TIME ZONE
BY CAROL BESLER
TOP GUN IWC BUILT FOR SPEED + ENDURANCE
B efore the days of reliable cockpit instrumentation panels, pilots navigated the airways with precise chronographs. Some of the world’s most important advancements in watchmaking were driven by the need for accurate navigational chronometry, a tradition honored by IWC, a heritage purveyor of pilot’s watches. The Top Gun edition of the Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII is the civilian version of the special military issue that IWC has long been produced for graduates of the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School. These pilots have completed the rigorous Top Gun course, allowing them to use the
The Pilot’s Watch 43 Top Gun, a staple three- handed model in the collection, also has a tough ceramic case with a titanium caseback and crown. The newest edition contains the automatic caliber 82100 with a Pellaton winding system that has been reinforced with ceramic components so that it builds up a power reserve of 60 hours. It is protected from the effects of magnetic fields by a soft-iron inner case, making it one of the most reliable and long lasting movements in the pilot’s watch collections. These are the perfect timepieces to appeal to your inner Maverick and your love of weekend adventure!
title “Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor.” The watch has a likewise elite case made of extremely hard and scratch-resistant black zirconium oxide ceramic. The Top Gun Chronograph is also built with tough, corrosion-resistant ceramic and titanium in order to withstand the tortuous maneuvers of the U.S. Navy’s jet pilots, during which they are subjected to high G-forces. The watches also accompany the pilots on extended missions on aircraft carriers, where they are exposed to the humid, salt-bearing sea air. The Chronograph contains a state-of-the-art movement, the IWC-made automatic caliber 69380, with a 46-hour power reserve.
The IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII Top Gun
The IWC Top Gun Chronograph
The IWC Top Gun Big Pilots Watch 43
28 BROWN & CO. JEWELERS MAGAZINE
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