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IWC's longstanding fascination with aviation is well established, with the releases from this year's Watches and Wonders continuing this high-flying heritage. Of the five new additions to the Pilot's collection, our focus today falls on the Top Gun co-branded pieces - the IWC Big Pilot's Watch 43 Top Gun and IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph 41 Top Gun Ceratanium. To learn more about the connection between IWC and Top Gun, check out our overview below.
IWC Big Pilot's Watch 43 Top Gun
Starting off with the Top Gun flavour of the recently resized Big Pilot's Watch 43. With a black ceramic case offset by silver crown and a Top Gun-engraved caseback in titanium, the Top Gun BP43 is an exercise in restraint and material mastery. The IWC Jet Black colour featured on the watch is a result of IWC's partnership with Pantone. With a diameter of 43.8mm and a thickness of 13.9mm, it still has considerable wrist presence, though the visual bulk is mitigated with the extensive usage of black. The highly legible type-A flieger dial carries the only colour accent on the watch in the form of the bold, red TOP GUN below the pinion.
The 100-metre water resistance paired with the screw-down onion crown make this a great all-rounder, especially considering the weekend-proof 60-hour power reserve from the 82100 IWC manufacture calibre. With a soft iron inner case for protection against magnetisation and a pressurised internal chamber preventing the sapphire crystal from popping off, the BP43 Top Gun is sure to continue the success the smaller Big Pilot enjoyed thus far.
IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph 41 Top Gun Ceratanium
Combining the lightness of titanium and the scratch-proof nature of ceramic is IWC's Ceratanium. Rendered here into the shape of a Pilot's Watch Chronograph 41 Top Gun, it doesn't quite match the jet black aesthetic of the BP43, opting for a matte anthracite colour. Once again, collaborating with Pantone, IWC is simply calling this colour - IWC Ceratanium. The case, crown and chrono pushers all get the Ceratanium treatment, while the caseback offers a look into the IWC 69385 calibre. At 41mm in diameter and 14.5mm in thickness, it shrinks one way and grows the other when comparing to the Big Pilot. The Chronograph 41 opts for grey luminescent material on the hands and indices, trading some legibility for pure style points.
With a relatively low power reserve of 46-hours, the 69385 calibre consists of 231 components, some visible through the tinted sapphire caseback. The movement offers a small seconds at 6 o'clock, with 30-minute and 12-hour totalisers at 12 o'clock and 9 o'clock, respectively. Finally, the 3 o'clock position is occupied by a day and date aperture.
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