Flying used to be romantic. Passengers wore their best clothes (and their best watches) to catch a plane. Even pilots had an excellent wrist game. When it comes to the golden age of flight, we usually think of the replica Rolex GMT-Master. It has a certain cosmopolitan, jet-setting spirit. But the Pilot’s Watch itself has a much stronger heritage, and it is with the Pilot’s Watch that we associate with replica IWC. Its entire Pilot’s Collection is steeped in the tradition of fighter pilots – and the brand continues to refine this aesthetic to this day.
At the 2021 Watch Fair, IWC unveiled a series of new additions to the Pilot’s Collection – including a new (and smaller) Pilot’s Chronograph in the 41mm size. Most important are two new blue and green dial options. Outside of the Le Petit Prince collection, IWC’s Pilot’s Watches are stern and serious. Those splashes of colour (it’s the entire dial, so maybe it’s more of a barrel) give the watch a bit of a golden-age vibe. I bet this watch would look just as good in first class as it would on an ensign’s wrist.
The 41mm size works in this watch’s favour. Wearability and versatility increase greatly with the size reduction. I have a 7.25″ wrist and often tend to wear clone watches in the 36 to 42mm range. This makes the previous generations of this watch obsolete. I have worn larger pilot chronographs in the past, and while the 43mm case diameter is not a behemoth, it was occasionally inconvenient. The new size changes that.
IWC has a new quick-release strap system that allows you to attach or remove the strap (in my case, a beautiful blue leather strap) in just a few seconds via a push-button hook system at the bottom. I’m usually a bracelet kind of guy, but this strap is fantastic. So is the dial. For me, the most surprising aspect is definitely the shade of blue. In the shadows, it looks almost like a dark navy. In other light conditions, the sunburst face radiates light. The red accents on the dial provide an unexpectedly playful touch.
The more time I spend with it, the more I feel like a world traveller – a strange feeling when I haven’t been on a plane in two years. It has a distinctive look. It’s worldly. It has many functions under the hood, but there’s something freeing about just wearing it without all those functions, such as a copy watch that tells the time (and the day, date and chronograph data, but you get the idea). The closest I’ve come to travelling with this watch is taking it out to dinner. But these days, just leaving the house feels like an epic trip.
If I can be honest, I rarely engage in movement watching. I’m a sucker for dials, and IWC makes some of the most interesting-looking dials out there. In this case, however, the back is worth a look. That would be the IWC 69385 column-wheel movement, the same movement found in the Portugieser collection.
The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph is not a slim fake watch, but it shouldn’t be one, either. While chronographs can undoubtedly provide a variety of …… You know the …… things on an aeroplane (I’m not exactly a pilot, as perhaps you can guess), it is equally useful in measuring the time it takes between ordering and receiving restaurant food. As a tool meter, it is designed to ensure that the crystal stays in place in the event of a rapid pressure loss. In my use case, this would mean a loss of pressure due to too much wine.
The IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph takes a straightforward Frigidaire mentality and makes it smile. That’s what the green and (in this case) blue dials are for. It just has a new attitude. Some tweaks and upgrades, like smaller cases and new dials, go a long way.