Earlier this year IWC unveiled a new homage to its original all-black Fliegerchonograph from the mid-1990s, the IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Tribute to 3705”. This homage maintains the most important characteristics of the original IWC Fliegerchronograph ref. 3705 – namely the all-black case. This time, however, it was made of Ceratanium®, a new light weight and scratch-resistant material made by IWC for its watch cases. This is in contrast to the original black zirconium oxide ceramic that made the Fliegerchronograph so legendary.
IWC is, of course, no stranger to pilot watches. Famous for them in the modern watchmaking era but also going back decades – almost a century. IWC’s first pilot watch was made in 1936 in Schaffhausen, then called the Special Pilot’s Watch ref. IW436. This first foray into the aviation watch world was a project started by the sons of International Watch Company’s owner at the time, who were both avid aviators!
Fast forward almost 60 years and the IWC Fliegerchronograph is a very sought-after vintage timepiece today, this is not only for its popular aesthetics but also because it is an extremely rare watch – with only 999 pieces ever made in black ceramic, according to IWC and Phillips. The ‘IWC Fliegerchronograph Keramik’ was the reference 3705, while a steel version was the reference 3706 and was produced in higher quantities and for longer, until the early 2000s. The Fliegerchronograph Keramik was released in 1994 and produced until 1998. While it is perhaps the most notable IWC model to use ceramic in its early days, IWC’s first ceramic watch was in the 1986 with the Da Vinci Chronograph Perpetual Calendar.
1986 IWC Da Vinci Chronograph Perpetual Calendar / Credit: IWC
The original Fliegerchronograph, both ref. 3705 and 3706, was powered by a Valjoux 7750-based movement – part of the IWC 790 family. Today, instead, the homage of the ref. 3705 released earlier this year hosts the IWC Cal. 69380 – a column-wheel chronograph movement made in-house by IWC. The Cal. 69380 has a power reserve of 46 hours, a 28,8000 bph rate, and 33 jewels – with Côtes de Genève finishing. A bit of a contrast to the workhorse Valjoux-based movement of the mid-1990s!
Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Tribute To 3705” / Credit: IWC
While this homage may be a pretty good one, it is certainly no comparison to the original, ground-breaking pilot’s watch and its perfectly black ceramic case. It is interesting, nonetheless, how such a simple feature can make such a lasting impression when it comes to design, even over decades.
By: Andres Ibarguen
Read more:
Naas, Roberta. “IWC Unveils New Flieger Chronograph Honoring Past Pilot Watches.” Forbes, February 25th, 2021, https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertanaas/2021/02/25/iwc-unveils-new-flieger-chronograph-honoring-past-pilot-watches/?sh=4789bc041ac0.
“THE 85-YEAR LEGACY OF PILOT’S WATCHES.” IWC, April 7th, 2021, https://press.iwc.com/the-85-year-legacy-of-pilots-watches/.
Touchot, Arthur. “The Story An IWC Fliegerchronograph Reference 3705 Linked To Günter Blümlein.” Phillips, https://www.phillips.com/article/39055176/the-story-of-an-iwc-fliegerchronograph-reference-3705-linked-to-gunter-blumlein.
Khan, Bilal. “No Longer Made: IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph ref. 3706.” aBlogtoWatch, December 11th, 2019, https://www.ablogtowatch.com/no-longer-made-iwc-pilots-watch-chronograph-ref-3706/.
Foster, Jack. “A Week on the Wrist: The IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph Edition 'Tribute To 3705'.” Hodinkee, February 25th, 2021, https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/iwc-pilots-watch-chronograph-edition-tribute-to-3705-a-week-on-the-wrist.
“IWC History.” IWC, https://www.iwc.com/en/company/history.html.
A vintage IWC ref. R 1009 A currently for sale by Toronto Vintage Watches. Click here.