IWC presented 3 new chronographs in its Pilot’s Watches collection inspired to U.S. Navy squadrons and, for the first time, available to non pilots.
In 2018, IWC started a partnership with the U.S. Navy entitling the Swiss brand to work on watches for the entire U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aviation units, including their 247 active and 100 inactive squadrons.
Since then, IWC has collaborated with more than a dozen squadrons to create special editions that are exclusively available to present and former members. This way, IWC receives invaluable feedback that helps to keep improving the quality and durability of the timepieces.
Today, IWC is announcing the release of three new chronographs in its Pilot’s Watches collection inspired to three of these U.S. Navy squadrons and, for the first time, available to non-pilots. The annual production of these chronographs will be limited to 500 pieces each.
The first model is the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Royal Maces” (ref. IW389107), dedicated to the strike Fighter Squadron 27, known as the “Royal Maces” and stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan as part of Carrier Air Wing 5.
This edition features a black zirconium oxide ceramic case with pushers and crown made of Ceratanium, a special alloy developed by IWC that is light and robust like titanium but also hard and scratch-resistant like ceramic.
The case back is made of grade 5 titanium and features an engraving of the squadron’s F/A-18E Super Hornet jet next to the official squadron denomination “VFA-27”.
The dial features the “Maces” patch at 6 o’clock and a yellow day-date indication. Yellow, the signature “Maces” colour, is also used for the stitching on the strap, the tip of the chronograph seconds hand and the small seconds hand.
The second model is the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Tophatters” (ref. IW389108). Based in the Naval Air Station Lemoore in California, the Strike Fighter Squadron 14, nicknamed “Tophatters”, is the Navy’s oldest active squadron having been formed in 1919.
The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Tophatters” also features a case made of black zirconium oxide ceramic with chronograph pushers and crown in Ceratanium.
The squadron’s patch with the classic top hat can be found at 6 o’clock on the dial and engraved on the titanium case back. For this model, the accents are bright red.
The third timepiece differs for its bright blue ceramic case. Here, too, the chronograph pushers and the crown are made of Ceratanium. This edition is the result of the collaboration with the “Blue Angels” U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron is currently made up of 141 members from the Navy and Marines.
The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Blue Angels” (ref. IW389109) sports the “Blue Angels" crest with the U.S. Navy Wings of Gold at 6 o’clock on the dial with yellow accents for the chronograph seconds hand, the small seconds hand and the day-date display at 3 o’clock. The blue rubber strap features a textile inlay.
All models are powered by the IWC-manufactured 69380 calibre movement equipped with a column wheel to control the stopwatch function. The bi-directional pawl-winding system supplies the 4 Hz (28,800 vph) movement with a power reserve of 46 hours.
The 44.5 mm x 15.7 mm case features a soft-iron inner case that protects the movement from the effects of magnetic fields. The sapphire glass is specially designed to be protected against sudden drops in pressure in the cockpit.
The IWC Pilot’s Watches Chronograph U.S. Navy Squadrons Editions are water resistant to 6 bar (approximately 60 metres / 200 feet) and retail at Euro 12,100. iwc.com
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