IWC’s new Pilot’s Watch revives a ‘true modern classic’ from 1994
I’ve been told the 1990s are cool again. Something to do with Friends. I suppose it was only a matter of time, but as a child of that decade, with the eternally locked-away photographic evidence to prove it, it is hard to imagine a revival of the pick’n’mix “style” we embraced during the period (although Brian Harvey was at least consistent in his choice of hat). Yet apparently it’s happening. Even in watchmaking.
At least, that’s one possible conclusion if IWC’s announcement today of the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Tribute To 3705” is anything to go by. The stealthy, all-black number enlists IWC’s “Fliegerchronograph Keramik (ref 3705)” for inspiration – and that was made in 1994, the same year, as it happens, that East 17 scored a Christmas number one.
The original IWC Fliegerchronograph Keramik (ref 3705)
That archive piece, as the name makes clear, was cast in ceramic, a novel watchmaking material back then and one that many brands would still consider state-of-the-art now. It evidently didn’t convince punters at the time, though. In its accompanying commentary to the new watch, IWC admits the ref 3705 was discontinued not long after it arrived.
We now know, of course, that in watchmaking, the short-run commercial failures of the past often acquire cult status and with it soaring preowned values. Two years ago, one leading online watch magazine dubbed the ref 3705 “a true modern classic”. Indeed, it’s not impossible that was what prompted IWC to revive it. Heritage is kudos, after all.
The IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Tribute To 3705”. £11,100
Looking back, it’s fair to say IWC’s 1990s piece was a rare aesthetic success during a decade when Swiss watchmaking was still nursing wounds inflicted by the quartz crisis of the 1970s and 1980s. It had all the pilot’s watch cues we’ve become familiar with – a black dial with crystal clear, contrasting time, date and chronograph indications – and was wrapped in an unfussy case shape that could have been manufactured during the Second World War, when pilot’s watches found their form.
The tribute piece, the latest in a long line of retrospective IWC pilot’s watches, picks up the narrative, offering an almost identical dial design and layout (but not quite: the chronograph hour and small seconds subdials have been switched, for example) and a case made of IWC’s Ceratanium, a contemporary concoction that promises the strength and lightness of titanium and the scratch-resistance of ceramic. Inside that is IWC’s Calibre 69380 automatic chronograph, hidden behind a solid case back.
The reverse of the IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Tribute To 3705”
The new piece might be a throwback, but buying it won’t be. IWC has said the 1,000 pieces slated for production will just be available online – not just on its own site, but also through platforms only now becoming familiar to a British audience, including IWC’s flagship virtual store on China’s mighty Tmall. Given the success of that channel, a tale for another time perhaps, prospective buyers in Western markets may not want to stay another day…
£11,100. iwc.com
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Return of the Black Flieger: IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Tribute to 3705”
The year was 1994. Bill Clinton was in the White House, Major League Baseball was on strike, O.J. Simpson was a murder suspect, and grunge ruled the pop charts. Meanwhile, in the luxury watch world, the revitalized International Watch Company was making history, albeit somewhat quietly, with the release of its first Pilot’s Watch with a case made of black zirconium oxide ceramic, the now-legendary Reference 3705 Fliegerchronograph. Nicknamed the “Black Flieger” (German for “aviator”), the model did not set the market on fire at the time: only about 1,000 pieces were produced and the reference was discontinued a few years later. It eventually caught the attention of the watch-collector community of the 21st Century, however, becoming a coveted cult classic largely due to its rarity and distinctive look. This year, IWC has finally resurrected the model in a limited edition, with noteworthy contemporary updates of a new in-house movement and a case made of IWC’s proprietary Ceratanium alloy.
Ref. 3705, released in 1994, was IWC’s first Pilot’s Watch in black ceramic.
All in all, and sure to whet the appetites of purists, the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Tribute to 3705” is in most regards a faithful replica of the Nineties classic, with a few notable exceptions, both exterior and interior. The 41-mm case is constructed not of the original’s black ceramic but of Ceratanium, an in-house-developed composite of ceramic and titanium, boasting the hardness and scratch-resistance of the former while retaining the latter’s lightness and unbreakability. The same material is used for the crown, both chrono pushers, and the pin buckle. The matte black dial’s layout slightly rearranges the subdials from the vintage model: small seconds are now displayed at 6 o’clock, while 30-minute and 12-hour chronograph totalizers appear at 12 and 9 o’clock. The day and date display at 3 o’clock remains the same, and the white orientation triangle at 12 o’clock now features the two dots on either side, as on classical aviators’ watches of yore. The convex sapphire crystal has double-sided nonreflective treatment and is secured against drops in air pressure that might occur in a cockpit.
The case, crown, and pushers are made of Ceratanium.
Behind the solid Ceratanium caseback, and protected from the ill effects of magnetic fields inside a soft iron inner cage, is the IWC manufacture Caliber 69380, replacing and superseding the outsourced Valjoux 7750 that ticked inside the Ref. 3705. Used in high-end chronograph watches throughout IWC’s modern collection, the self-winding movement is equipped with a column-wheel chronograph mechanism, a 46-hour power reserve, and IWC’s innovative, bidirectional pawl winding system. Running in 33 jewels, the caliber beats at a balance frequency of 28,800 vph and includes a hacking seconds mechanism.
A Solid engraved caseback hides the movement, IWC Caliber 69380.
The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Tribute to 3705” comes mounted on a black calfskin strap and — like its historical predecessor, but in this case by design — will be limited to just 1,000 pieces, all sold exclusively through IWC’s website.
The First IWC Pilot’s Watch in Le Petit Prince to Add a Timezoner Function
Adding the timezoner function to IWC’s Pilot watches in Le Petit Prince design for the first time, this twenty-two-jewel timepiece is yet another decorous accretion to other Le Petit Prince themed special editions.
IWC Schaffhausen newly presents a timezoner function to the pilot’s watches in Le Petit Prince family, not long after a recent announcement of the luxury watchmaker IWC’s virtual online boutique.
This latest addition features a 46-millimetre, true-to-type stainless steel case, a brown calfskin strap and of course, a conventionally ravishing blue dial in a classic midnight shade. The brand new watch also comprises of a city ring made of blue ceramic, as well as numerals and hands beautifully coated in gleaming white.
Its first quality needed to be discussed is, without a doubt, the starred timezoner function. This patented invention authorises your access into the new world of innermost convenience. Just press down the bezel, roll it to the desirable place, let it free and voilà! life couldn’t have been any easier.
Another paramount feature is a “Pellaton automatic winding” technology where it’s designed to minimise the friction and deterioration sustained from consistency in usage. Plus, this remarkable, aviation-focused pilot’s watch timezoner edition “Le Petit Prince” remains its standard with a glass secured against displacement by drops in air pressure, followed by a screw-in crown, aiding in with a 6-bar water resistance.
The watch is powered by the IWC-manufactured 82760 calibre, a frequency of 28,800 vph/4 Hz and a 60-hour power reserve. Besides, a case back display is a miniature decoration of the little prince caricature through a clear, lucent glass. And yes you’ve guessed it right, a stark figure of 1,500 pieces are bound to exist – just what we’d expect from a limited edition, I suppose.
To find out more, visit iwc.com or the new virtual boutique at iwc.v-boutique.com