FS: IWC Pilot Top Gun Flyback Chronograph, Matte Black Dial *Excellent Condition*

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I am consolidating my collection, and this is a particularly hard one to let go. IWC Pilot Top Gun Chronograph (IW388007) with a gorgeous matte black dial in a near-mint condition. The only place where you can even tell the watch had been worn before is in the clasp. There are a few very minor marks on there that are only visible at certain extreme viewing angles when the light hits it just right (I tried to photograph them but failed miserably because they are so faint). The leather band and ceramic case are like new with no marks anywhere. The latter should come as no surprise, as the case is entirely made of black ceramic, and nothing in the world except sharp diamonds could make a scratch on it. So, this watch will look new for ever!

The pushers, crown and caseback are all titanium, and the black leather band with fabric finish comes with a media-blasted steel deployment clasp, so despite the size, the watch feels like a featherweight, and is extremely comfortable on the wrist. The crown is screw-down for 6 bar water resistance. The lume is amazing because they have not been painted on -- they are SOLID blocks of lume, including the top triangle! They glow very brightly after a quick charge from the sun. The crystal is of course scratch-resistant sapphire with antireflective coating on both sides to make the already clear dial be super readable in literally every situation, including the super bright pilot cockpit that it is designed for. Speaking of which, I LOVE the airline counter style date window, and the beautiful red second hand. I was so disappointed when IWC "updated" this model by reducing the dial size, removing the airline-style date window, removing the beautiful Top Gun inlay in the caseback, and also replaced the amazing movement (see below) with one of a much inferior quality.

Before we get to the movement, let us talk about the engineering that went into the case. The glass is secured against any sudden drops in air pressure so it would not shatter if your cabin suddenly lost pressure, and the glass is also convex to help with this. And that gives it a subtle vintage-look in a super modern watch with pretty advanced mechanical features. Finally, the whole movement is housed in a soft-iron inner Faraday case so it is protected from strong external magnetic fields, like in a pilot's cockpit!

The movement is bloody brilliant. It is IWC's in-house Calibre 89365. It is a flyback chronograph, so you can use the reset function with the second pusher without the need to first stop the chronograph. This is so perfect in a pilot watch, since historically, when pilots wore thick sheepskin gloves for protection in unheated, unpressurised cockpits, this ability to operate the chronograph with the least number of pushes was a considerable advantage. This simple yet efficient mechanism disengages the chrono by means of a cam, returns the hand to zero at the same time, and starts timing again as soon as the pusher is released. This meant pilots could wait and restart timing to exactly coincide with a radio-transmitted signal, and therefore calculate their direction with the least possible deviation from the ideal route, with all the benefits one can imagine when flying close to enemy planes. In poor visibility, pilots could also use the flyback function for instrument flight by following course indications to the nearest second.

The movement also features a crisp, very advanced column wheel design with vertical clutch and a free-sprung balance, all features virtually unheard-of at this price point! It also has a genius pellaton winding system, and a Côtes de Genève perlage even though there is no display caseback! That is IWC's craftsmanship, and where it differs from brands like Rolex and Omega. It is also self-winding, hacking, small seconds, and has the quickset date. Power reserve is an awesome 68 hours despite beating at 28800 bph!

The dial size is a perfect 46 mm that wears much smaller because it's all black and the bezel is so thin. The case is also only 16.6 mm thick, and has a lug-to-lug distance of 58 mm. Lug width is 22 mm, so it will take a lot of other straps, but the IWC one it has on now with the IWC deployment clasp is as perfect as it could get.

The watch keeps excellent time, within COSC specs. It comes as watch only, and I'm asking only $7500 for this amazing piece of history, and something you can no longer get (you can only get the far inferior current model with a pretty terrible dial design and a budget movement). I will ship it 2-day with insurance CONUS for free! Payment via bank wire or PayPal (add 3% for regular payment). Tons of references on here as well as eBay. Please ask!

Pictures are here: https://imgur.com/a/BedfERp

This is a very manly and versatile watch, as illustrated by some pictures of it in the wild: https://imgur.com/a/7r1gMwu

Pictures of the actual watch and movement:














Pictures of the watch in the wild:

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