Ceramic is notoriously hard to work with, and IWC have quickly mastered the art of the ceramic watch. Last year they stunned us with the white Lake Tahoe and the green Woodlands edition in 44mm. This year, they’ve given the 41mm Pilot Top Gun range the ceramic treatment in a striking Oceana Blue and Jet Black.
IWC introduced the “Colours of TOP GUN” collection of Pilot’s timepieces in coloured ceramic back in 2022, on the back of the hit movie TOP GUN. The Pilot’s chronograph included striking two new colours; IWC Lake Tahoe white and IWC Woodland green. These coloured ceramic cases were also developed in collaboration with Pantone. These models, however, were made in a 44mm ceramic case. Therefore this marks the first time that IWC is presenting a 41mm ceramic case, let alone in these colours.
This year, continuing IWC’s releases for Watches & Wonders 2023 is the latest editions to the 41mm Pilot’s Chronograph Top Gun range – this time in Ceramic. This is the first time the Pilot’s chronograph is presented in a “Jet Black” black zirconium oxide ceramic case. It has been developed in conjunction with Pantone and the inspiration for the new second case colour, blue, was referenced from the U.S. Navy’s working overalls.
The first version, the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 TOP GUN “Oceana” (ref. 389404) comes in a blue ceramic case. The chronograph pushers and case back of the timepiece is made from lightweight titanium. The colour takes inspiration from U.S Navy’s blue overalls, a work uniform worn by pilots when carrying out tasks on aircraft.
To match the case, IWC has given this timepiece a blue dial along with a blue rubber strap with a denim finish textile inlay. The Arabic hour indices, hands, day and date window and IWC inscriptions on the dial have all been done in white. This provides a beautiful contrast. The colour combination of blue and white will never go out of style and gives the timepiece a fresh almost summer feel.
The second timepiece is the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 TOP GUN “Jet Black” edition (ref. 389401). The inspiration behind this “Jet Black” colour comes from the technical components of Supersonic jets. This has been a signature material of IWC TOP GUN since it made its debut back in 2007. Like the blue ceramic version, the design of this Jet Black model takes a similar shape.
Firstly, the chronograph pushers and case back are once again in lightweight titanium. Secondly, the timepiece is given a black dial along with a black rubber strap to complement the black case nicely. Presented with white indices, hands and inscriptions, this model provides the most direct contrast out of the two and gives it a monochrome look.
Both timepieces are powered by IWC’s manufacture 69380 calibre movement. The engineers and designers at IWC have put more focus on designing this movement to be more robust, reliable and durable. The sub-dial “vertical” layout of 6, 9 and 12 o’clock is done as a result of the brand’s functional design approach and is now a recognisable feature on IWC chronographs. The 69380 calibre movement operating at 4hz (28,800 VpH) gives out a power reserve of 48 hours.
Since 1986 IWC has been a pioneer of Ceramic watch cases. The brand was also one of the first in the world to create different coloured ceramic cases including white, blue or green. Now, using this extensive knowledge and experience, IWC has bought new ceramic colours into the Pilot’s Chronograph range, in the brand new 41mm case size.
References: 389401 (Jet Black), 389404 (Blue Oceana)
Specification:
- Case: 41mm
- Case Material: Blue ceramic case
- Dial: Blue dial or Jet Black dial
- Crystal: Sapphire, convex, antireflective coating on both sides
- Water resistance: 100m
- Movement: Automatic 69380
- Power reserve: 46 hours
- Bracelet/Strap: Blue rubber strap with denim inlay or black rubber strap
