Released in July, the 41 TOP GUN Miramar, a pilot’s watch chronograph, turned quite a few heads. Not only is it part of the budding monochrome trend in ceramics, where case, dial and strap have a matching sky-blue colour, but it is also a unique light-blue shade developed in collaboration with PANTONE®, a leading global colour expert based in the US.
The 41 Top Gun Miramar is one of close to 20 ceramic watches currently on offer from the watchmaker in Schaffhausen. Perhaps this comes as no surprise, as IWC was always a pioneer when it comes to ceramic wristwatches. Back in 1985, it released the IWC Da Vinci Perpetual calendar in white and black ceramics – and already then, they made green and pink(!) prototypes.
However, back in the day, watches made of zirconium oxide – the type of ceramic that is most commonly used in the watch industry – had its limitations. Oftentimes they were either dull, or extremely shiny, with kind of an artificial feel. But now suppliers (to my knowledge no brand has its own ceramics facility) have developed drastically in manufacturing methods, appearance, and properties. “Ceramic has great properties for sports watches. Its hardness makes it extremely durable,” said Lorenz Brunner, IWC’s Department Manager of Research and Innovation in an interview I had with him for South China Morning Post.
And where does this sky blue come from? Apparently, the hue derives from the T-shirts that the extremely skilled flight instructors at the Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California, wear under their suits. This is an institution that is synonymous with the origin of TOP GUN, which is the nickname of the US Navy’s elite Strike Fighter Weapons School.
So, what kind of watch are we looking at, beyond the soothing colour? Inside the 41.9-millimetre-wide and 15.5-millimetre-high ceramic case ticks the IWC movement 69380, which gives you a chronograph with subdials for 30 minutes and hours, whereas the third subdial at 09 o’clock gives you running seconds. You also have two calendar apertures – one for the weekday and the other for the date.
As TOP GUN pilots oftentimes must endure a strenuous environment, the glass is secured against displacement by drop in air pressure, and it also has a soft-iron inner case for protection against magnetic fields. To ensure legibility at all angles, the sapphire glass has an antireflective coating on both sides. And in case you need to make a water landing, you have nothing to worry about. At least not when it comes to your watch, as it has a water resistance of 10 ATM, or 100 metres.
The purpose-made light-blue rubber strap is the best choice to keep that monochrome look, but if you are open to alternatives, it is good to know that it comes with the EasX-CHANGE® system, which means that you don’t need any tools to make a quick and easy swap of straps.
The 41 TOP GUN Miramar also comes in steel, with a predominantly sandblasted appearance but with polished edges. This watch is slightly smaller than its ceramic sibling, with a case diameter of 41 millimetres, and it also offers a sapphire caseback through which you can see the automatic movement.
Whichever model you go for of the IWC 41 TOP GUN Miramar, the sky is the limit.
