Best Watch Buy Of The Week: IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph

Alvin Wong 08 September 2016

Want an IWC Pilot's Watch? Here is the legendary aviation-themed ticker for below S$10,000. 

THE COLLECTION CELEBRATES ITS 80th BIRTHDAY THIS YEAR. So IWC must surely be doing something right with its Pilot’s Watch line. The earliest models were solidly built for professionals, endowed with robustness, heft and legibility – essential qualities for a true aviator’s wrist instrument. Needless to say, these features are strictly adhered to in the latest iterations.

SO WHAT ABOUT THIS CHRONOGRAPH MODEL? This Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Ref. IW377710 is among the slew of creations that IWC has rolled out for the year. It’s an impressive repertoire that includes vintage-style tributes to high complications. The chronograph gets our vote simply for being the sportiest of the lot, both functionally and aesthetically.

BUT MOST OF ALL, THE DETAILS MATTER. Scratch beneath the surface and the IWC obsessive will be rewarded with many features that distinguish this chronograph from the rest of the pack. For one, the dial features a more traditional single-date-and-day display, which is a departure from the day with triple-date indicator from previous versions. Elsewhere, the five-minute chapter ring has also been done away with. The dial looks less cluttered as a result, which is great to accommodate chronograph interface.

AND THE ENGINE? It’s the Calibre 79320 automatic movement, which has been modified from the Valjoux 7750, arguably the most recognised and well-built industrial chronograph movement available on the market today. Besides the chronograph function, the movement comes with hacking seconds (a feature enables the seconds hand to pause when the crown is pulled out for time setting), and is enveloped in a soft inner iron case for protection against magnetic fields.

OH AND DID WE MENTION THE PRICE? At S$9,050, it is not the cheapest chrono around. But it is one that is certainly bang for your buck, considering the brand renown and the collection’s lineage. 

Alvin Wong

Ex Editor-In Chief

Alvin promises not to be a douche when talking about watches. He may have scoured the Basel and Geneva watch fairs for the past 15 years, and played an instrumental role to the growth of Singapore's pioneering horological and men's lifestyle publications, but the intrepid scribe seeks to learn something new with each story he writes.