IWC Montre d’aviateur Double Chronographe IW377801

Of IWC Schaffhausen’s modern Pilot’s Watches, the Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph and the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph have proved their longstanding credentials. Since 1992 and 1994, respectively, they have delighted mechanical watch enthusiasts with their ability to record time with precision and display intermediate times. In 2012, the year of the Pilot’s Watches, the two classics come with colourful highlights in a contemporary cockpit-style design.

When you first look inside the cockpit of a1930s Ju 52, you are initially confused by the wealth of instrumentation. Your eyes, however, rapidly orient themselves: all the displays are generously sized and clearly arranged. The brilliant white hands and indices on the matte-black background are coated with luminescent material and offer optimum legibility by day or night. The designers have made the important indicators signal red.

You could just as easily be describing the dial of the Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph (Ref.377801). And it would be no coincidence, because the cockpit of the legendary aircraft was the inspiration behind the development of the first IWC Pilot’s Watches. Their functional design has defined the genre to this day. The total of seven hands, together with the date and day display, have been so skilfully integrated into the slightly modified dial that the instrument look is emphasized without creating confusion. This is due, in part, to the increase of the case diameter from 42 to 46millimetres. Overall, the three signal red elements make the dial appear even more attractive.In the subdial at “9o’clock” is a small permanent seconds which confirms that the movement is functioning correctly. New additions include the red tip of the chronograph seconds hand and the red triangle used to read off the vertical triple date display, which is distinctly reminiscent of the altimeter found in an aircraft cockpit.

A particularly conspicuous feature on the double chronograph is the third pushbutton at “10o’clock”. This can be used to stop the split-seconds hand at any time and to synchronize it again with the chronograph seconds hand, making it ideal for timing laps or intermediate times.

With its soft-iron inner case for protection against magnetic fields and a sapphire glass secured against sudden drops in pressure, the double chronograph has all the features needed in a watch designed for flying. The Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph is available with a black alligator leather strap and folding clasp.

The “DNA” of the Pilot’s Watches

The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph (Ref.377701, 377704) from the 2012 collection comes with all the qualities you would expect in a high-performance Pilot’s Watch: precision, functionality and reliability. Compared with its predecessor, the stainless-steel case, water-resistant to 6bar, has grown by a modest 1millimetre. The dial design, too, has been slightly modified: the date window at “3 o’clock” now leans on the altimeter found in cockpits and takes the form of a triple date display. A small signal red triangle in the same style indicates the date and day of the week. More boldly than in the earlier model, the two modifications underscore the chronograph’s instrument-inspired look, which, thanks to the clearly structured chapter ring on the matte-black dial, the propeller-like hands and the arrowhead index at “12o’clock”, leave no doubt as to its Pilot’s Watch DNA. The hands are completely coated with luminescent material and guarantee excellent legibility even when visibility is poor. Thanks to the robust 79320-calibre chronograph movement, it is possible to record single and aggregate times of up to 12hours. With its soft-iron inner case, it is optimally shielded against the influence of external magnetic fields. The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph is available with the new precision-adjustment stainless-steel bracelet, whose length can be adjusted simply and exactly. The chronograph is also available with a black alligator leather strap and a classical pin buckle.