Understanding the IWC Pilot's family part 1 – the Top Gun collection
IWC is famous for their pilot’s watches, and rightfully so — they’re instantly recognisable and a genuinely iconic modern design. And while the design born in the middle of last century was for a very specific purpose — as a navigational tool for aviators — the passing of time has seen the collection grow and evolve. Today, IWC’s pilot’s family consists of four distinct sub-collections: Spitfire, the Saint Exupéry watches, the Classics, and the boldly modern Top Gun selection. Over the next four weeks we’re going to explore each of these groups in detail, kicking off with Top Gun. Top Gun, named for the Naval Air Station school in Miramar, is where IWC’s pilot’s watches look to the future. The collection is heavy on chronographs, with dark, modern aesthetics, and in more high-tech materials than elsewhere in the line-up. Andrew visited the brand’s Melbourne boutique to inspect three models in more detail. IWC Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph Top Gun Ceratanium This 44mm watch made a big impression when it was released at SIHH this year. And not just because the double chronograph is a famous complication for IWC, but because of the novel use of Ceratanium, an alloy of titanium and…
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Jonathon did not buy this watch — a stylish Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Geographic — instead, he managed to convince his grandfather to relinquish it. It was the first watch Jonathon remembers seeing and noticing that it was a *nice* watch (and honestly, it’s easy to see why). Now, it’s one thing to notice your grandfather’s watch and admire it from afar, but it’s another thing entirely to fully migrate it from his wrist to your own. But as we discovered in the latest instalment of Every Watch Tells a Story, Jonathon’s approach was surprisingly direct. I said to him, “Hey, that’s a nice watch, I don’t see you wearing it that often — I’d be very happy to take it off you and wear it for you. And he was like … sure, if you’ll wear it more, it’s yours.” The coda to the story, though, is that the watch needed a service, and with that came a case polish, which meant that the dings and marks of a life well-lived disappeared, and while Jonathon was initially disheartened at this erasure of identity, in the end he came to the realisation that it’s now his watch, and one he can put…
Today’s entrant into the ‘Every Watch Tells a Story’ hall of fame is Dale. It turns out that Dale has a bit of a thing for pilot’s watches, and for good reason — Dale is a commercial airline pilot. And the pride of his collection is none other than the mighty Breitling Navitimer. In case you’re not across it, the Navitimer (a portmanteau of navigation and timer) is one of those seminal watches that dates back to 1952, and featured a distinctive slide rule bezel, which was used by pre-avionics pilots as a tool, allowing on-the-fly calculations of things like fuel levels and average speed. It’s a pilot’s watch that pilots used to use Of course this isn’t functionality that Dale needs on his wrist for his day job, but it’s an important part of the history of aviation, and undeniably cool. And of all the models on offer, Dale’s 2003 model, with a starburst blue dial, is a real stunner. 
Next up in our rolling cavalcade of ‘Every Watch Tells a Story’ stories is Vince. Now, this one is a bit of a funny one, and not just because the watch in question is the critically acclaimed Joker from Russian watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin. If you’re not familiar with the Joker, it’s a very clever piece of watchmaking, that looks like, well, a Joker. Look closer and you’ll notice that those crazy eyes show hours and minutes, and the lolling red tongue is actually a moonphase. It’s bright, cheery and pretty out of the box for a generally conservative industry. And these are all reasons why Vince fell for the watch, hard. The only problem? It was limited to 99 pieces and they were all gone. He actually made a secret edition with a casino in Russia called Tigre de Cristal So Vince put some calls in to try to track one down. Within minutes he had a call back … but there was something odd about this Joker … 
We’re on record as being fans of the Longines Legend Diver Black — in fact, we like it so much we’re selling it in our shop. The attraction is immediate: if you just look at these photos, obviously apparent. It’s stealthy, sexy and very, very sharp. In case you need a quick primer: 42mm, 300m of water resistance, PVD case, rock-solid automatic, glassbox sapphire and a sexy dual-crown super compressor style layout. Hotness. But pictures and specs only tell half the story. Luckily, we’ve got video. So, if you want to see what the Legend Diver is like on the wrist, hit play and see what it’s like on the wrist. Now, it’s worth pointing out that this watch comes on a rubber, Milanese-style strap, but because we’re such massive fans of the NATO (seriously, is there a more user-friendly, versatile strap out there?), we’re also including one of our black-on-black NATOs in the package. Click here to buy the Longines Legend Diver Black (with bonus NATO), for $3550 from our shop 
So it’s a little bit weird to be writing an intro blurb for my own ‘Every Watch Tells a Story’ video, but there you go. I’d also say that my own ‘story’, brief as it is, doesn’t stack up to some of the others we’ve got in terms of drama. But it is my story, and — I think — a relatable one. It’s the first one that I chose, and that I obsessed about online. It’s the story of my humble Archimede Pilot, which was the first ‘nice’ watch I bought, more than 10 years ago. It’s a watch I researched more than I probably should have (shout out to the Timezone German Watch Forum). It’s also (unlike many of my other early watches) one I still like the look of today, and wear regularly, though to be honest it’s well overdue for a service. 
Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo family has been shattering records left, right and centre since its introduction in 2014. But the watch that really captured the hearts and minds of fans and critics alike was the Octo Finissimo Automatic — initially offered in sandblasted titanium, and shortly after in distinctive steel and gold versions. Well, this year it’s back, but in a brand new form. Meet the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ceramic. And when we say Ceramic, we mean ALL ceramic. The case, the bracelet, even the buckle. All of it is gorgeous, matt black ceramic. In some ways it’s an unexpected twist on the Octo Finissimo, but it’s also the most logical extension of the line — a line that’s rapidly taking pride of place in Bulgari’s watch line-up. Ceramic makes perfect sense on this watch. It’s lightweight, ultra-hard, thermoconductive and surprisingly unassuming on the wrist. Which makes the Octo Finissimo Ceramic a dream to wear. It’s also a watch that’s a stylistic heavy-hitter, with its bold angles somehow made even sharper in monochrome black. All in all it’s like Bulgari made one of the coolest and most impressive watches of recent years even cooler. Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ceramic price Bulgari Octo Finissimo…
I distinctly remember the first time my interest was piqued in Bremont. Until then, I’d seen the brand around, but not been attracted to what appeared to be pretty plum conservative designs. I’d noticed the watch in Kingsman: The Secret Service and thought it was a clever, jolly appropriate spot for such a British brand, but again I hadn’t particularly warmed to the look of it – and without the ability to blow up enemies with it in real life, had no pressing urge to learn more. But then, in a meeting with an Australian distributor, a conversation took a twist. He had a swollen black eye. “What happened to your face, Leon, are you ok?” I asked. Leon launched into a story about standing on a stool to do something in his back room. About falling and landing on a tiled floor. “But the real miracle,” he said, “is that I actually landed on my wrist first and this is all that happened to my watch!” He proffered his wrist. On it was a Martin-Baker III on bracelet, and I inspected it closely – some marks on the bezel, a mini-bear claw swipe of scratches on the bracelet, but very…