Downsizing to 36mm opens up a world of value – the IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic 36 proves it.
Thor SvaboeI love pilot’s watches and their cool monochrome aesthetics, but I don’t have the beefy arms to pull off a 44-46mm IWC. I’m also one of the fans who applauded in surprise (I might even have shouted) this year, when the Explorer went back to its vintage roots at 36mm. It’s perfectly sized at 36mm as well as being one of the few Rolex models you might actually be able to buy (shocked!). What if I told you that this could be combined, in the lesser known IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic 36, in a form that’s available and priced to sell?
Preowned, the smaller brother in the IWC Pilot’s Watch stable, the Automatic 36 is a bona fide steal, available for as little as $3-3500 USD if you’re lucky. AD available and brand new on the Leica-like solidity of the smooth five link bracelet from IWC, it’s a decent $6,100 USD, compared to a considerable $9,900 for a 43mm. Yes, the legibility of the larger references are imperative for their purpose in life, don’t get me wrong, but maybe it is time for a bit of honesty. I’ll never take the stick of a single-engined Piper, never mind break the sound barrier in an F15. So for me and many a watch lover, it’s about a vibe, be that a love of aircraft, the never materialising dream of a pilot’s license, or simply (shock! horror!) a designer’s love for tool-watch aesthetics.
As any IWC pilot’s watch this exudes a very German sense of solidity, a no nonsense watch doing what it says on the tin: telling the time of day. There are sharp, clean lines, with the angular and timeless sword hands, wide enough for a solid daubing of Super-Luminova ensuring crisp legibility whatever the time of day. Matte monochrome with the easiest to read typeface imaginable, and a discreet date at 3. The brushed case is all about IWC’s evolutionary history of pilot’s watches, with, unlike some brands I’m not mentioning, still proportionate in this smaller case. Actually should you ignore the sword hands and side-pipped triangle at 12, this is a perfect alternative to a pure field watch like the actual Explorer, but that’s a mere tangential observation. A delightfully austere and tough cookie it sure is though, and I love it.
For all you movement snobs out there, let’s address the self winding elephant in the room (well, case), the 35111 calibre. As my learned friend Zach, our deputy editor, pointed out, the 35111 is Sellita SW300-based, 28,800vph automatic calibre, developed and constructed to IWC specifications. I’ll give the movement – and manufacture snobs one word: Daytona. A stratospherically valuable commodity (it’s more than just a watch, innit?), that for most of its life did not have an in-house movement. Point made.
So I’m over the in-house hype, and would be more than happy with this solid, 42 hour reserve movement. With the added benefit of easy and cost effective servicing, it’s a winner in my book. In fact the entire, compact 36mm piece of German micro engineering is a winner, a pilot’s watch by name, and perfect everyday watch that’ll suit up just as happily as dress down. Its 10.6mm thickness and 60m depth rating makes it tough enough while slipping under a sleeve or jumper with ease. And monochrome is nothing if not versatile. Is there big value to be had at 36mm? This IWC tool proves my point once again.