IW329306
Pilot Big Pilot's Watch 43
Lug width: 21 mm
Source: Maker Attachment: Spring bars- Attachment
- classic lugs
- Status
- Listed by the maker
The story · Since 1936
The story of the IWC Pilot
In 1936 the two pilot sons of IWC's owner asked for a watch that would keep running in an unheated cockpit, from -40 to +40 degrees Celsius. Ninety years on, the Mark XX and the 41 mm Pilot's Watches sit on 20 mm straps fitted with IWC's EasX-CHANGE system.
- 1936 to 1940 Built for open cockpits IWC's first Special Pilot's Watch, Ref. IW436, appeared in 1936 at the request of owner Ernst Jakob Homberger's two sons, both passionate pilots.
- 1948 to 1981 The RAF's Mark 11 In 1948 the British Royal Air Force ordered a navigator's watch protected against radar magnetism.
- 1992 to 2005 From cockpit to civilian wrists IWC calls 1992 the start of its civilian pilot's watches, with the Double Chronograph developed in a few weeks.
- 2006 to 2015 Bigger dials, Top Gun The 39 mm Mark XVI of 2006 borrowed the broad hands of the Big Pilot and dropped the 6 and 9.
- 2016 to 2021 Back to essentials The Mark XVIII of 2016 came down to 40 mm and returned to a single date window and full numerals.
- 2022 to today Five days and quick straps The Mark XX arrived quietly in 2022 with the 32111 calibre and its 120-hour reserve, 10 bar water resistance and EasX-CHANGE.
55 mm
diameter of the 1940 Big Pilot's Watch 52 T.S.C., the largest wristwatch IWC has made
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55 mmdiameter of the 1940 Big Pilot's Watch 52 T.S.C., the largest wristwatch IWC has made
1,948pieces of the 2017 Mark XVIII Tribute to Mark XI, a nod to 1948, the year the first Mark 11 was produced
120 hourspower reserve of the Mark XX's 32111 calibre, up from 42 hours in the Mark XVIII
20 mmstrap width of every 40 and 41 mm Pilot's Watch checked on IWC's own pages, with an 18 mm buckle
Chapters
- 1936 to 1940
Built for open cockpits
IWC's first Special Pilot's Watch, Ref. IW436, appeared in 1936 at the request of owner Ernst Jakob Homberger's two sons, both passionate pilots. It had an antimagnetic escapement, shatterproof glass and a rotating bezel with an arrowhead index for logging take-off times. In 1940 came the Big Pilot's Watch 52 T.S.C., Ref. IW431: 55 mm across, 183 g, made in 1,000 pieces.
- 1948 to 1981
The RAF's Mark 11
In 1948 the British Royal Air Force ordered a navigator's watch protected against radar magnetism. IWC answered with the Mark 11: a calibre 89 inside a soft-iron cage and a glass that could not pop out when cabin pressure dropped. It reached RAF aircrew from November 1949, gained its triangle at 12 in 1952 and stayed in service until 1981.
- 1992 to 2005
From cockpit to civilian wrists
IWC calls 1992 the start of its civilian pilot's watches, with the Double Chronograph developed in a few weeks. In 1994 the Mark XII brought back the Mark 11 look with an automatic movement and a date, in a 36 mm case. Its 1999 successor skipped two numbers and became the 38 mm Mark XV.
- 2006 to 2015
Bigger dials, Top Gun
The 39 mm Mark XVI of 2006 borrowed the broad hands of the Big Pilot and dropped the 6 and 9. The first Top Gun watch joined the line in 2007, named after the US Navy Fighter Weapons School course. In 2012 the Mark XVII grew to 41 mm with a three-number date window and a red arrow.
- 2016 to 2021
Back to essentials
The Mark XVIII of 2016 came down to 40 mm and returned to a single date window and full numerals. In April 2021 IWC launched the Pilot's Watch Chronograph 41, a 41 mm Pilot's chronograph with the in-house 69385 calibre and the new EasX-CHANGE strap system.
- 2022 to today
Five days and quick straps
The Mark XX arrived quietly in 2022 with the 32111 calibre and its 120-hour reserve, 10 bar water resistance and EasX-CHANGE. In 2025 IWC dressed Pilot's chronographs in the colours of APXGP, the fictional team of the film F1. In February 2026 George Russell co-designed two limited Pilot's Watches in his helmet blue.
Worn by
Damson IdrisScreen2025
Film role: as rookie driver Joshua Pearce in F1 (2025) he wears the Pilot's Watch Performance Chronograph 41 in 18-carat 5N gold, Ref. IW388309, chosen to match the APXGP team livery.
