IWC Mark XX or BP43?

[Guppydriver]

I’ve been looking for a time only three handler for a while and have routinely come back to the Big Pilot 43.

Just a few days ago though, a friend of mine said “Why don’t you just get a Mark XX and get a better fitting watch for a much better price”.

So, I’ve been thinking….

Sure the Mark XX has a date which isn’t ideal (for me) BUT there are advantages…

1. Greater Power Reserve
2. More WR
3. Noticeably more affordable.
4. Universal Diameter

Disadvantages being
1. Date (just my preference)
2. Questionable “in house” movement origin
3. Closed case back (again preference)
4. Lack of COSC certification

The Big Pilot 43 is certainly the heavy hitter of the bunch, but some say it loses the true essence of a Big Pilot by omitting a power reserve indicator and having a less than ideal 60 hour power reserve compared to the OG which has a whopping 7 days.

I initially had anything with a date complication filtered out, but when I started to get serious about the BP43, I couldn’t help but wonder if the Mark XX is actually the better watch.


Any opinions to pass along to me about how these watches compare in the real world would be appreciated.