Big Pilot Heritage 55

In Context

At 55 mm this is exceptionally large for something worn on a wrist, closer to a pocket watch given lugs. At 13.5 mm it is a tall case, and it will catch on a cuff. The case back is closed, so the movement stays out of sight, and the sapphire crystal will resist everything short of deliberate abuse. 60 m covers rain and hand-washing comfortably; it is not a watch to swim in.

The movement is hand-wound, so winding it becomes part of the day rather than something the watch does for you. 46 hours of reserve carries it overnight, but not through a weekend in a drawer. At 18,000 vph the seconds hand advances 5 times a second, the slower and more audible rate of an older design.

IW5104-01 stands on its own in this catalogue — no other reference here shares its base number. It pairs a black dial with a titanium case. It was a limited edition.

The IWC manufacture 98300 calibre is almost identital to the 98295 calibre. The Vintage Collection Pilot's Watch has a thicker dial and therefore more clearance is needed. Its cannon pinion is a few millimeters taller, even though the movement itself has the same height in specifications. The case construction of the Vintage Pilot (IW3254) needed more height than the Vintage Portuguese (IW5445) and the dial was part of that design. That in turn caused a one part replacement and cal. 98295 became 98300.

6 other watches in the library run the IWC 98300.

IWC

Portuguese Hand-Wound Rose Gold

IW5454-06 · 44 mm

IWC

Vintage Pilot’s Watch Hand-Wound 1936 Rose Gold / Silver

IW3254-03 · 44 mm

IWC

Vintage Pilot’s Watch Hand-Wound 1936 Rose Gold / Black / Sincere

IW3254-07 · 44 mm

IWC

Vintage Pilot’s Watch Hand-Wound 1936

IW3254-01 · 44 mm