Vintage Pilot’s Watch Hand-Wound 1936

In Context

At 44 mm it is a large watch — well above this catalogue’s 40 mm median, and enough to dominate a narrow wrist. At 12 mm it is a tall case, and it will catch on a cuff. The case back is open, so the movement is visible without taking the watch apart, 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.

IW3254-01 is one of 5 executions of the IW3254 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a black dial and a stainless steel case.

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

Big Pilot Heritage 55

IW5104-01 · 55 mm

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