The IWC Pilot: The only watch you’ll ever need

Many a gentlemen has, at some stage in his life, dreamt of being a pilot. He’s imagined himself seated at the controls, feeling each rippling air current through the pedals as he brings the plane soaring through an illusory ceiling of cloud to emerge, blinking, in the deep and infinite blue. The deflating truth is, however, that we can’t all be pilots. But we can claim ownership of a piece of flying heritage by wearing a timepiece that was designed for the pioneers who conquered the sky.

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When the first Pilot watch left IWC’s Schaffhausen factory in 1936, it marked the beginning of an enduring relationship with flight. 80 years later, the sleek, iconic look of the Big Pilot’s watch continues to draw many a gaze. With bold white markings set against a black dial, and with a single curved red line marking the power reserve, the Big Pilot’s watch has the true look of an instrument panel. This year’s model has also moved closer to the original design: the triangular index has moved, retaking its place beneath the chapter ring; the numerals are a little bolder; the 5 minute indices slightly slimmer.

In practice, this makes for a uncluttered and versatile watch that can be worn throughout all four seasons. With an elegant black calf strap, the Big Pilot can be dressed up, adding a bold yet understated accent to formal wear. Yet its functional look (it is, after all, a watch for pilots) means that it is by no means ornate, making it equally suitable for daily wear. With a 7 day power reserve when fully wound, and with water resistance to 6 bar, it’ll perform whether you ascend into the air or dip beneath the surface of the ocean. It’s a watch for the gentleman with an innate sense of adventure, who needs, for the fine details in life, the utmost precision. And like the necessary attitude of those pioneers of flight, it evidences robustness and exactitude in equal measure.

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