Last year I reviewed IWC?s Big Pilot 43, and if I?m being honest, the experience of wearing it is still rattling around in my head. I really, really liked it at the time, and having the chance to see and wear it in the months since at meetups and the like, I?ve only come to appreciate it more. As something of a flagship watch for IWC, I think it?s a strong entry, and a completely viable and interesting alternative to, for example, a Rolex Submariner, if you?re looking for a daily-wear sports watch for the long haul and to cover your bases in almost any situation. And it?s a fascinating case study in how size can radically change the impression of a watch in your mind. The 46mm version of the Big Pilot is a watch I?ve never found appealing, but shaving just 3mm off the case and holding strong to that old school pilot watch design language creates something that I?ve thought more than once in the last year about picking up for myself one day. 
It would appear that IWC is fairly committed to the not-so-Big Pilot in its 43mm format, as they?ve just announced a new dial variant in green, a dial color that has gone from under the radar, to trendy, to just part of the normal array of dial colors we expect to be able to choose from. The brand refers to this as a ?racing green,? and from the IWC supplied images it would appear to have a dramatic sunray effect, not unlike the green dial on their Pilot?s Watch Chronograph or the blue dial on the Big Pilot 43 I reviewed last...