Horologii

IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX Review

Sometimes the best watch releases are those that are done quietly. They’ll only be spotted by true fans and feel like hidden easter eggs to those that buy them. The new IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX is exactly that. There’s been no press release, no big campaign, just the subtle inclusion of a pair of handsome pilot’s watches on the IWC Schaffhausen website. In case you missed it, here’s everything you need to know about the premier IWC Pilot’s Mark XX.

A Brief History of the IWC Pilot’s Mark Series

The very first pilot’s watch from IWC was the originator of the Mark series, produced in 1936 and named the Special Pilot’s Watch. It dealt with powerful magnetic fields, extreme temperatures and vibrations and offered a clear, luminous dial for easy readability in the cockpit. Shortly after, the British Ministry of Defence commissioned twelve watch brands, later known among collectors as the dirty dozen, to create military watches for the wrists of their troops. For this, IWC created the first Mark series watch, the Mark X, which would grow to become a legend within the IWC Aviation collection. The launch of the IWC Mark X also convinced many to call the original Special Pilot’s Watch the Mark IX as its predecessor.

Over the years, we have seen the IWC Mark watch evolve to include variants like the legendary Mark XI designed for RAF navigators, the Mark XV with its larger case and the Mark XVI which adopted the flieger hands of the Big Pilot’s Watch. Before today, the last IWC Mark watch was the Mark XVIII introduced six years ago as a Antoine De Saint Exupéry Edition and Laureus Good for Sport Edition. While each design has offered new traits and technologies, they have all been styled as a military tool watch, a perfect everyday companion for both land and skies. The new IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX is no different, offering all the austere design qualities we have come to know and love with a subtle few amendments to the spec-sheet.

The new IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX

For the case, the new IWC Pilot’s Mark XX watches offer a slightly trimmed down architecture compared to the previous Mark VXIII watches. The case still measures in at 40mm in diameter, but its height comes in a little smaller at 10.8mm (compared to the 11mm of its predecessor). This, paired with a smaller lug to lug distance of 49.2mm reduced from 51mm, allows the case to sit nice and compact on the wrist. The case is engineered from stainless steel and features brushed and polished surfaces, sapphire crystal glass and a soft-iron inner case to protect the movement from magnetic forces. Another nice addition to the new IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX is an upgraded water resistance from 60 metres to 100 metres.

The IWC Pilot’s Mark XX comes in a choice of two dial colours, the first a classic matte black display and the second a sunray-brushed blue display. Like all IWC Mark watches, the dials are incredibly clean and legible adorned with white printed markers for the minutes track and Arabic numerals for the hours. The iconic triangle marker is also positioned at 12 o’clock. The hour and minute hands are finished in silver and set with Superluminova inserts and the date window introduces a new colourway, with the backdrop in white and the printing in black for additional legibility.

One of the central improvements to the IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX is the movement inside. Powering the hours, minutes, seconds and date functions on the dial is the automatic winding Calibre 32111, a movement engineered by ValFleurier. It boasts a significantly superior 120 hour power reserve alongside 21 jewels and a 4Hz frequency. The movement is hidden away from view by the screw down steel case back. Completing each IWC Pilot’s Mark XX is a calfskin leather strap, blue with white stitching for the blue display and black with tone-on-tone stitching for the black dial. Both close using a stainless steel pin buckle and are equipped with IWC’s EasX-Change integrated quick-release system.

If you’d like to learn more about the new IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX and shop the duo for yourself, head over to the Jura Watches website here. Alternatively, get in touch with the team by calling 01335 453453 or send us a message at help@jurawatches.co.uk.