IWC strengthened their Pilot’s Watch awareness by signing a partnership with the US Navy. The agreement includes pilots testing the brand’s watches, thus empowering the collection from the chronograph to the newly released Big Pilot’s Watch 43 too. The latest collection proves that what began as an experiment involving the Fighter Weapons School (otherwise said, the Top Gun school) has now extended to other squadrons, including the Blue Angels, which holds as the US aerobat team.
In figures, the Blue Angels team consists of 141 pilots coming from either the Navy or the Marines, and the blue Pilot’s Watch Chronograph pictured here is the most exclusive wristwatch carrying the Blue Angels insignia so far. From a collection perspective, the IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Blue Angels®“ belongs to a capsule collection and adds to the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Tophatters” and the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Royal Maces” while showcasing distinctive colours and materials combination, out of the same technical layout.
Blue ceramic is a first for an IWC Pilot’s chronograph and results from an industrial process where zirconium oxide combines with metal oxides; IWC has adopted blue ceramic for the case body, while Ceratanium™ is standard on the crown and Chrono pushers. The combination of ceramic and Ceratanium™ is uncommon and complements the titanium case back. Making a ceramic watch is often synonymous with oversize, and the above is no different. Here is why the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Blue Angels®“ is 44.5 mm across and 15.7 mm in height while saving weight compared to a similar steel IWC Chrono.
The counter at six houses the Blue Angels‘ badge, and the yellow tone is spread across the dial – like on the central Chrono hand or day and date, for example. I would have gone for the old-school altimeter-shaped date window on this special edition instead of adopting a standard framed day and date window, which works pretty well when paired with baton hands, as exemplified by the exquisite Tribute to 3705. The watch is bold and all but understated, the kind of watch you either approve or not. The nylon strap with yellow stitching adopts a thick rubber inlay on the inside, which helps the watch taper onto your wrist.
We took these pictures during THE BIG PILOT, a three-day event hosted by IWC that we attended with our IWC Owners and Fan Club; pictured here is, therefore, one of our Club members. He is Yuri Russo, a friend, a collector and a Cartier and IWC fan, other than a senior lawyer in an international firm. He struck a pose inside a photo box placed amidst the Moebius Milan, the venue chosen for our get together. If you’re eager to join our Club, the first Italian private one for enthusiasts and collectors, please head to Horbiter|Café®, register and follow the instructions.
(Photo credit: Marco Antinori for Horbiter®)
Gaetano C @Horbiter®
