For 2019, IWC has launched the new Spitfire collection, which as the name suggests is based on the Spitfire, the protagonist of the WWII air war in Britain. The Spitfire is very similar in appearance to the Mark Mark, with its minimalist aircraft dashboard design. The Spitfire Pilot’s Watches are military in style and have historical prototypes, with the Mark being purchased by the British Army and the Daffy being a German piece of equipment. The Spitfire Pilot’s Chronograph comes in four models, named after the numerical series 38790X, each with almost the same movement and design, the only difference being the material of the case,replica watches and this time we bring you the most vintage of them all, the bronze model – 387902!
The diameter of the Bronze Spitfire has been reduced to a modest 41mm compared to the diameter of a regular UPI flying watch. The black dial features an orderly arrangement of three chronograph counters. a small seconds counter at 6 o’clock; a 12-hour counter at 9 o’clock; and a 30-minute counter at 12 o’clock. The Arabic numerals on the dial and the sub-dial hands are coated with white luminous coating, while the hour and minute hands and the 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock positions are coated with beige luminous coating. The day and date windows are located at 3 o’clock. The bronze crown with chronograph pushers is engraved with the classic IWC logo and has a non-slip textured finish all around for easy time adjustment.
The sturdy screw-down caseback is embossed with a Spitfire fighter jet, while a soft-iron inner case beneath the caseback encases the movement and protects it from the magnetic influences of everyday life. This tried and tested method of shielding the mechanical movement internally with a soft iron case is also used by Rolex for its Airmaster and Milgauss green glass, and has long been used by Universal for its Pilot’s and Ingenieur collections to protect against magnetism. While brands such as Omega are increasingly achieving anti-magnetism through movements without magnetised parts, there is no denying that simple and reliable designs still work, and that anti-magnetism with soft iron cases is retro.
This time around, the classic flying watch is also paired with a sturdy and reliable in-house chronograph movement, the IWC calibre 69380, which is also the watchmaker’s calibre 69000 series. It features the classic column wheel design with a bi-directional pawl winding system and a power reserve of 46 hours. In addition to the normal automatic winding, there is also the classic Replica IWC chronograph flyback function. The main dial is a small three-hand design with hours, minutes and seconds, while the largest long hand is the chronograph seconds hand, which may still be a little uncomfortable for new users~.
The first thing that comes to mind is the bronze. In addition to the slightly aged olive green colour on the face, the case is also made of bronze, which has become very popular in recent years, as military watchmakers such as Zenith and Panerai are experimenting with bronze. So, it’s vintage, but also hip~!
The last thing I’d like to say is that the bronze is not as hard as the steel models, and the bronze itself is a relatively old smelting technique, so it’s probably a psychological factor to wear it in your hand. Then again, the great thing about bronze is that depending on the habits, environment and frequency of use of each wearer, it can have a different surface with a different natural oxidised texture, which is what young people are looking for nowadays, and with the vintage tide of the whole watch, it really is very relevant to the needs of today’s watch consumers! And this model comes on a brown calfskin strap, adding further texture and elegance to the watch.
