IWC - Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN “Lake Tahoe” and "Woodland" Editions

IWC unveiled the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Edition Lake Tahoe IW389105 and Edition Woodland IW389106. Price: € Watches&Wonders 2022

On occasion of the Watches and Wonders 2022 exhibition (Geneva, March 30 - April 5), IWC unveiled two new TOP GUN chronographs in coloured ceramic in the Pilot’s Watches family.

First introduced in 2007, the TOP GUN line in IWC’s Pilot’s Watches family has always been characterised by the use of advanced materials. 

In 2019, IWC introduced the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Edition “Mojave Desert”, the first TOP GUN model in sand-coloured ceramic. The collection is now completed by these two new chronographs housed in white and green ceramic cases measuring 44.5 mm x 15.7 mm and water resistant up to a pressure of 6 ATM (approximately 60 metres / 200 feet). In addition, the front glasses are specially secured to withstand sudden drops in air pressure. 

The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Edition “Lake Tahoe” (ref. IW389105) is inspired to a freshwater lake, and the winter landscape around it, located in western Nevada, not far from Naval Air Station Fallon, home to the US Navy’s legendary TOPGUN school. 

The pitch-black dial is completed by black hands that, like the hour markers, are coated with luminescent material. The pushers and crown are made of stainless steel, the case back of titanium. The strap is made of white rubber and characterised by a distinctive embossing.

The other model - the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Edition “Woodland” (ref. IW389106) - takes inspiration from the flight suits of naval aviators. The “Woodland Green” colour is used for the ceramic case and the dial, while the numerals and hour markers are printed in a lighter hue. 

The pushers and the case back are made of matte black Ceratanium, an alloy that combines the lightness and structural integrity of titanium with a hardness and scratch-resistance similar to ceramic. A matching green rubber strap with textile inlay completes the design.

A major challenge in the production of these models was the need to adapt the newly developed ceramic shades to the other components made of different materials – each with unique properties and a specific manufacturing process – such as the dial, the hands, the rubber straps and textile inlays, and even luminescent paint.

Both timepieces are driven by the IWC-manufactured 69380 column-wheel chronograph movement beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz) with a power reserve of 46 hours. Soft-iron inner cases protect them from the effects of magnetic fields.

The case backs are engraved with the famous Top GUN logo.

The retail price of the IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Edition “Lake Tahoe” is Euro 10,100 while the Edition "Woodland" retails at Euro 11,100. Their annual production will be limited to 1,000 pieces each. iwc.com

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