IWC Schaffhausen has added a new version of its Pilot’s Watch Chronograph, bringing an olive-green dial to one of the brand’s most recognisable aviation watches.
IWC’s relationship with pilot’s watches goes back to 1936, when the Schaffhausen brand introduced its first Special Pilot’s Watch. The collection developed considerably from there, most famously with the Mark 11 in 1948, before IWC moved into modern pilot’s watches and chronographs in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph has been a regular part of the collection since 1994, when IWC introduced the first mechanical version of the model.
This latest stays very close to the formula that has made the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph so recognisable, with a 43mm stainless steel case, the familiar instrument-inspired dial layout and IWC’s Calibre 69385 inside. The difference is the olive-green dial, along with the fact that the watch comes with both a stainless steel bracelet and matching green rubber strap.
A Familiar Design
Having spent some time with the watch in Geneva last month, I think the 43mm case works well for this particular design. It is a size that should suit a good range of wrists, although the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph does wear a little larger than the diameter suggests because of its 14.8mm thickness. It has the presence you would expect from an IWC pilot’s chronograph, without becoming difficult to wear on a smaller wrist, although I’ll caveat this, it is a larger watch, so see my points further into the article on that.
The olive green is a great choice of green, with enough colour to make the watch different without becoming too much. Green has become a fairly common choice for watch brands over the past few years, but IWC has managed to keep this one restrained, and in the range which I personally like in the Goldilocks zone: not too green, but not too dark.
More importantly, IWC has left the design of the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph alone. The large Arabic numerals, white printing, gold-plated hands and high-contrast layout are all familiar elements of the collection, and the green dial works within that existing design, so you know what you are essentially getting before you even put it on your wrist.
IWC’s pilot’s watches were originally developed as functional instruments, with clear, high-contrast dials designed to be read quickly. The Mark 11 is probably the best-known example of that philosophy, and the same basic thinking can still be seen in the modern Pilot’s Watch collection.
The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph has been part of that modern evolution since the 1990s. IWC introduced its first mechanical Pilot’s Watch Chronograph in 1994, while the same period also saw the brand experiment with materials such as zirconium oxide ceramic.
On the new model, the olive-green dial is paired with white Super-LumiNova-filled Arabic numerals and hour markers, while the gold-plated hands are also filled with Super-LumiNova. The elapsed minutes are displayed at 12 o’clock, with the day and date display at 3 o’clock.
Two Strap Options
The other change worth mentioning is the way the watch is supplied. IWC includes both a five-link stainless steel bracelet and an olive-green rubber strap, with both using the brand’s EasX-CHANGE system.
That means the bracelet and rubber strap can be swapped without tools, which is particularly useful here because they give the watch two quite different looks. The bracelet keeps it firmly in traditional stainless steel sports-watch territory, while the rubber strap makes the watch feel a little more casual and ties in with the green dial.
Personally, I think the rubber strap is particularly well matched to the dial, and again, a personaly prefernce, looks the best on the rubber. It is the same general shade of olive green, but the combination doesn’t become overly matchy-matchy.
The Movement
Inside the 43mm case is IWC’s Calibre 69385, an automatic mechanical chronograph movement manufactured by IWC. The movement beats at 4Hz / 28,800 VpH and provides a 46-hour power reserve. Pivoting on 33 jewels, it uses IWC’s automatic pawl winding system, a mechanism that IWC employs regularly, while the sapphire crystal case back gives a view of the movement.
The Calibre 69385 handles the chronograph function for hours, minutes and seconds, along with the day and date display and small hacking seconds. It is the same basic movement architecture that has been used across a number of IWC’s modern Pilot’s Watch chronographs, giving the new model a movement that fits the practical nature of the watch. While I’m a fan of IWC and the Pilot’s collection, I do wish IWC would upgrade the movement in these to something similar to that of the Calibre 32111, with a full 120 hours, or 5-day power reserve.
The case is water-resistant to 10 bar, plenty for swimming and other outdoor pursuits, and uses a convex sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides. Being a Pilto’s Watch, the case is also designed to withstand sudden drops in air pressure, a detail that can be traced back to the functional requirements of IWC’s historic pilot’s watches for when in their originally intended environment.
Final Thoughts
The new Pilot’s Watch Chronograph is a fairly straightforward update to an established IWC model, but after seeing it in person last month, I think the green works particularly well. As I’ve said on numerous occasions recently, I’m a bit of a sucker for green, but not too green!
Now, if you are thinking, “IWC already has a green dial”, then you would be right, but that existing green in the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph is very different to the subdued olive green on this model. If I had to choose, then the olive green would get my vote.
There is no major redesign here, and I don’t think there needs to be. The case, dial layout and overall design have remained familiar, with the olive-green dial giving the watch a different personality while still being very much an IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph.
For someone like me who likes a bit of green on a watch, this is a combination that works. The colour has enough presence to make a difference, but it stays restrained enough that the watch retains the character that has been part of the Pilot’s Watch collection for decades.
Reference & Specifications
| Specifications | Details |
|---|---|
| Reference | IW378008 |
| Dimensions | 43mm diameter × 14.8mm thick |
| Case | Stainless steel, brushed and polished |
| Dial | Sunray brushed Olive green with gold-plated hands & filled with Super-LumiNova |
| Crystal | Convex sapphire, anti-reflective coating on both sides |
| Caseback | Steel with sapphire crystal |
| Water Resistance | 10 bar |
| Movement | IWC-manufactured Calibre 69385, automatic winding, beating at 4Hz / 28,800 VpH |
| Power Reserve | 46 hours |
| Functions | Chronograph, day and date, small hacking seconds |
| Bracelet/Strap | Five-link stainless steel with EasX-CHANGE, plus an olive-green rubber strap with EasX-CHANGE |