The year was 1994. Bill Clinton was in the White House, Major League Baseball was on strike, O.J. Simpson was a murder suspect, and grunge ruled the pop charts. Meanwhile, in the luxury watch world, the revitalized International Watch Company was making history, albeit somewhat quietly, with the release of its first Pilot’s Watch with a case made of black zirconium oxide ceramic, the now-legendary Reference 3705 Fliegerchronograph. Nicknamed the “Black Flieger” (German for “aviator”), the model did not set the market on fire at the time: only about 1,000 pieces were produced and the reference was discontinued a few years later. It eventually caught the attention of the watch-collector community of the 21st Century, however, becoming a coveted cult classic largely due to its rarity and distinctive look. This year, IWC has finally resurrected the model in a limited edition, with noteworthy contemporary updates of a new in-house movement and a case made of IWC’s proprietary Ceratanium alloy.
Ref. 3705, released in 1994, was IWC’s first Pilot’s Watch in black ceramic.

All in all, and sure to whet the appetites of purists, the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Tribute to 3705” is in most regards a faithful replica of the Nineties classic, with a few notable exceptions, both exterior and interior. The 41-mm case is constructed not of the original’s black ceramic but of Ceratanium, an in-house-developed...