House Caliber 69380 Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, day, date, and chronograph with 12-hour and 60-minute totalizers Power Reserve: 46 hours Winding: Automatic Frequency: 4 Hz (28,800 vph) Jewels: 33 Additional Details: Hacking seconds and soft-iron inner case for protection against magnetism Pricing & Availability Price: $7,550Availability: From April 2019