Home » The Salon International De La Haute Horlogerie » SIHH 2016 Review – IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII
This month at the SIHH watch fair, IWC unveiled the new range of pilot’s watches. The 2016 is dedicated to the Pilot’s Family and the Schaffhausen-based manufacturer reworked the entire range of Pilot’s watches. Among several novelties there are three new models of the IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII which represent a new chapter in the lineage.
The new Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII is inspired by the 1948 Mark 11 watch that had everything required of the precise observer’s watch. This iconic timepiece was robust, temperature and water-resistant, highly accurate and quite easy to maintain. The new Mark XVIII features the same characteristics as the Mark 11.
IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII IW327011
As it is reported by the manufacturer, the new timepiece is “reduced to essentials”. It is a simple three-hander crated for maximum legibility. It is protected against magnetic fields by a soft-iron cage and had a screw-in glass that resisted sudden drops in pressure just like the other Pilot’s watches which were presented at SIHH 2016.
IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII IW327001
IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII is housed in a round, stainless steel case which measures 40mm in diameter and 11mm in thickness. Its case is just 1mm narrower than the previous model in the lineage – the Mark XVII. The watch’s case is protected with antireflective sapphire crystals and constructed to resist water pressure up to 60 meters (approximately 200 feet).
IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII IW327002
Underneath the front sapphire glass lies a big and clearly arranged dial which comprises Arabic numerals as hour markers with two exceptions: instead of the numeral “12” there is a white triangle with a single dot on either side for best legibility, and instead of the numeral “3”, there is a traditional date window. The propeller-shaped hour and minute hands are coated with luminous material for better legibility.
From the rear, there is an engraved depiction of a Ju-52 aircraft from the 1930s. That is because designers took their inspiration from this iconic airplane’s cockpit instruments which have served as the model per se for classic pilot’s watches.
The beating heart of the watch is a precise and reliable caliber 30110 mechanical movement that promises up to 42 hours of power reserve. The 21 jewels mechanism oscillates at the rapid frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz).
IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII is available in three variants. Two of them are attached to stunning Santoni calfskin straps with vintage style stitching that really fits the mood of this timepiece and there is a choice between a black and silver-plated dial (their referent numbers are IW327001 and IW327002). The third model (ref. IW327011) features a black dial and it is teamed with a stainless-steel bracelet with a fine-adjustment clasp.
