Credits: Article and images by Jeremiah Chan @ Revolution Watch Magazine. See the original article here - https://revolutionwatch.com/introducing-the-iwc-pilots-watch-chronograph-top-gun-edition-in-iwc-lake-tahoe-white-and-iwc-woodland-green/
The colored ceramic cases of all three TOP GUN editions presented a complex challenge during design and manufacturing. The engineers at IWC conducted countless tests to find the right color pigments in order for the case color to complement or match the other components — such as the dial, hands, rubber strap and lume. Each color shade is the result of a unique mixing ratio of zirconium oxide combined with other metallic oxides. The auxiliary materials are burnt off in a high temperature furnace in a process called sintering, leaving behind an extremely stable ceramic structure. Ceramic shrinks a third of its size during sintering and this has to be taken into account right at the outset of the design phase. Furthermore, the temperature and duration of the sintering process has to be adapted for each color.
It may seem like IWC is coming late to the party of white ceramic watches with the likes of Audemars Piguet and Richard Mille having already produced brilliant takes on the theme. But don’t forget that alongside the Master of Materials, Rado, IWC was already developing colored ceramic prototypes in the early 1980s as seen here. Their status as true pioneers of materials development cannot be overstated.
Both watches are powered by the in-house self-winding IWC caliber 69380, a column-wheel operated chronograph from the 69000 family of movements introduced in 2016. This series of movements has been around long enough for them to be considered robust and reliable, befitting their use in an everyday professional sports watch. To add further to the tool-watch sensibilities, there is a soft-iron inner case to guard against the effects of magnetism and the crystal withstands sudden drops in air pressure if one actually goes to work in an airplane cockpit.
If you have ever wondered if the IWC/TOP GUN collaboration is just a bit too tenuous, here’s a peek into our archives where we documented the history of the US Navy’s Weapons Fighter School and IWC’s longstanding relationship with it. It is important to note that IWC is the only Swiss watchmaker licensed to develop pilot’s watches for the US Navy’s strike fighter squadrons. We think this settles the debate about whether the partnership is purely for IWC’s benefit.
One design element that differs from the 2019 limited edition is the new chronograph hand with black tails and long tips that match the color of the rest of the numerals and markers. Previously it was simply one color for the whole length of the hand. The hand presents as a floating line from the center of the dial, adding a visual continuity with the hour and minute hands. From there, notice the collar underneath the hour hand that obscures the dial hole. To our knowledge, only the TOP GUN limited editions and Squadron-liveried special editions have this design detail, which makes one feel IWC really did go through everything with a fine-toothed comb.
Credits: Article and images by Jeremiah Chan @ Revolution Watch Magazine. See the original article here - https://revolutionwatch.com/introducing-the-iwc-pilots-watch-chronograph-top-gun-edition-in-iwc-lake-tahoe-white-and-iwc-woodland-green/