From a purist’s point of view, I would prefer this watch to not have a date, however, the date at 6 limits the disruption to the dial symmetry. And staying true to the original flieger specifications, instead of the number 12 at the 12 o’clock position, we have a big triangle with two dots next to it for easy reading at low light so you can easily tell the time.
Carrying over from the Mark series from the 1950s, the watch has luminescence at the 12,3,6, and 9 o’clock positions as well as the hour and minute hands too. In the dark, this gives a crosshair look, which is pretty cool. However, I do feel that IWC should’ve added luminescence to all the numbers and maybe add it to the indexes at 3,6,9, and triangle to provide the crosshair effect?
Beautiful watch, Jan!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Big Pilot.
I have always loved the Big Pilot, but, unfortunately, my wrist is just not substantial enough to pull it off.
The Mark series, however, is another story altogether. I’ve got a Mark XVIII Petit Prince on my hit list. I love that blue dial.
All the best!
René
Hey René! My wrist has similar challenges as yours with this watch unfortunately, I know what you mean! The review was written by Jeff, blessed with a better shaped wrist for this piece 😀
Late to the game, but there are indeed different sized straps offered by IWC in the OEM designs/materials. I believe they have XS, M (comes with watch) and XL. Contrary to the demure sounding term, the XS is a reasonable length for most wearers that eliminates the overflap and covering of the rivets. Contact the IWC concierge and they can hook you up, there’s many other materials and designs (eg no rivets) available.