When we write about IWC’s Top Gun range, it is typically a salute to clever materials and bold colours and that is partly the case (pun ever-so-slightly-intended) here. The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Top Gun Miramar presents itself in a delightful shade of called (no prizes for guessing) Top Gun Miramar. Your eyes do not deceive you; it is indeed a sort of light blue that is reportedly inspired by the tees worn by the US Navy Fighter Weapons School instructors (under their flight suits). These are, of course, the best of the best and they work on training the next generation of the same. That is not a trivial detail for anyone who might be interested in this version of the Pilot’s chronograph, and neither is the fact that the colour was developed in collaboration with Pantone, the industrial titan of production colours.
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The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Top Gun Miramar, which we will address for the rest of this story as the Top Gun Miramar, is also distinguished by a first. While the Pantone partnership has been limited to watches with ceramic cases so far, IWC is offering a steel version this time, with the dial and rubber strap in the signature light blue; getting steel to feature colour that goes beyond the surface is currently beyond the ability of the experts. In any case, Ref. IW388117 is a significant model thanks to its material. The ceramic version features case, dial and strap in Top Gun Miramar, paired with SuperLuminova-coated blue hands; the steel variant has SuperLuminova-filled hands, which are rhodium-plated. Both models wear tall, at 15.5mm.
The 41mm Top Gun Miramar watches are both powered by the automatic IWC calibre 69380, with column wheel and oscillating pinion clutch. The ceramic version in particular is a tribute to IWC’s material expertise. The brand was one of the first to experiment with this material in the 1980s, as far as Swiss high-end makers of mechanical watches go. This know-how is what allows IWC engineers to create precision Pantone colours. Only the steel model has an exhibition caseback, with the Ref. IW389409 model having a closed caseback in titanium (engraved with the Top Gun logo) and a soft iron inner case to protect the movement from magnetic forces.
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Both watches are also equipped with IWC’s own interchangeable strap system, EasX-CHANGE system, which is reportedly quick and easy (as advertised), with no additional tools required.
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