Since 1868, Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen has been making timepieces of lasting and inestimable quality. Founded by an American, Florentine Ariosto Jones, a true pioneer that founded what is still the first and only watchmaking brand in the Northeast of Switzerland, this manufacturer of 360 employees produces masterpieces of watchmaking that have been uniting engineering and precision with exclusive high-tech design for 145 years. In 1993, for its 125th anniversary, IWC set up its first museum on the top floor of its headquarters, becoming the first Swiss watchmaker to have its own museum. A reflection of the brand’s savoir-faire and renowned techniques, an entirely new museum was inaugurated in 2007 to highlight a number of pieces displayed in huge, bright spaces that were once used to manufacture cases and other watch pieces.
The first special pilot’s watch was launched in 1936. The piece was equipped with a turning bezel with an index pointer to log hours in flight as well as amagnetic movement. In 2012, five new models took off within the same collection: the TOP GUN pilot’s watches. It was a high flying year for the brand, since this collection inspired by the “Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor” special formation, better known by its legendary name “Top Gun”, was reminiscent of observational watches, the construction of which is a long tradition at IWC. Three of the five models sported the classic TOP GUN design characterized by elements that evoke flight instruments on the dial paired with a bright red counterweight that reflects the silhouette of a plane on the dial’s background. All the classic functions of a pilot’s watch combined with on point technology.
And so, for the brand’s 145 years, three special editions were created. IWC Schaffhausen’s designers took inspiration from flight panels in the cockpits of aircraft that light up in various colors. That’s why IWC equipped its models with red watch hands for the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar TOP GUN Boutique Edition, green ones for the Big Pilot’s Watch TOP GUN Boutique Edition, and blue ones for the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Boutique Edition. Sold in limited editions with 250, 500, and 500 copies respectively, these three styles are the reflection of fine watchmaking that is modern, timeless, luxurious, and functional all at the same time. All of these ingredients are what give IWC its magic spark.
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