IWC SIHH 2012 Pilot's Watches: TOP GUN Miramar

AnthonyTsai introduces IWC's 2012 Pilot's Watch novelties from SIHH, marking a significant year for the collection with a strong emphasis on the TOP GUN series. The post details the inspiration behind the new designs, particularly the TOP GUN Miramar models, which blend historical navigation watch aesthetics with modern military-styled features and advanced in-house calibers.

2012: the year of the high-flyers

The new Pilot’s Watches from IWC Schaffhausen

IWC Schaffhausen gets off to a powerful startin 2012: the year of the Pilot’s Watch. Withfive new models, the TOP GUN collectionestablishes itself as an independent formationwithin the IWC Pilot’s Watch family. Theyear’s high-flyer is the TOP GUN Miramar: atribute to the place in California where themyth of the elite pilots was born. And twoPilot’s Watches featuring many of fine watchmaking’sgreatest achievements prepare fortake off: the Big Pilot’s Watch PerpetualCalendar TOP GUN and the Spitfire PerpetualCalendar Digital Date-Month.

“For the new TOP GUN Pilot’s Watches we drewon our long tradition of manufacturing unusualdeck watches. In the 1940s, Pilot’s Watchesmade in Schaffhausen were widely used as socalledB watches for flight navigation,” explainsGeorges Kern, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen. “Backthen, only wristwatches with the highest possibleprecision were good enough for navigators:the pilot and his crew would synchronizetheir watches to the navigator’s.” Since the mainpriority for navigation is optimum legibility ofthe seconds and minutes, these two were oftenthe only indicators shown on the outer ring; thehours would be relatively small and appearedon a central ring. This particular detail inspiredIWC’s designers to display the hour circle andthe chapter ring separately on the dials of the Big Pilot’s Watch TOP GUN Miramar and the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Miramar. “The process of retracing the historic rootsof our Pilot’s Watches gave us the idea of usingthe Miramar to create our first line with a militarystyledesign,” adds Christian Knoop, CreativeDirector at IWC. “This allows us to combinevarious styles in an imaginative way – even withluxury elements, if we wish. That’s one of thereasons the new Miramar line is such a perfectfit for IWC: premium-class watches with outstandingmechanics and a rugged, almost hardedgedfeel.” The dark, metallic sheen of thegrey ceramic case and the matte anthracite ofthe dial all waken associations with precisioninstruments used in aviation. The use of specificcamouflage colours such as beige for the handsand chapter ring, together with green for thestrap, underscore the desired look. The textilestrap leans visibly on the tough webbing belts.It is complemented by two high-tech materials,typical for TOP GUN, that were introduced towatchmaking by IWC as early as the 1980s:zirconium oxide for the case, along with titaniumfor the controls and the watch back. Boththe Miramar models – like the entire TOP GUNcollection, incidentally – are equipped withIWC-manufactured calibres. Like the other BigPilot’s Watch, the Big Pilot’sWatch TOP GUN Miramar is equipped with the largest automatic movement made by IWC, with a powerreserve of 168 hours. This also explains the48-millimetre case diameter. The calibre 89365found in the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Miramar is one of the most advanced and robust chronograph movements ever produced.It has a flyback function as well as an analoguedisplay for stopped minutes and seconds. Commentingon the family’s positioning in the internationalwatch market, Karoline Huber, DirectorMarketing & Communications at IWC, explains:“Flying enthusiasts all over the world think ofMiramar in California as the birth place of the Top Gun legend. With our new TOP GUN Miramardesign line, we are addressing watch loverswho consciously embrace IWC’s long-standingtradition of manufacturing Pilot’s Watches butwho also wish to benefit from the technologicaladvances of the 21st century and the inimitablequality typical of IWC.”

Classic TOP GUN collection:
black and white with red highlights .
The TOP GUN edition has held a permanentplace in IWC Pilot’s Watches collection since2007. The elaborately equipped Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar TOP GUN comes with a host of advanced features, including aperpetual calendar with its four-digit year display,moon phase display and seven-day powerreserve. The Big Pilot’s Watch TOP GUN unites the clear-cut instrument look of the 1940s withultra-modern watch technology. The tiny aircraftsilhouette on the seconds hand creates aneye-catching signal-red highlight on the blackand-white dial. The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN, which comes with a flyback function and protection against magnetic fields, is alsoequipped with an IWC-manufactured movement.

