As we revealed back in December, IWC is shining the spotlight on its Pilots’ collection at this year’s SIHH ? specifically on a trio of sub-brands within the historical, high-flying family, the Spitfire, Top Gun, and Exupéry/Le Petit Prince. Today, we look at new offerings within the Top Gun series, which has been positioned this year as the proving ground for innovative new high-tech case materials.
IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Edition “Mojave Desert” pays tribute to the U.S. Navy’s largest land base.
Probably the most noteworthy of these materials, Ceratanium, a patented composite of ceramic and titanium, made its debut in a new Double Chronograph watch that IWC was kind enough to show us ahead of the launch of SIHH (we cover that watch and its attributes here). Not to be ignored, however, is one the brand saved for this week, a new sand-colored ceramic that makes its debut on the 44.5-mm case of the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Edition “Mojave Desert.” A limited edition of 500 pieces, the watch’s sandy, monochromatic look is inspired by the eponymous desert in the American southwest that is home to the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, the U.S. Navy’s largest landholding, covering more than 1 million acres. (The Top Gun collection, as many IWC aficionados are aware, takes its name and inspiration from a collaboration between the Schaffhausen-based watch brand and the U.S. Navy’s St...