IWC has been developing and building watches for pilots for 85 years. Originally inspired by cockpit instruments, these wristwatches are still regarded today as robust, precise, functional and reliable. And they have long since ceased to be solely for professional pilots. Rather, its unmistakable appearance makes an IWC Pilot’s Watch a trendy “tool watch,” i.e., a genuinely practical tool, which you can use to master many situations in everyday life.

In 1936, IWC introduced its first Pilot’s Watch. It had a rotating bezel with a tapered hand for marking a departure time. This Pilot’s Watch encased hand-wound Caliber 83, which was equipped with an antimagnetic escapement.

In the late 1930s, IWC developed a professional watch for pilots for the German Air Force with a satin-finished steel case and a diameter of 55 mm. Other features included an easy-grip winding crown, a black dial with luminescent numerals and hands, a stop-seconds function and a long leather strap so the watch could be worn over a flight suit. Each timepiece also had to meet the test conditions of the German naval observatory, which measured the timekeeping in six positions and at three different temperatures. Powered by hand-wound Caliber 52 T.S.C., this timepiece, as well as identical models made by the German watch manufacturers A. Lange & Söhne, Laco, Stowa and Wempe, played a decisive role in shaping the design of the genre of the pilots’ watch.

The Mark 11 debuted in 1948 and soon became a real cult watch. Many aircraft captains relied on this timekeeper, which had a softiron inner case, which protected Caliber 89 against magnetic fields up to an intensity of 80,000 amps per meter. Many subsequent generations of the “Mark” were patterned after this model.

IWC continued its tradition of pilots’ watches in 1988 with a Pilot’s Chronograph based on the ETA/Valjoux’s Caliber 7750, a mass produced, automatic movement that has already proven its mettle in millions of watches. Modified and assembled by the experts in Schaffhausen, this caliber ticked for many years inside IWC Pilot’s Chronographs, including various special editions and models with split-seconds complications. But newly designed manufacture calibers in the 69000 series are now gradually replacing chronograph movements based on the ETA/Valjoux 7750.

New 69000 Caliber Family Replaces the ETA/Valjoux 7750 

The 69000 caliber family was developed over a period of four years and made its debut with Caliber 69375 inside the Chronograph Ingenieur in 2017. Caliber 69380 arrived two years later in the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Spitfire. Now, after another two years, Caliber 69385 powers the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41, which belongs to the Standard Collection and was given this name because there are other unusual models, such as the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Antoine de Saint- Exupéry” or the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Ceratanium, that encase Calibers 79320 and 79420. These numbers refer to the corresponding ETA/Valjoux 7750 basic caliber. You can tell the difference immediately with a quick glance at the dial. The ETA/Valjoux 7750-based calibers have their subdial for the seconds at the 9 and the chronograph’s counter for up to 12 elapsed hours at the 6, while the positions of these two indicators are reversed on the dials of watches that encase the calibers in the 69000 series.

A Chronograph Movement Designed To be Robust and Suitable for Everyday Use 

On the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 with green dial, our test watch, the progress of the seconds is shown with a small red hand on a subdial at 6 o’clock. The red color makes it easy to distinguish this seconds hand from the chronograph’s elapsed-time hands. When the chronograph is switched on, the elapsing seconds are shown with a slender steel needle at the center of the dial, while the elapsing minutes are tallied on a subdial at 12 o’clock. The small white hand for the elapsed minutes advances position farther along each time the elapsedseconds hand passes its zero position, i.e., every 60 seconds. As stated earlier, the elapsed hours are counted on a subdial 9 o’clock, where an identical small white hand advances slowly and continuously. This hand’s gradual progress indicates that it is powered by the same basic construction in Caliber 69000 as in ETA/Valjoux’s Caliber 7750. But there are a few differences. After all, the automatic column-wheel chronograph movement is a modern, newly designed caliber.

Manufacture Caliber 69385 inside the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 consists of 231 individual components and, like every IWC Pilot’s Watch, was designed with a focus on robustness, reliability and precision. This is also why the chronograph, which can be used to tally intervals of up to 12 hours’ duration, is controlled by a column wheel. This complex component with two functional levels remains a challenge to manufacture, although modern design and production methods make the processes involved in its fabrication easier today.

