About Pilot's Watches
The pilot’s watches that International Watch Co. (IWC) manufactures are integral to the company’s identity and have become synonymous with the brand itself. When you think IWC, you think pilot’s watches. As such, the modern Pilot’s Watches collection is home to IWC’s most diverse offerings with a total of 45 different pieces spread across 5 distinctive model lines: Spitfire, Le Petit Prince, Top Gun, Classic, Antoine De Saint-Exupe´ry. Each of these lines shares a mix of busy chronographs, classic three-handers, crisp Arabic numerals, and one common ancestor – the venerable Big Pilot. These watches were devised as functional time-telling devices, and their practical designs have captured the hearts of tool-watch fanatics for years.
The History of the IWC Pilot’s Watches
Today we use the term “pilot’s watch” pretty freely, often when referring to a watch that has the traditional troupes of a pilot’s watch but will never see the inside of a cockpit. IWC has a rich heritage of making watches that were actually crucial pieces of gear worn by aviators in flight. The B-Uhren is the name of the watch worn by German pilots in WWII, and IWC was one of the five manufacturers that produced these watches for the Germans. Of course, the pilot’s watches that IWC produces today share DNA with the B-Uhren – look no further than the Big Pilot models to see the resemblance.
What makes the IWC Pilot’s Watches so desirable?
The Pilot’s Watches collection from IWC has something for everyone. It has complications including annual calendars, moonphases, chronographs, dates, and even tourbillons. Case materials come in precious and non-precious options, along with a range of sizes from 36mm to 47mm. There are busy and sterile dials, both of which have their own aviation aesthetic. The variety alone builds these watches as an interesting proposition, and the added backstory makes any piece from the assemblage a unique addition to a collection.
Why buy pre-owned IWC Watches and the Pilot’s Watches?
IWC watches on the secondary market are a great value proposition, and going the pre-owned route is certainly the more affordable option for collectors. The hefty range of offerings in the Pilot’s Watches collection means there is an equally vast amount of selection on the pre-owned market. If you are in the market for any of IWC’s pilot’s watches, Watchbox’s global inventory is the best place to start your search!
