IWC Pilot's Watches Soaring to New Heights

IWC is a household name amongst luxury watch collectors because of its decades of outstanding creations, but it's when the IWC Pilot's collection made its big debut that the brand became a permanent part of the horological community.

Although the innovative Pilot's watch collection has always been connected with aviation, there are other 'heights' that the range has been soaring to in recent years. Read on to explore the cultural, cinematic, and physical heights that timepieces from the Pilot's collection are soaring past.

IWC Schaffhausen Ambassador: Gisele Bündchen

Gisele Bündchen is an NYT best-selling author, global supermodel, and philanthropist; some of the many reasons why IWC has proudly made her a brand ambassador for IWC watch collections, including the Pilot's range, which she's helping propel to global heights.

Gisele has been a respected ambassador since 2022, and according to IWC Schaffhausen's statement, they formed the relationship in recognition of the remarkable synergy between their shared values, ambitions, and morals, such as transparency, circularity, and responsibility. With these outstanding watches gracing the wrist of such a laudable person, it's no wonder why collectors demand to include an IWC piece in their collections.

IWC Pilot's Partnership with Brad Pitt’s ‘F1’ Movie

In 2025, we'll see not only the wider IWC brand soaring to cinematic heights but also the Pilot's collection. ‘F1’, starring Brad Pitt, Kerry Condon, and Javier Bardem, amongst other stars, is taking an impressive amount of inspiration from the sport they will be portraying, even down to the detail of representing the factual partnerships between IWC and F1 drivers. For example, Sir Lewis Hamilton is a household name who has won many driver titles and competitions while sporting one of these outstanding timepieces. It's expected that we'll see several IWC Pilot's watches on actors' wrists when the movie comes out.

Apart from inspiring Hollywood, Sir Lewis Hamilton has certainly helped share the reliable quality of various models, such as when he won the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix whilst wearing a unique version of the model watch from the Pilot's collection, shown below.

IWC Big Pilot's Watch is an outstanding watch with features that made it the clear choice for F1 drivers to build their unique design with the craftsmen at IWC Schaffhausen. This model calls back to the earlier days of the Pilot's collection when large faces were prioritised for easier reading and taking advantage of the extra dial space to include useful features such as a date display. Additionally, the two barrels provide a reserve of seven days of use and even a timer to display how long before the reserve runs out.

The 46mm case is hard-wearing and water-resistant up to 6 bar and has an internal soft-iron inner case that protects the movement from exposure to magnetic fields. This, like many IWC watches, is designed to not only be an outstanding accessory but also withstand active lifestyles. This watch could go with you to space and back without damage! This piece of F1 history could be yours for £10,900.00 from our online store, and we offer V12 finance options to make it as convenient as possible.

IWC Watches Winning Top Gun

In 2022, this collection was brought back to its roots within another cinema project, the Tom Cruise movie Top Gun: Maverick. This modern sequel to the cult classic from 1986, Top Gun, was a hugely popular movie that emphasised the daring beauty of military aviation but was dedicated to being filmed as realistically as possible. This meant that real pilots were flying the planes on screen, with many of them and the passenger actors equipped with the most popular name in aviation watches, IWC Schaffhausen.

During IWC’s exclusive collaboration with the films, a new sub-range of watches was developed within the Pilot’s Watches collection. These are called the ‘Top Gun Chronograph’ and come in several designs, as shown below.

From left to right, we have the Top Gun Chronograph Black, which has a non-reflective zirconium oxide ceramic case that is corrosion- and pressure-resistant. This aesthetic is inspired by the fictional aircraft shown in the film, the Darkstar, and emulates its aerodynamic appearance as well as its colour. This reliably strong case protects the in-house movement from the 69000-calibre family. The face has a stopwatch function, as well as a day and date, and a self-winding function with 46 hours of power reserve.

The middle shows the Top Gun Lake Tahoe Chronograph, which is starkly different from its opposing white ceramic case inspired by the dress uniforms of the military aviators in the film, as well as Lake Tahoe’s famously wintery landscape. Featuring a classic column-wheel design, the chronograph also features a day and date display at 3 o’clock. A soft-iron inner case shields the movement from the effects of magnetic fields.

On the right is the Top Gun Mojave Desert Chronograph, which is the result of IWC’s pioneering work in creating coloured ceramics for luxury watches. This aesthetic was created in collaboration with Pantone to replicate the flight suits of military pilots and the barren desert where the flight school operates. The brown dial with subdued indices and numerals and the beige rubber strap with a textile inlay perfectly match the colour of the ceramic case. This mechanical chronograph in classic column-wheel design was engineered with an uncompromising focus on robustness, reliability and precision.

IWC Taking to the Stars

Nothing seems out of reach for this brand of luxury timepieces as 2024 sees IWC watches go to space in the form of the Pilot's Watch Chronograph Edition: Polaris Dawn. This model, soon to be released to the public, is the symbol of a partnership between IWC and Inspiration4 and entrepreneur Jared Isaacman for his space mission planned to launch at the end of July, the similarly named Polaris Dawn mission.

The astronauts taking part in this mission will each be sporting a customised version of this new watch developed by IWC Schaffhausen as they undertake three spaceflights that will orbit the earth at heights never before achieved but also conduct spacewalks (EVAs) for detailed research on human health when in space. Once these flights are concluded, the watches will be auctioned off to raise charitable donations for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and their work combatting childhood cancers and other pediatric diseases.

IWC Pilot's Watches on Finance at New Cavendish Jewellers

This watch collection has always had a deep connection with aviation, which has inspired the artisans at IWC to constantly push the boundaries of what can be accomplished with their luxury watch designs and create outstanding pieces that soar above their competitors.

We have a curated collection of amazing IWC watches on finance, such as the ones mentioned here. Browse our IWC Pilot’s watches with their finance options online today, or come visit our London boutique before you buy and see for yourself why they are so popular.