MERGE WITH THE CRAFT
Spitfire pilots often recounted that their experience in the cockpit went beyond flying: they felt as if they had merged with the aircraft, as if they were wearing an exoskeleton.
Since 2003, IWC Schaffhausen has helped expand this experience to a wider audience. Now, anyone can strap a “Spitfire” to their wrist through Pilot’s Watches that pay tribute to the elegance and engineering of the legendary fighter plane.
The new Spitfire collection range, from the 39mm automatic model to the 46.2mm perpetual calendar, comfortably match different wrist sizes. The chronograph version even has a reduced case size of 41mm for added wearability.
“Just like the Spitfire, our watch collection of the same name also perfectly combines form and function. The collection demonstrates our engineering expertise, as we have integrated high-quality IWC-manufactured calibres into all Spitfire models,” said IWC Schaffhausen CEO Christoph Grainger-Herr.
The mechanical movements include those featuring a Pellaton automatic winding with ceramic components and a robust chronograph function with a classic column wheel.
The design evokes the Mark 11 navigation watch that the Swiss maison produced in 1948 for the British Royal Air Force.
A redesign in 1952 replaced the number 12 with a white triangle index marker, which has remained one of the visual hallmarks of IWC Pilot’s Watches.
The colour scheme of the latest stainless steel versions, with a black dial and green textile strap, is reminiscent of the Spitfire’s cockpit. Models with a bronze case boast an olive green dial and brown calf-leather strap. The legendary propeller plane is engraved on the case back, with the exception of the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Spitfire, whose sapphire glass reveals the meticulously-embellished movement.
The 250 limited edition pieces identify different month lengths and leap years automatically and will run until 2100 without needing any correction. The double moon display shows the Moon in the correct position in the northern and southern hemispheres and takes 577.5 years to require adjustment by one day. A co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC) function has been integrated into an IWC-manufactured calibre for the first time in the bronze 41mm Pilot’s Watch UTC Spitfire Edition MJ271 with a soft-iron inner case for protection against magnetic fields.
Used in aviation for communication and navigation purposes, the UTC function makes it easy to set a second time zone. The time in the wearer’s home country can be read via the curved UTC display on the upper half of the dial.
The limited edition is available in 271 pieces, the number taken from the historic registration of the high-performance interceptor aircraft.