The Mark XI was the first watch that really got me ‘into’ watches, and it has endured over the decades as an icon of good, utilitarian design. Its influence has been very visible in IWC’s Pilot’s family over the years, but this watch, the IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic Spitfire, might be the closest we’ve seen IWC come in a long time to hitting that mark in a regular production model (sorry about the pun, I couldn’t help it). There are three main reasons why this watch is so great: the dial, the case and the movement. All these elements add up to create a watch that’s greater than the sum of its parts. Let’s break it down. The dial IWC has done a great job with the dial here; it’s a really nice blend of clarity and heritage. All the classic hallmarks are there: crisp white Arabic numerals, surrounded by a minute track with larger hash markers at five-minute intervals. The signature triangle and double dot at 12, along with the cardinal hours, all in a faded, cream-coloured lume, which sits on the right side of the line between vintage-inspired and overbaked. The hands, in the characteristic Spitfire sword…
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