IWC Schaffhausen launched a fleet of new Pilot’s watches at SIHH 2016 in Geneva (including a pair of extra-sized Heritage models, a new “Le Petit Prince” annual calendar, and the innovative Timezoner chronograph), continuing the brand’s long and storied heritage as a supplier of timepieces for aviators. Here, courtesy of IWC’s archives, we present a lineup of vintage and modern IWC pilots’ Replica Watches that represent milestones for the brand — and for watchmaking history.
1. The First IWC Watch Ever Taken Into The Sky (1896)
This pocketwatch, with a 14k yellow gold case and containing the IWC-manufactured Caliber 53 movement was sold by IWC on December 1896 to IWC Replica Watches retailer A. Kohler from Leipzig, Germany. Another German, Albert Lotter, inherited the watch from his father in 1916. During the following years the watch and its owner, who lived in Saxony and Berlin, witnessed many 20th-century historical milestones. The watch still operates with good timekeeping precision.
2. IWC’s First “Special Watch for Pilots” (1936)
IWC started focusing on the production of technically advanced watches built specifically for aviation at a very early stage, becoming a true pioneer in this field. Progress made in aviation and navigation had created a growing need for watches that offered maximum reliability under the toughest conditions.
Ernst Jakob Homberger (1869–1955), IWC Fake Watches managing director during the 1930s, had two sons who were so passionate about aviation that they decided to manufacture IWC’s first “special watch for pilots” in 1936. The watch, containing Caliber 83, had a shatterproof crystal, high-contrast hands and numerals, a rotating bezel with an index for recording short periods of time, and an antimagnetic escapement. It was also highly resistant to temperature fluctuations, ranging from –40 degrees Celsius to +40 degrees Celsius.
3. IWC’s First Big Pilot’s Watch (1940)
The first IWC Big Pilot’s Watch was supplied to the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) in 1940 in an edition of 1,000 pieces. The “big device,” constructed according to the criteria for an observer’s watch, is the largest wristwatch ever made by Cheap IWC Replica, with a case diameter of 55 mm, a height of 16.5 mm, and a weight of 183 grams.
4. IWC Pilot’s Wristwatch Mark 11 with Nato Strap (1948)
In response to a product requirement from the British government, IWC developed a service watch for pilots of the Royal Air Force (RAF). The technical specifications stipulated by the RAF were very rigid, including a requirement that the movement had to be protected against magnetic fields. Production of the now-legendary IWC Fake Watches Mark 11, with Caliber 89, started in 1948. In November 1949, the watch was supplied to airborne personnel of the RAF and other Commonwealth nations and remained in service until 1981.
5. IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Ceramic (1994)
Forty-eight years after the legendary Mark 11 was launched, IWC built on its Pilot’s Watch tradition with the launch of the IWC Watches. In 1994, IWC launched another Pilot’s Watch Chronograph, intended for modern aviation and equipped with a case made from high-tech zirconium oxide ceramic — a material as hard as sapphire and virtually indestructible. Its movement is caliber 7922.
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IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII Top Gun Miramar
The IWC Miramar watch line is a fan favorite, named after the Naval Air Station where the TOPGUN pilots are trained. For SIHH 2016, the brand’s revamping of the Pilot Watch line also has brought some changes and a new watch to their Miramar line. And it’s definitely looking as if it’s for the better. We have the brand new IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII Top Gun Miramar and the refreshed IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Miramar.
It’s been four years since the military-themed ceramic IWC Top Gun Miramar Chronograph took to the skies, and in that time, some buyers have been muttering about a few grievances they have had with this otherwise generally liked lined. Namely, the altimeter-inspired triple date display and the “generous” sizing characteristic to the series. Fortunately, for 2016, the IWC Replica has slimmed down to a 44mm case with a slick combined hour and minute totalizer at 12:00, and now uses a single-date window. As before, the chronograph is equipped with a titanium crown and pushers, along with IWC’s in-house manufactured 89361 calibre, with a flyback function and 68 hours of power reserve, which is fully shielded with a soft-iron inner cage for enhanced magnetic protection in the cockpit.
But perhaps more exciting about the 2016 Top Gun squadron is its newest recruit: the all-new Replica IWC, which pays homage to IWC’s Mark 11 from the 1940s with a classic observer “B-Uhr” style dial fitted to an all-new 41mm ceramic case. As IWC’s most entry-level ceramic offering, the Mark XVIII is fitted with many of the same features as its big brother, including the same titanium crown, 6-bar water resistance and soft-iron cage for anti-magnetic protection. It’s powered by IWC Replica Watches movement, which is a subtly modified ETA 2892 with a 42-hour power reserve.
In keeping with the Top Gun’s military theme, both watches will come standard on a sporty, drab olive green, embossed calfskin strap, paying homage to the original Mark 11, which Fake Watches considers a worthy and handsome upgrade to the NATO straps of yesteryear.
Rolex Replica Watches Hands-On
The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Air-King was gone – did you notice that? We are sure many of you did, at the least, when we covered its replacement, the 2015 Oyster Perpetual at BaselWorld last year… But worry not, if you missed its brief absence, as the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Air-King is back for Baselworld 2016, and in a few interesting ways. While it may not have the sex appeal or luxury cache as pieces like the new Rolex Daytona or Rolex Datejust 41, it’s actually been more of a surprise for a few of us, as it is not exactly something we would have expected to see from Rolex.
To begin with, Rolex traditionally changes and updates only when they feel it’s truly necessary – and the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cheap Rolex Replica Air-King is no exception to that commendable rule. One complaint that was arguably more frequently levied against the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Air-King was that the 34mm wide case version it was offered in were just “not large enough” for contemporary trends. Well, instead of just releasing an “upsized” model, Rolex dropped the old model, and two years later released a fresh new Rolex Replica Watches Oyster Perpetual Air-King that addressed that issue and brings one of the more entry level models in the Rolex line-up back with a much welcomed 40mm-wide case.
The new Rolex Oyster Perpetual Air-King is re-debuted with just one version with a black dial. While at 40mm-wide, its case design is virtually the same as the Rolex Milgauss, its dial sports basically the same polished 3-6-9 indices as the Rolex Explorer I before Rolex updated it for this year. It is an interesting mixture, that is for sure.Though, what is a truly unusual design decision to come from Rolex is the one that resulted in a mix of hour and minute markers on the same scale. Cheap Rolex is rightfully proud of its amazing history of tried and proven tool watch designs that have made it to the deepest and highest spots on our planet. The new Rolex Oyster Perpetual Air-King with this dial design is one that appears to be a bit of a misfit in that range of tool watches.
The movement inside the new Rolex Oyster Perpetual Air-King is the 3131 in-house caliber which operates at 28,800 vph and has a power reserve of 48 hours. As with all Rolex watches, the new Rolex Oyster Perpetual Air-King is tested by COSC and then by Rolex with their in-house certification tests, aka the Rolex Superlative Chronometer certification. This latter new test means that the new Rolex Oyster Perpetual Air-King will be tested to run between -2/+2 seconds per day. Considering the entry-level price point of it, you can expect to get a properly reliable and accurate mechanical watch.
As an entry level Rolex, the Rolex Replica Watches is likely to be a welcome addition to the stable for those who just couldn’t get into a smaller 34mm case. The unique hour and minute markers could take a little getting used to, but that’s really not the biggest deal.