Kapoor Watch Company has become synonymous with the luxury watch business. Both have been associated with each other for a very long time and its partnership with IWC Schaffhausen just goes on to prove that. The luxury watch retailer harbours the same standards of quality and service that IWC believes in.
When it comes down to IWC, the most apt way of describing the watchmaker would be to refer to the scent of kerosene with a hint of adventure. That is how one ought to put the heritage of IWC Schaffhausen’s wide range of pilot’s watches to words. These watches bring the magic of flight to all those who choose to wear them. Originally crafted as dependable tools for the cockpit, pilot’s watches are now cherished sports timepieces that prove their worth on a daily basis.
IWC Pilot’s Watches: An 85-Year Old Legacy
When it came to the production of technical instruments, IWC was an early pioneer. These tools were designed specifically to meet aviators’ needs. In 1936, the world saw the advent of the ‘Special Pilot’s Watch’ (Ref. IW436) as the brainchild of the sons of IWC’s then-owner, Ernst Jakob Homberger. They were both passionate pilots and knew what a pilot’s watch really needed to be.
In the 1940s, the Big Pilot’s Watch calibre 52 T.S.C. (Ref. IW431) was developed to meet the strict requirements set out for military observation watches. This inspired the design of the Big Pilot’s Watch. With a case diameter of 55 millimetres, a height of 16.5 millimetres, and a weight of 183 grams, it is the largest wristwatch that IWC has ever created.
An Era of Modern Pilot’s Watches
The era of modern pilot’s watches began in Schaffhausen in the year 1992. In a matter of a few weeks, the engineers at IWC used the Valjoux calibre 7750 as a base and developed a double chronograph, which allowed the user to measure two short time periods simultaneously.
In the year 2019, IWC unveiled the Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph TOP GUN Ceratanium. This was the first pilot’s watch ever to feature a Ceratanium case. This ground-breaking material was developed by IWC. It is as lightweight and unbreakable as titanium. However, at the same time, it’s just as hard as well as scratch-resistant as ceramic.
IWC also happens to be the only Swiss watchmaker to have been awarded a licence to develop pilot’s watches for United States Navy squadrons. The brand has designed watches for the US Navy Strike Fighter Squadron 102 ‘Diamondbacks’ as well as the US Navy Strike Fighter Squadron 211 ‘Fighting Checkmates’.
In today’s time, IWC develops pilot’s watches in close collaboration with top pilots, in the same fashion as they did back in 1936. Feedback from these ace pilots about the performance of the pilot’s watches in everyday utility continues to help the brand engineers to improvise on their designs.
Kapoor Watch Company fosters a wide range of IWC timepieces including the coveted Big Pilot’s Watch.
