IWC

A visit to the IWC Boutique - rue de la Paix in Paris: festival of wristshots!

 

The IWC boutique is located at the beginning of the rue de la Paix by the Place Vendôme. This large boutique offers a comfortable experience to discover the different collections of the catalogue thanks to its lay-out and the way the displays are organized. Actually, each section of the boutique is dedicated to a collection and when I entered it, I knew exactly which one I would like to see. As you know, IWC renews and redesigns every year a collection of its catalogue and this year it was the turn of the Pilot's collection. This collection is a keystone of the catalogue and plays obviously a strategic role in the brand turnover. It is the reason why IWC didn't have the right to fail. The visit to the boutique gave me the opportunity to rediscover some of these novelties several months after the SIHH. But the big asset of IWC is to offer several iconic collections to its customers. So as you can imagine it, I didn't stay only with the Pilot's watches and took advantage of the nice atmosphere of the boutique to have a look at some other pieces.

I propose you to browse the wristshots I took during my visit to the boutique mainly made of Pilot's watches. But you will also find some other representatives of the other collections!

Let's start with the Mark XVIII. This watch can be considered as the flag bearer of the Pilot's collection since it embodies the purest approach of this type of watches. Its price and its simplicity make it also a best-seller.

I like a lot this version since, as I  said in the article dedicated to  it several weeks ago, it embodies some aesthetic moves I appreciate:
- the case is slightly smaller
- all the figures (except the 3 of course due to the date window) are back
- the date window gets the right size
- at the end, the watch looks more balanced.

The Mark XVIII got a positive welcome at the SIHH and it is a very good signal for IWC and the new Pilot's collection.

The Mark XVIII is available in 3 different dial colors: black (the classic color), blue (the IWC speciality) and white (which appears to be the original one!). The white color surprised me a bit at the beginning but I became used with it. The logic consequence of this color is that the watch looks a bit larger than the other two versions.

The Chronograph Spitfire is what we can call a classic Pilot's chronograph. The dial lay-out doesn't feature any surprise but its flawless style is enhanced by the slate color. Actually, I like a lot this color which brings a refined atmosphere. As usual, the finishes are executed with care. I'm not a fan of the double window which displays the date and the day. But it contributes to the dial balance especially in the context of the 43mm case.

The watch is powered by the the caliber 79320 (based on the 7750). If the watch doesn't offer anything new or surprising when it comes to its technical contents, the use of a well known and reliable movement can be seen as a reassuring point. The Chronograph Spitfire is for me a perfect watch for someone who look for a Pilot's chronograph... without any surprise but with a good looking design.




The Chronograph Spitfire is also avalable in the Le Petit Prince edition. This version is easily recognizable thanks to its blue dial. The blue color, again the IWC speciality, works very well but I have to say that I preferred the slate dial of the Spitfire version. Maybe because I find it more consistent with the context of the watch.

Let's stay in the Le Petit Prince context. And the Double Chronograph is maybe the piece which is the most inspired by the famous character. Just look at the stars on the dial... This 44mm watch, which was unveiled in 2015 and so before the new SIHH 2016 collection is more than a pure chronograph. It also plays with the stars which role goes much beyond the pure decorative approach. The central stars are actually a day indicator thanks to a jumping golden star. Everyday, this golden star changes its location and contributes to the dreamlike atmosphere. I like this dial which brings a touch of poetry which is unusual for this type of piece.

This version of the Big Pilot is another Le Petit Prince watch. The Big Pilot is a classic from IWC so I don't need to introduce it. The blue dial works pretty well in this 46mm context. Its refinement is a nice addition to the powerful design of the watch.

Obviously, the key element of the Big Pilot is the caliber 51111 which offers a large power reserve. It is not visible due to the solid caseback, consistent with the purpose of the watch, featuring a soft-iron inner case for protection against magnetic fields.




Time is coming to go back to black dials! The Chronograph Top Gun followed the same trend than the Mark XVIII. It is now smaller (from 46 to 44mm) and has a simple date window. I'm convinced by these changes are very positive for the watch which gains an extra balance.

As you can see it thanks to the top of the dial with the hours and minutes counters gathered on the same totalizer, the Chronograph Top Gun uses a in-house caliber 89361 movement with a power reserve of 68 hours.

The contrast between the crown and pushers and the case adds character to the watch.

The Big Pilot's Watch Top Gun shares of course several aesthetic common points with the Chronograph Top Gun. I'm less seduced by this version and my heart much prefers the "classic" Big Pilot. Because, with the 46mm case, I don't think that the high contrast between the crown and the case is a good thing. The presence of the pushers and the smaller crown size  make the contrast more appealing on the chronograph... at least for me.

This is the Big Pilot's Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition "Antoine de Saint Exupéry". Released in the context of a LE of 750 pieces, this 46mm features a complex yet legible dial lay-out. I like to see the year fully displayed. I would have however preferred to locate the dates on the bottom subdial rather than the months since the dates are a key indicator for a PC watch.

This watch creates a lot of emotions. You like it or your hate it. There is no mixed feeling here. To be frank with you, I'm not a fan of the combination of this complication in a Big Pilot context. BUT it is very well done and IWC has a strong legitimacy on these watches.

Let's land and enter different collections now.
 
The Portofino Hand-Wound Pure Classic is one of my fav IWC watches. This two hands watch is large (43,5mm) and I could fear to face too many empty areas on the dial. And the magic works.

Thanks to the shape of the hands, the large indexes, the applied elements, this Portofino manages to be more balanced than I thought and even embodies a kind of pocket watch atmosphere.

The in-house movement 59060 powers the watch and is visible thanks to the see-through caseback. I appreciate its large size but the balance wheel seems to me a bit too small.

It is a bit mandatory to speak about the Portugieser in an IWC report... and of course, I had to choose a spectacular watch!

The Portugieser Tourbillon Hand-Wound offers in this version an unusual blue dial & pink gold case combo. The large opening at 9 o'clock gives the opportunity to enjoy the behaviour of the flying tourbillon.

The 43mm diameter works fine here and I like the feeling to wear a "powerful" tourbillon powered by the in-house caliber 98900.

The Portugieser Annual Calendar introduced a new complication to the Portugieser family... and also to IWC. The great asset on this watch is the location of the calendar data on top. Even if I would have preferred to have the days before the date, I find  these data well integrated. The 44,2mm case is obviously large but the Portugieser style requires this strong presence on the wrist. I consider this watch as one of the best from the SIHH 2015.

After the Annual Calendar, here comes the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar Digital. Don't need to spend hours to read the dates or the months, even if you forget the glasses they really pop out! But we don't have to forget that this watch also features a chronograph! IWC concentrated all its technical skills in this 45mm case. The 89801 movement has a power reserve of 68 hours.

I would like to finish this report, this festival of wristshots with the famous Portugieser Grande Complication... If the sound quality is not spectacular, this watch remains a pure beauty. The Portugieser context defines a perfect frame for this gathering of complications. The data on the dial are legible and IWC managed to preserve the aesthetic purety. The watch is rather thick (16,5mm) but it is not a main issue for an automatic Grande Complication. The Santoni strap is a nice companion to this PG case and even it is not flawless, the charm of this watch is indisputable for me. Don't you think that it was the right way to conclude this post?

 
I would like to thank a lot the staff of the IWC Boutique - rue de la Paix in Paris.

Fx

This message has been edited by foversta on 2016-05-07 12:56:59 This message has been edited by foversta on 2016-05-26 07:19:19