Home » The Salon International De La Haute Horlogerie » SIHH 2016 Review – IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII TOP GUN Miramar
In the year of the Pilot’s Watches, IWC launched two new models in its TOP GUN Miramar line named after the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School or TOP GUN, formerly based at Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego. One of them is an all new Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII TOP GUN Miramar (ref. IW324702) based on the traditional observer’s watch, where the main goal was to provide an optimum legibility of the seconds and minutes.
The new Mark XVIII is housed in a fully polished ceramic case which measures 41mm in diameter and 11mm in thickness.
Like the original Top Gun Miramar models, minutes and seconds are read off the main chapter ring, and hours are shown on the central circle in red. Its dial is generally full of aviation and military inspired details as you can see on the image above.
The masculine case of the newest member of the Mark XVIII line is rated as water resistant to 60 meters (approximately 200 feet). Furthermore the watch is equipped with a soft-iron cage for protection against magnetic fields, while its front glass is secured against sudden drops in pressure.
This newcomer pays homage to IWC’s Mark 11 from the 1940s with a classic observer “B-Uhr” style dial. It is equipped with a titanium crown and pushers just like the new Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Miramar.
The beating heart of the new timepiece is the IWC’s caliber 30110 automatic mechanical movement which is a subtly modified ETA 2892. The mechanism is built on 21 jewels, oscillates at the rapid frequency of 28,800 alternations per hour (4 Hz) and it is capable to power the watch for at least 42 hours.
From the rear, the Top Gun logo is now engraved on the case back. Another new feature of the IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII TOP GUN Miramar is the sporty strap made of embossed green calfskin which is simply harder wearing than nylon that was used for decades to keep the iconic Mark 11 on the wrist.
It is also worth to mention that the Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII Top Gun Miramar is the first ceramic timepiece that is available as an entry-level model. The retail price of this timepiece is $5,450.
With their cockpit-style design and attractive mixture of materials, the watches from the TOP GUN line have carved out a name for themselves and earned aficionados worldwide.
