IWC Schaffhausen Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Tophatters Ceramic

IWC. There is hardly a watch enthusiast for whom these 3 letters mean nothing. The brand, founded in 1868 by American engineer and watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones in Switzerland, with the goal of producing high-quality watches for the American market, managed, acquired in 1880 by the Rauschenbach family, owned and managed by 4 generations of the family until 1955. The brand that was one of the first (as early as the end of the 19th Century) to start producing wristwatches. The undisputed founder of the so-called "pilot's watches", the first to use titanium for the cases of its chronographs and to produce unique works of watchmaking art such as the representatives of the Portuguese and Ingenieur series. It is certain that for every watch enthusiast this abbreviation means something. We do not know if it is the same for others, but for us the term "pilot's watch" automatically brings "IWC" to mind. Perhaps the reason for this is due to the fact that IWC is known mainly for the production of pilot's watches, or because the brand developed its production especially during the Second World War, but most likely the main role in this was played by the fact that the brand supplied its products to both sides of the conflict and both during and after the war, the countries involved in the conflict were already very familiar with the quality of the brand, which gave it several important advantages in the race for the customer – recognizability, image, reputation. It all began in the distant 1936 with the market launch of the famous Mark IX – which can boldly be called the progenitor of IWC's pilot series, and perhaps of pilot's watches in general. The Tophatters series is named in honor of one of the most famous and important US squadrons, which was formed in the distant year of 1919 and aims to celebrate the 100th anniversary of its creation. The color of the dial is matte black, and the shape of its hands is reminiscent of the blades of an airplane propeller. The watch is sufficiently large and has an instrumental design – made for a strong man's hand. The case is ceramic and this provides comfort and lightness, and the legibility of the watch is one of the best of all the timepieces that have passed through our hands. The pushers and the crown are made of Ceratanium – a material developed and patented by the brand, combining the lightness and strength of titanium with the hardness and scratch resistance of ceramic. The color combination is simple, but the black, white, and red go together perfectly. The purity of the "Day-Date" window design is just as unique. We know that nowadays we would hardly rely on a watch to learn the date and the day, but the very fact that after a quick glance at the wrist we can get this information personally makes us somehow calmer and more secure – and the fact that the indications are executed in a red color unique to the brand makes the readings even more legible. The luminescence is one of the strongest for pilot's watches in general and glows with a pleasant bluish light. The large Arabic numerals are well depicted and positioned, and the abundant coating on the hands, which are in the shape of an airplane propeller, completes this truly unique composition! The original black calfskin strap with red contrast stitching not only adds to the wearing comfort, but also perfectly matches the design of the watch. The case size of 44.5 mm is non-standard for the new IWC pilot models, it does not sit well on all wrists, but on the other hand, on a large wrist it looks masculine and elegant. At the heart of the watch beats Caliber 69380, an in-house movement of the brand with 242 components, 33 jewels, operating at 28,800 vibrations and offering a power reserve of 46 hours.