Galli Uhren Bijouterie AG
Theaterstrasse 16, on Bellevue
CH-8001 Zurich
Tel: +41 44 262 04 10
Fax: +41 44 252 49 96
IWC Novelties 2019
The prestigious Schaffhausen timepieces with their characteristic instrument design is returning to iconic navigation watches. They have been revived at this year's Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in Geneva.
Two sub-collections of the pilot’s watches have been thoroughly redesigned. All previous models are no longer produced. We are happy to introduce the new Spitfire and Top Gun models.
Spitfire
Like the Spitfire, the eponymous IWC watch collection combines form and function. To celebrate the unique engineering skills of Spitfire designers, all watches are equipped with manufacture calibers from IWC. The backbone of the new Spitfire line is the chronograph in steel with the reference IW3879.02. IWC presents its first pilot chronograph with a movement from the 69000 caliber family and a reduced the case diameter to only 41 millimeters. The newly built in manufactore caliber is already known from the current Engineer collection.
It is not the first time that IWC is using bronze in their timepieces. Now it has been integrated with several additional references. Bronze is actually a collective term for alloys with at least 60 percent copper and without tin or brass included. It is a fascinating material that has been of particular importance to mankind’s development and is still widely used today. The Bronze Age Horlogerie began only a few years ago. Hardly any other collection would have been more suitable than the Spitfire with a dark green dial.
Calibre 69380
The IWC-made caliber is a rugged, reliable and high-precision chronograph movement with a classic column wheel design. The paused hours and minutes are displayed in the two subdials at “9 o’clock” and “12 o’clock”. It also offers a date and day display. The two-sided winding system has a power reserve of 46 hours.
Top Gun
The TOP GUN watches produced by IWC since 2007 are named after the Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program in the US Navy. In the new line, the traditional brand from Schaffhausen uses the innovative new material Ceratanium® for the first time. It was developed by IWC and has combined the benefits of titanium and ceramics in a groundbreaking new composition. The patented material is as light and unbreakable as titanium while being hard and scratch resistant like ceramic.
The Longest Flight
To celebrate Pilot’s watches in general, Steve Boultbee Brooks and Matt Jones want to write aviation history. In the summer of 2019, the two British pilots will cover 43,000 kilometers with a newly built silver Spitfire and will fly to 26 countries. Never in the history of aviation has a Spitfire orbited the world. It is an endeavor for which she was not built as a fighter with her limited range. Around 100 flight sections will be needed to cover more than 43,000 kilometers around the world. The machine has to cope with the most extreme conditions. The Russian cold, the humid Asian climate, storms over the Pacific or sandstorms in the desert will not only bring the material, but also the pilots and the crew on the ground to their limits.
The Spitfire, which sets off for its flight around the world next August, has been found by Boultbee Brooks and Jones in a museum. The aircraft was manufactured in 1943 in Castle-Bromwich and flew during his service over 50 missions. For the restoration, the machine was disassembled into its individual parts. Each of the approximately 80,000 rivets has been carefully checked, cleaned and replaced if necessary. In order for the “Silver Spitfire” to shine in the chrome design, all parts were polished. The exact details of the route depend on the weather conditions.