Rising fast: the Spitfire combines fabulouscontours with first-class mechanics
In 2003, IWC Schaffhausen launched a Pilot’sWatch line that took not only its name from theSpitfire but also reflected the elegance and outstandingtechnology of the legendary singlepropelleraircraft. Now, the designers and technicianshave subjected the Spitfire watches toa thorough general overhaul. With a streamlineddesign and new features, they remain firmly oncourse for success. All the latest models arefitted with IWC-manufactured calibres. The goldand stainless-steel cases are meticulously machinedby hand; the result is a vibrant interplayof shiny, silky matte and structured surfaces.The sun-pattern finish gives the slate-coloureddial a metallic sheen that optically referencesits namesake. The Spitfire Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month in its red gold case combines tasteful design with the art of watchmakingat its finest. It is the first IWC Pilot’s Watch toshow the date and month digitally in the formof four large numerals; in visual terms, it goesperfectly with the instrument appearance andrevives the tradition of the Pallweber system,now dating back well over 100 years. The Spitfire Chronograph with its IWC-manufactured 89365 calibre is available in red gold and stainlesssteel. With its vertically arranged numerals,the date window is an unmistakable sign thatthe engineers had the shape of an altimeter inmind when they designed it. The metal braceletsupplied with Reference 387804, is fitted witha newly developed fine-adjustment mechanism.Simply pressing the IWC button in the foldingclasp lengthens the bracelet; to shorten it, thebracelet is pushed together until it is the correctlength. Both the pin buckle and folding claspare slightly bolder, in order to match the largercase diameter.

Classic Pilot’s Watches – slightly modified
The Pilot’s Watches made by IWC in the 1930sand 1940s established a legend that lives on inthe classic Pilot’s Watches family. The most conspicuouschange compared to their predecessors– with the exception of the Big Pilot’s Watch – is the vertical triple date display at “3 o’clock”, whose form underscores the cockpit-style design more emphatically. In 2012, the Big Pilot’s Watch will appear with its familiar looks as well as the highly efficient IWC-manufactured 51111- calibre movement. Compared with its predecessor, the Mark XVI, the Pilot’s Watch Mark XVII is 2 millimetres larger at 41 millimetres. With its new red design features, the dial of the Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph is even more attractive, and thanks to a larger case diameter – now 46 millimetres – it is also significantly more legible. The stainless-steel case of the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph has increased by a moderate 1 millimetre to 43 millimetres. The new Pilot’s Watch Worldtimer has a 24-hour ring that enables the wearer to look at all 24 time zones, including the Universal Time Coordinated (UTC). The city ring shows the names of 23 places around the globe, each of which represents a time zone. The dial shows local time, which can be adjusted forwards or backwards in one-hour steps – also when crossing the International Date Line. “It is with pride and confidence that IWC looks forward to 2012, our year of the Pilot’s Watch. We have six exciting new models, including two Perpetual Calendar models, with some of the most complex watchmaking features imaginable, the new Miramar design line and the new-look Spitfire collection,” sums up Georges Kern.

Pilot’s Watches for 76 years
The Schaffhausen-based watch manufacturer IWC has been making rugged and reliable timepieces for pilots and their passengers since the mid-1930s. Right from the start, IWC Pilot’s Watches were designed to offer optimum legibility by day and night and established the look of an instrument: a look that has since determined the appearance of this special breed of watches, to this day. The IWC Special Pilot’s Watch, launched in 1936, stood out with a distinctive black dial that was set off by striking luminescent hands and large luminescent numerals. Outstanding technical features of the IWC Special Pilot’s Watch included a shockprotected balance wheel bearing and a nonmagnetic escapement. With its 55-millimetre diameter, the Big Pilot’s Watch 52 T. S. C. of 1940 is the biggest wristwatch IWC Schaffhausen has ever manufactured. As a deck watch it featured, among other things, a central hacking seconds to enable pilots and navigators to synchronize their watches with down-to-the-second precision. An extra-long leather strap also meant that it could be fastened around a flight suit. The clearly arranged dial was a perfect example of reductionism: a style cue and a paragon for all classic Pilot’s Watches. The Mark 11, with its hand-wound 89calibre, manufactured from 1948 onwards for the Royal Air Force, established itself as the best-known IWC Pilot’s Watch of them all. Its movement was enclosed in a softiron inner case to shield the mechanism from magnetic fields. The Mark 11 was used successfully by the Royal Air Force for over 30 years.

IWC Schaffhausen
With a clear focus on technology and development, the Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen has been producing watches of lasting value since 1868. The company has gained an international reputation based on a passion for innovative solutions and technical ingenuity. One of the world’s leading brands in the luxury watch segment, IWC crafts masterpieces of Haute Horlogerie at its finest, combining supreme precision with exclusive design.

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