For fans of military-style watches, the IWC Miramar Pilots’ Chronograph is one of the very best currently available. Its design pays homage to the legendary US Marines Pilot School in Miramar, California, which trained many elite fighter pilots from 1969 to 1996 and provided the setting for the blockbuster movie Top Gun.
The military-inspired ceramic and titanium case is a deep, metallic grey, whilst the textile strap is earthy green with a black leather backing.
Fit for a Fighter Pilot
The watch’s dial is a classic cockpit design. The date display references altimeters from military aircraft cockpits, whilst the inner hour circle within the outer minute ring is based on earlier deck watch designs by IWC from the 1930s and 1940s. The luminous white hands guarantee high visibility. The central chronograph hand shows recorded times in seconds, and the smaller white hand in the top subdial records elapsed minutes.
The Latest in Watch Technology
The IWC Miramar Pilots’ Chronograph watch may be reminiscent of earlier classic IWC designs, but it is a very modern timepiece. The watch has the IWC-manufactured 89365 calibre that is also responsible for the very convenient 68-hour power reserve. The precision movement is even protected from magnetism by a soft iron inner casing. It is also water-resistant to 60 metres.
The Top Gun references do not end with the classic pilot watch design. Turn the watch around and you will see the iconic Top Gun logo engraved on the watch’s back, making this collector’s piece all the more desirable. The words 'United States Navy Fighter Pilot School' encircle the Top Gun logo, and the words 'International Watch Company Pilot’s Watch' are engraved around the watch’s outer edge.
Further Functions
Other features of the watch include the mechanical chronograph movement, a self-winding function, a stop watch with minutes and seconds, a fly-back function useful for timing laps, small hacking seconds, a screw-in crown and convex sapphire glass that has anti-reflection coating on both sides. It is also protected against sudden drops in air pressure. To work the fly-back function, simply press the reset button to return the stopwatch to zero and to begin recording another time instantly.
This beautiful timepiece comes in an official IWC box and with its own cleaning cloth as well as an instruction booklet, IWC warranty booklet and IWC warranty card. It has a diameter of 46mm and is 16.5mm thick.
International Watch Company
The IWC, or International Watch Company, is based in Switzerland. Founded in 1868, it has been manufacturing some of the most prestigious timepieces for the discerning public for nearly 150 years.
If you would like to learn more about the IWC Miramar Top Gun Pilots' Chronograph, take a look at the Watch Buyers’ Store today.