Home » IWC Watches » SIHH 2016 Review – IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Miramar
At SIHH 2016, IWC Schaffhausen announced an entirely new fleet of Pilot’s Watches. Among a number of new timepieces there are two new models in its TOP GUN Miramar line named after the famed U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School. The first one is the updated Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Miramar which is slightly smaller than the original model introduced in 2012.
The reduced size of its case is not the only change that IWC has made. The Swiss manufacturer also replaced the triple date display with a simple date window to slightly simplify the dial.
The new Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Miramar (ref. IW389002) is housed in a ceramic case which sizes 44mm in diameter and 15.5mm in thickness. Just like the previous version, the watch is tooled with a titanium crown and chronograph pushers. The water resistance is assured down to 60 meters (about 200 feet).
The beating heart of the watch is the in-house manufactured caliber 89361 mechanical chronograph movement with a flyback function which is entirely protected with a soft-iron inner cage for enhanced magnetic protection in the cockpit. Furthermore, the front glass that shields the dial is also secured against displacement by drops in air pressure. The reliable mechanism is built on 38 jewels and it can store enough energy to keep the watch ticking for approximately 68 hours. It runs at a fast and modern 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz).
Underneath the front sapphire glass lies an anthracite-colored dial with a slick combined hour and minute totalizer which can be read as easily as the time of the day. The combined sub-dial is situated at the 12 o’clock position. The central hand is used to show the recorded times in seconds.
The reverse side of the watch bears an elaborate Top Gun engraving which is considerably more understated than the color imprint.
Although the size of its case is reduced by two millimeters when compared with the previous version, the new Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Miramar is still quite a big timepiece. Despite the fact that the larger cases mean wider straps, this one is pretty thick. Instead of the famous Nato strap, the new TOP GUN Miramar comes with the embossed green calfskin strap, ending with a stainless steel folding clasp. With the new calfskin leather strap, the Schaffhausen-based watchmaker takes up the optical cue whilst fulfilling modern-day quality expectations: calfskin is harder-wearing than nylon strap.
The retail price of this IWC’s newcomer is $10,900.
