Jet Black: IWC Launches Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Edition “SFTI”
IWC extended its partnership with the U.S. Naval Aviation community in 2018 with the development of its first “Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor” watch, which was awarded exclusively to graduates of the Navy Fighter Weapons School “Top Gun” program. Today, the Schaffhausen-based brand unveils a version of the “SFTI” for the rest of us ? with a matte black, tactical-look case and an in-house-made chronograph caliber.
The 2018 watch that inspired the new Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Edition “SFTI” was designed in collaboration with instructors at the Naval Air Station Leemore in California and featured a rugged case made of black ceramic. Its modern descendant, available to the public but limited to 1,500 pieces, uses a combination of materials for its 44-mm case: black zirconium oxide ceramic for the bezel and case middle and Ceratanium, an IWC-developed material combining ceramic and titanium, for its caseback and chronograph pushers. The ceramic ranks among the hardest substances on Earth, with a Vickers rating second only to diamond, and is both scratch-resistant and totally antireflective. Ceratanium, introduced in 2017 on an IWC Aquatimer model, boasts all the hardness and scratch-resistance of ceramic while also retaining titanium’s lightness and unbreakability; its distinctive matte-black surface also scores high for skin tolerance and corrosion resistance. The result is a watch that is both ̶...
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A Week in Watches Ep. 79 – Swiss Leftovers
29-04-2024 05:06 - (
Luxury Watch )