A traditional rocking pinion alternately couples and uncouples the going-train from the chronograph. The energy, on the other hand, is provided by a modern, double-acting, self-winding system with a pawl. But this is not the winding system that’s named after IWC’s former engineer Albert Pellaton, which is still used in the calibers of the 89000 series. Rather, the bidirectional click winding system installed here results from a recent development within the Richemont Group. This innovative system efficiently converts kinetic energy from the motions of the wearer’s wrist into tension for the mainspring, which provides a 46-hour power reserve when fully wound. This is not an unusually long running autonomy by today’s standards as contemporary chronograph calibers often offer greater power reserves. For example, the ETA/ Valjoux movement, modernized to Caliber A05, offers 60 hours, as does the updated El Primero 3600 or Caliber 9900 in Omega’s Master Chronometer. Breitling’s Caliber B01 offers 70 hours and Heuer’ Calibre 02 provides 80 hours of power autonomy.

The frequency of the balance can be finely adjusted by shifting the position of the regulator. This is a simpler method than turning eccentric screws along the balance’s rim as is done in Caliber 89000, but IWC opted for the less complex variation because the company wanted to add a less expensive caliber to this series. Several thousand dollars separate the prices of models encasing different calibers.

Caliber 69385 keeps time quite respectably. Our wearing test measured an average daily gain of 3.5 seconds. We were pleased to see that neither the rate behavior nor the amplitudes deviated significantly when the chronograph was running. With the stopwatch function activated, the average daily gain was 1.8 seconds and the amplitudes hovered around 285 degrees.

The New Chronograph Maintains IWC’s Pilot’s Watch Heritage 

A gaze through the window of sapphire crystal in the screw-in back of the case, which now resists pressures up to 10 bar (compared to the former pressure resistance of 6 bar), shows the typical features and finishings of IWC’s calibers, for example, circular graining, circular grinding in Geneva-wave style, and satin finishing on the skeletonized rotor with the well-known engraving: “Probus Scafusia.”

This promise of quality, which was used as early as 1903 and means “Proven from Schaffhausen,” is also implemented in the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41, this new addition to IWC’s popular portfolio of established Pilot’s Watches. No matter how you look at this chronograph, it reflects the typical DNA of an IWC Pilot’s Watch. The stainless-steel case, measuring 40.85 mm in diameter and 14.55 mm in height, is mostly satin finished. Only the steep and narrow bezel has a bit of high gloss shine and is the sole exception to the norm that IWC Pilot’s Watches have upheld since the 1930s.

The round chronograph pushers, which run through bushings, and the large threaded crown are unmistakable. Thanks to the crown’s deep knurling, it is easy to to unscrew. The crown slides into its withdrawn positions with secure latching points; a bit of pressure returns it safely to its inserted position. When the crown has been withdrawn to its middle position, the date and the day of the week can be smoothly reset by turning the crown clockwise or counterclockwise. When the watch is running, the calendar indications “creep” toward their next settings between 11:25 p.m. and 12:10 a.m. The day of the week changes first, followed by the date. Both the switching operations and the positioning of the calendar display at the 3 recall the past, when the ETA/Valjoux caliber was used.

A Perfect Pilot, Even with A Green Dial 

Thanks to column-wheel control, the buttons for the chronograph function have secure pressure points and move surprisingly evenly. Triggering the stopwatch function starts the slender elapsedseconds hand, which sweeps smoothly along the bold scale on the edge of the dial. However, while the indexes and Arabic numerals are eye-catching and amply dimensioned, only the three larger markers at the 3, 6 and 9 are luminous, as are the orientation triangle and its two dots at the 12 as well as the lance-like, rhodium-plated hour and minute hands for the main time display from the dial’s center. This matches the typical luminous arrangement on IWC’s other Pilot’s Watches, although the numerous white markers here might lead to the mistaken conclusion that all 12 hour markers glow in the dark.

