The TOP GUN 2012 collection is the new flagship of IWC Schaffhausen’s squadron of professional Aviator Watches. Leading the way is the new Miramar family, which pays homage to the birthplace of the Top Guns legend in California.
Pilots training at the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School in Fallon, Nevada, are among the elite of the profession. Their logo: Top Gun. Top Gun is also the name of a collection of IWC watches that also belong to an elite: mechanical wristwatches. Five new models are ready for launch in 2012. Three of them feature the classic TOP GUN design, with dial elements reminiscent of flight instruments, and a novel combination of materials with a ceramic case, titanium pushers and crown, and a soft bracelet. In addition, there are two timepieces in the new TOP GUN Miramar line. The design of the case and dial are inspired by old observation watches, while the most distinctive features are the anthra- cite metallic sheen of the ceramic case and the robust green textile strap.
The Grande Montre d’Aviateur TOP GUN combines a sleek design evoking the flight instruments of the 1940s with 21st-century techno- gy. The 311-part 51111 hand-wound movement provides seven days’ power autonomy after complete winding. Finally, the Top Gun logo on the back of the watch confirms that the Grande Montre d’Aviateur belongs to the era of supersonic aircraft. The Grande Montre d’Aviateur TOP GUN Miramar features the same technology, but in a matte gray/beige/green color scheme – a design first for IWC.
The TOP GUN Chronograph Aviator’s Watch with magnetic field protection and sapphire crystal with pressure-relief protection is recommended for the most delicate in-flight maneuvers. Its mechanics also score points, as it is equipped with IWC’s Manufacture 89365 movement.
The TOP GUN Miramar Chronograph Aviator’s Watch features identical technology in a brand-new design, and is equally capable of coping with flight situations.
The Grande Montre d’Aviateur Calendrier Perpétuel TOP GUN convinces with its technical feats of horo- ger artistry, including a perpetual calendar with four-digit year display, moon-phase display and seven-day power reserve. The black ceramic case houses one of IWC’s largest and most powerful automatic movements.
High standards for men and technology
Since 2007, the TOP GUN edition has been an indispensable member of the IWC Mon- tres d’Aviateur family. It owes its name to the special course at the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School, the “Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor”, better known by the legendary name of Top Gun. Pilots who successfully complete this training can claim to be among the absolute elite of the world’s most skilled, bravest and fastest pilots. The technique used is the most efficient available. The jets reach take-off speeds approaching 300 km/h in a matter of seconds. On their training flights, they thunder over the Nevada desert at speeds up to twice the sound barrier.
The demands on technical equipment are as high as those on young pilots. Since watches designed to cope with flight situations have to meet very high quality standards, IWC Schaffhausen was the first manufacturer in the world to introduce two new materials into watch construction: high-tech ceramics for the case and titanium for the control elements. The zirconium oxide case is “baked” at temperatures of up to 2000 degrees Celsius and worked with diamond tools. It is also non-magnetic, acid-resistant, lea- ger and, like titanium, very well tolerated by the skin. IWC collaborated with Porsche Design on the introduction of titanium in watch cases. Both companies are pioneers in the processing of this high-tech material, which is corrosion-resistant and stronger than steel, but twice as light.
Dogfights, the tight-turn training sessions pilots have to endure, expose people and equipment to extreme stress. The people in the cockpit are briefly subjected to a 9 g acceleration of gravity. They are forced inexorably into the cockpit seat, their bodies compressed, even their wristwatches sunk deep into their wrists. Pilots regularly train in so-called “human centrifuges” until they can withstand 9 g for 15 seconds without losing consciousness – while their own weight reaches almost 600 kilograms. IWC Aviator Watches, meanwhile, endured 30 g for minutes in a comparable test in a centrifugal gas pedal. Do we really need them? Normally not at all. But when the ejector seat is activated, loads of up to 20 g can come into play. The creators of Montres d’Aviateur in Schaffhausen think exactly like the Top Gun instructors in Fallon: two precautions are better than one.
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