2017 IWC Pilot's Watch Tribute To Mark XI Limited to 1948 IW327007
Ref: IW327007
Specification
Lugs : 20mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : Box & Papers
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold with its original IWC box and paperwork. The watch comes paired with its original 20mm IWC Nato strap with its signed buckle. The watch is from December 2017 and is sold in worn, but very fair condition, as you can see from the photos and comes with our 12-Months Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rjFAqJ8VqjWHBw9WIV04Aw_OyRHczNO-?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 8:03 - https://youtu.be/4WzLbj9lrew
The Watch
This 2017 IWC Pilot's Watch Limited to 1948 IW327007 pays tribute to the IWC Mark XI Edition, the Mark XI was produced from 1948 until the 1980s. It was mainly issued to the Royal Air Force but also was issued to the Commonwealth armed forces. The robust case and legible Arabic numerals made this a firm favourite amongst the many users of the Mark XI. This special edition was initially available exclusively from Harrods in London for a period of three months in July 2017, after that time, it was available for purchase in all IWC boutiques and authorised retailers, limited to 1,948 watches. A 40mm brushed and polished stainless steel case gently curves at the tapered lugs, and a lug-to-lug length of 51mm and a thickness of 10.5mm give the watch an impressive wrist presence. On the right side is a screw-down signed crown. A convex sapphire crystal with AR coating on both sides for excellent viewing angles sits above a matte black dial. An outer minute track with lume plots at 12, 3, 6, and 9, large Arabic numeral indices mark the hours coated in luminescence, and at 12 o’clock the iconic triangle. At 3 o’clock a date window. The baton hands are coated in luminescence complemented by a fine tapered sweeping second hand with a leaf counterweight. Text is precisely printed at 12 and 6 respectively. On the reverse, a screw-down case back with the special edition details and number out of 1948 engraved into it, inside an automatic IWC Cal. 35111, 25 jewels, 28,800 beats per hour, based on the Sellita SW300-1 developed using only 163 components. The watch comes fitted on its 20mm IWC NATO strap with a signed buckle and also comes with its IWC presentation box and papers.
Personal Note
This IWC Pilot's Watch Tribute to Mark XI, limited to 1948 watches worldwide and cased in 40mm, has done a wonderful job of paying homage faithfully to the Mark XI whilst bringing it to modern standards and sizing. To find an honest and original Mark XI is a tough job and you will definitely pay the price for one, this offers an alternative with a saving, what there not to like!
The Brand
Florentine Aristo Jones founded IWC in 1868. In 1867 he applied for a European passport with the ambition to create watches using the American system of Watchmaking. This system was derived from the Federal Armories at Springfield and Harpers Ferry. Where high-precision interchangeable parts were needed for armaments, this was perfect to use in watchmaking and Florentine was a pioneer in introducing it to the Swiss. In 1868 Florentine and Charles Kidder ended up in Schaffhausen Switzerland. Originally called the company F. A Jones & Co which was later changed to IWC International Watch Company. Florentine returned to the USA in 1876 where he retired and sadly passed away in 1916. His spirit carries on today in the modern IWC watches.