In daylight, all 12 markers contrast excellently with the currently popular glossy green sunburst dial, which explains why the dial is very easy to read on the whole. Depending on how the light falls, the color of the dial varies from a luminous green to almost black and sometimes only the circular-grained counters appear black, thus creating a contrast with the otherwise green background. The excellent readability that always distinguishes IWC’s Pilot’s Watches is further improved by the slightly domed sapphire crystal, which sometimes gives the impression that it is not there, thanks to antireflective coating on both its upper and its lower surface.

The EasX-Change system is new, but has already proven its merits. This innovative solution eliminates the task of fiddling with the wristband’s crosspieces or even taking a trip to the jeweler when you want to change one wristband with another. Applying slight downward pressure on the metal clamps at the reinforced ends of the strap releases the clamps from the crosspieces and makes it easy to remove the two halves of the strap. An audible “click” signals the successful insertion of a new wristband, and that’s all there is to it. Options include calfskin and rubber straps in various colors, as well as a new, slender, stainless-steel bracelet with an integrated system to finely adjust its length. Attached to the familiar brown calfskin strap that tapers slightly about two centimeters beyond the strap lugs and has contrasting colored stitching and an angular pin buckle, the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 with its green dial proves to be a perfect IWC Pilot’s Watch.

IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Specs:

Manufacturer: IWC Schaffhausen, Baumgartenstrasse 15, 8201 Schaffhausen, Switzerland 

Reference number: IW388103 

Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds subdial, weekday, date, chronograph (central elapsedseconds hand, counters for up to 60 elapsed minutes and 12 elapsed hours) 

Movement: IWC 69385 based on Caliber family 69000, automatic, 28,800 vph, 33 jewels, Incabloc shock absorption, fine adjustment via bipartite regulator, Glucydur balance, 46-hour power reserve, diameter = 30.0 mm, height = 7.90 mm 

Case: Stainless steel with domed sapphire crystal above the dial with anti-reflective coating on both sides and secured against sudden loss of pressure, sapphire crystal in the caseback, water resistant to 100 m 

Strap and clasp: Brown calfskin strap with pin buckle 

Rate results: Deviation in seconds per 24 hours (Fully wound / after 24 hours)

Dimensions: Diameter = 40.85 mm, height = 14.55 mm, weight = 110.0 g 

Variations: With blue dial and calfskin strap (Ref. IW388101, $6,500); with blue dial and stainless-steel bracelet (Ref. IW388102, $7,200); with green dial and stainlesssteel bracelet (IW388104, $7,200)

Scores:

Strap and clasp (max. 10 points): Rustic, high quality, leather strap matches the Pilot’s Watch style, practical system for changing wristbands, various strap options. 9

Case (10): A simple, classic case in IWC’s familiar Pilot’s Watch style, anti-reflective crystals, screw-down crown. 8

Dial and hands (10): Dial in trendy green; the DNA of IWC’s Pilot’s Watches has been preserved in the bold numerals, hands and indexes. 9

Design (15): The watch’s entire design follows IWC’s characteristic Pilot’s Watch style. 14

Legibility (5): Easy to read thanks to the large typeface, strong contrasts and anti-reflective crystal, nighttime luminosity follows the IWC Pilot’s Watch DNA. 5

Operation (5): Easy to use screw-down crown, the pressure points of the push-pieces are very uniform, perfect strap changing system.

To learn more about IWC, click here, and to subscribe to the WatchTime print magazine, click here.    

Launched in 2021, the customizable PRO collection now offers even more options, including a blue dial and a case without the side engraving, expanding the potential for over 100,000 unique configurations of a personalized Laco pilot watch.

Laco preserves its tradition as a manufacturer of pilot watches with meticulous attention to detail in the Fliegeruhren Original series, inspired by historical timepieces. As the brand approaches its 100th anniversary next year, it also continues to develop modern advancements that impress both technically and aesthetically, with a strong focus on meeting customer preferences. This philosophy is particularly evident in the Flieger PRO models. The collection is built around two base models: the Stuttgart Pro with a simple Baumuster A dial and the Karlsruhe PRO with a Baumuster B dial featuring an inner hour circle and outer minute track.

