Watch collectors are the driving force behind IWC’s Pilot’s Watch ‘Tribute to 3705’ chronograph. The new model is a remake of the 1994 IWC Fliegerchronograph Keramik (ref. 3705), the brands first Pilot’s Watch with a case made of black zirconium oxide ceramic. Despite its use of highly innovative material and its purist instrument design, the chronograph didn’t sell. After shifting about a thousand units IWC shutdown production. Recently, the ref. 3705 – aka the Black ‘Flieger’ – caught the attention of watch enthusiasts and specialist bloggers. With luminous hands and indices aged to a warm orange shade on a modernist black dial, the ref. 3705 is now a highly collectible and sought-after cult classic.
Taking design cues from the original, the ‘Tribute to 3705’ features a recent innovation from IWC’s material scientists: the 41mm case, chronograph pushers and pin buckle are made of Ceratanium, a material with the lightness of titanium and the scratch-resistance of ceramic. The watches in-house 69380 calibre movement is also one of the latest developments from IWC. While the original ref. 3705 was powered by the Valjoux calibre 7750, this robust new chronograph movement uses a bi-directional pawl winding system to reliably build up a 46 hour power reserve.
Limited to 1000 pieces, the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition ‘Tribute to 3705’ ($11,900.00) is available now from iwc.com.