Miles TellerScreen2022
Film role: as Bradley Rooster Bradshaw in Top Gun: Maverick he is one of at least three recruits seen wearing IWC's Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Pilot's Watches, models normally reserved for TOPGUN graduates.
Monica BarbaroScreen2022
Film role: as Natasha Phoenix Trace in Top Gun: Maverick she wears one of IWC's Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Pilot's Watches.
Lewis PullmanScreen2022
Film role: as Robert Bob Floyd in Top Gun: Maverick he wears one of IWC's Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Pilot's Watches.
Alexander SkarsgardScreen2021
Off screen: Time and Tide reports the actor has been spotted on many occasions wearing a black-dial IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph on a black calfskin strap.
Jerry BruckheimerScreen2025
The producer of F1 wore the gold Pilot's Watch Performance Chronograph 41, Ref. IW388309, at IWC's event around the 2025 Miami Grand Prix.
Moments
2026. On 5 February 2026 IWC unveiled two Pilot's Watches co-designed with Mercedes driver George Russell: the Chronograph 41 IW389411 and the Automatic 41 IW328107, both in black ceramic. Each is limited to 1,063 pieces, prints its dial in the blue of his helmet and engraves 63, his racing number since karting, on the caseback.
2025. IWC appears as a sponsor of APXGP, the fictional team in F1 (2025), and Pilot's Watches are worn by several characters. Damson Idris's Joshua Pearce wears the gold Performance Chronograph 41 IW388309, and IWC launched the APXGP chronographs IW378009 (43 mm) and IW388116 (41 mm) at Watches and Wonders on 1 April 2025. This is a film role, not personal ownership.
2022. The recruits played by Miles Teller, Monica Barbaro and Lewis Pullman wear IWC's Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor watches, the Mark XVIII IW324705 and the Chronograph IW389004. In real life these 2018 models go only to graduates of the US Navy Fighter Weapons School. Tom Cruise's Maverick wears a Porsche Design chronograph, not an IWC.
2017. Christie's sold a stainless steel Mark XI delivered on 25 February 1952 and engraved 6B/346 for CHF 5,250 on 15 May 2017, against an estimate of CHF 6,000 to 8,000. The lot essay notes the model was issued to the RAF and to South African, New Zealand and Australian forces.
2017. On 1 July 2017 IWC released the Mark XVIII Edition Tribute to Mark XI, IW327007, limited to 1,948 pieces for the year of the first Mark 11. Like the original it came on a green textile NATO strap.
1999. When the Mark XII needed a successor, IWC skipped 13 and 14 because they are considered unlucky in some cultures, so the next watch became the Mark XV.
Generations and strap changes
- 2022Mark XX (IW3282)
In-house 32111 calibre with 120 hours of reserve, rhodium-plated hands and, from October 2022, black, blue and green dials.
40 mm case with lugs shortened from 51 to 49.2 mm lug to lug; 20 mm strap width, 18 mm buckle, EasX-CHANGE on straps and the five-link bracelet.
- 2021Chronograph 41 (IW3881)
A 41 mm Pilot's chronograph, 2 mm smaller than the 43 mm generation, with the in-house column-wheel 69385 calibre visible through a sapphire back and 10 bar water resistance.
Launched with the EasX-CHANGE quick-change system for calfskin, rubber or steel bracelet; current IW3881 references list a 20 mm strap and 18 mm buckle.
- 2016Mark XVIII (IW327001)
A return to a single date window and the full set of numerals, with the 30110 calibre and its 42-hour reserve.
Case reduced to 40 mm, 11 mm thick.
- 2012Mark XVII (IW326501)
A three-number date window with a red arrow, borrowed from IWC's chronographs, split opinion.
Case grew to 41 mm.
- 2006Mark XVI (IW325501)
Borrowed the diamond-shaped hands and slimmer numerals of the Big Pilot and dropped the 6 and 9 from the dial.
39 mm case.
- 1999Mark XV (IW325301)
Numbers 13 and 14 were skipped. The case grew and the numerals and indexes were made bolder to keep the dial balanced.
Case grew from 36 mm to 38 mm, with slightly longer lugs and strap bars set further from the case.
- 1994Mark XII (Ref. 3241)
Civilian revival of the Mark 11 with an automatic movement and a date window at 3; Roman numerals in the name set it apart from the military original.
Kept the 36 mm case size of the Mark 11.
- 1948Mark 11
Navigator's watch for the RAF and Commonwealth air forces, with the hand-wound calibre 89 in a soft-iron inner cage. A Christie's example made in 1952 carries the 6B/346 specification number.
36 mm steel case with fixed lug bars (Christie's lot description).
- 1936Ref. IW436
The Special Pilot's Watch: calibre H/83, antimagnetic escapement, shatterproof glass and a rotating bezel with an index to time short flights.