Responding to popular demand, Laco now offers a blue sunburst dial option alongside the classic black dials. Depending on the light, this dial can appear almost black or radiantly blue. This new variant is complemented by the option of a color-coordinated blue date disc.

Despite its slim profile of just 11mm, the screwed case back and screw-down crown ensure water resistance up to 20 ATM, protecting against moisture under varying pressure and temperature conditions.

All Flieger PRO models are equipped with Swiss mechanical automatic or hand-wound movements, offered in various quality levels and finishes.

Additionally, a multitude of other customizable options are available, allowing customers to create a pilot watch that perfectly matches their personal preferences while retaining the unmistakable Laco pilot DNA. Depending on the configuration, prices start at 850 Euros or approximately $900 when converted to USD.

To learn more, visit Laco, here.

Horological startup Aera draws its inspiration from classic tool watches, but adds a modern twist with its rounded case designs. WatchTime performed a quick pre-flight check with the P-1 Pilot, one of the brand’s inaugural watch models.

In 1927, while working for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), Fred Ernest Weick (July 14, 1899 – July 8, 1993) also headed the development of a streamlined, low-drag engine cowling for radial airplanes for which he would win the Collier Trophy just two years later. The NACA cowling represented a major advance in aerodynamic drag reduction, and ultimately fuel efficiency. In this aspect, looking straight from the top at the round bezel of the P-1 Pilot from Anglo-Swiss brand Aera feels very much like standing in front of a silver-colored airplane of such design, and it would certainly have been interesting to bring the P-1 Pilot to NACA’s wind tunnel at Langley Aeronautical Laboratory (LaRC or NASA Langley, the oldest of NASA’s field centers), to see how it would perform in terms of aerodynamics.

The 43-mm pilots’ watch comes with a domed, distortion-free sapphire crystal that blends seamlessly with the sloping brushed stainless-steel bezel. The crystal also matches the curved lugs and an overall round case design that, on first sight, appears to pay homage to Marc Newson’s designs for Ikepod, if it weren’t for the much more utilitarian matte

dial and classic hand design. The black pie-pan dial also creates a nice contrast to the curved crystal. According to Aera, the team felt “that in creating a clean, clear and uncomplicated design, a one-piece dial was the perfect choice.” Opting to go without a traditional rehaut (the French word for “flange”) obviously meant a more challenging approach in production, but the result is indeed supporting the “clean profile of Aera’s original design concept” nicely. Speaking of original design, watching the lollipop-style counterweight of the second hand briefly frame the two “A”s in the logo is a really nice touch, as are the refreshingly long hands, the luminous logo and dot on the crown. Same goes with the comparatively long (and also curved) buckle. It is different enough to catch one’s eye, but doesn’t get to a level where it simply becomes art for art’s sake.

Aera took offwith two models, the D-1 Diver and the P-1 Pilot. Both watches have similar case shapes that flow seamlessly into the curved crystal. The Diver, however, comes with a 44-mm case, rotating bezel with ceramic bezel and an increased water resistance of 300 meters, whereas the Pilot has a case rated to 100 meters. The watches are “assembled, tested and finished in Switzerland” and powered by a Sellita SW200-1 with 38-hour power reserve. Aera offers a 2-year warranty from the date of purchase and an additional year for everyone that registers the watch afterward.

The automatic movement chosen for the D-1 and P-1 obviously means that the brand’s main selling point will be the overall design, which Aera sees as a result of a “passion for functional tool watches.” In this aspect, drilled lugs (regardless of the quick-release spring bars used on the straps) would have been a nice detail to counterbalance the smooth design and further underline the tool watch character. In a nutshell, however, Aera did manage to offer a surprisingly fresh take on not one but two rather traditional categories, even if the engines used do not offer that much variety for collectors. More importantly, the Aera P-1 Pilot definitely doesn’t belong in the category of items that have to be removed before flight.

To learn more about Aera, click here, and to subscribe to the WatchTime print magazine, click here.    

The winged hourglass brand is now launching the Longines Pilot Majetek Pioneer Edition in a dark grey titanium version. Limited to 1,935 pieces as a nod to its birth year, it is chronometer-certified by the COSC.

At 9 o’clock, the exterior of the 43mm Grade 5 titanium case bears an engraved “1935” commemorative plaque. It houses an innovative gear mechanism guaranteeing water resistance up to 10 bar (100 meters) for the external fluted rotating bezel system, which is coupled to the internal luminescent mobile triangle marker or “starting time indicator”. The latter is positioned under the sapphire crystal, from which it is independent, and above the dial. On the historic 1935 model, the bezel and the glass containing the marker rotated as a single unit. In the current model, the sapphire crystal is fixed and contributes to the water resistance of the new case.

The Longines Pilot Majetek has a matt black grained dial. The hours are indicated by raised Arabic numerals treated with gray Superluminova with bluish luminescence and accentuated by a railway-style minute track. Baton hands skim over them, also coated in gray Superluminova with bluish luminescence. The oversized, slightly recessed small‑second dial at 6 o’clock, is a reminder, together with the fluted bezel, of the original functional character of this pilot’s watch.

Behind the closed and engraved case back ticks the exclusive Longines caliber L893.6. Equipped with a silicon balance-spring and other innovative components, this self-winding movement offers a resistance to magnetism that exceeds the requirements of the ISO 674 standard by a factor of more than ten, and has a power reserve of up to 72 hours.

The Longines Pilot Majetek is attached to a black fabric strap and retails for $5,000.

To learn more, visit Longines, here.

While stainless steel is, for many, the preferred material for luxury sports watches, gold still has its fans. In fact, after a decade or two of pink gold being on the rise, it is now yellow gold that is making a comeback. Especially for those who enjoy a more classic look, this is indeed a very tempting material. Seductive are also the following four sportive watches that look great in gold;

Breitling Super Avi B04 Chronograph GMT 46 P-51 Mustang

These two Breitlings perfectly illustrate the difference in appeal between stainless steel and gold. While more of a good-looking instrument in the first, the latter adds a dash of glamour and luxury while being just as capable. Granted, 18 karat gold is a softer material than stainless steel, so it damages quicker, but unless you are going to wear it when things get really rough, you should be fine. What I also like about aviation watches in gold is that they tend to age very nicely. I suspect that this has something to do with the chronograph complication that they are often fitted with, which amplifies their practical nature.

Panerai Luminor Calendario Perpetuo

This watch almost contradicts what Panerai stands for, as it combines a complex movement with an innovative perpetual calendar complication with a Goldtech case. This is Panerai’s proprietary alloy with a slightly higher copper content to give a richer hue. Because of the way Panerai worked with this material and the way it integrated the complications in the overall design, it remains grounded in the DNA of the brand. It also shows how powerful the Luminor design is because while a 44mm diameter large watch in polished gold sounds like too much of a good thing, this Panerai proves that it is temptation for the wrist and a luscious alternative to their stainless steel and titanium models.

Angelus Chronodate Gold

Gold and the color blue always go very nicely together, as this Angelus Chronodate underscores. The two really get a synergy going that makes the blue look more luxurious and the gold more sportive. Angelus works this to a further degree of perfection by giving the blue dial different finishes that interact differently with the gold case. It results in a precious, sportive creation that quite literally unites the best of both worlds.

Hublot Big Bang Integral Time Only

Hublot is a brand that always seems to be ahead of the curve when it comes to trends. This is also the case with the return of yellow gold in a more prominent position within their collection. With the Big Bang Integral Time Only, they make it almost all about this material as there isn’t even the distraction from a chronograph movement, a complication the Big Bang is well-known for. By alternating brushed and polished surfaces, Hublot succeeds in maintaining a sportive look for this watch, making it almost like an understatement. As it is also fitted with a gold bracelet, one can expect that the heft of the Big Bang Integral Time Only on the wrist is quite substantial. As this is even more than if it had been made from stainless steel, one can consider this the sportive feel of luxury.

What sports watch would you like to wear in gold? Let us know in the comments!