[Hands-on Review] IWC's unprecedented ceramic watch with an entirely luminous dial: the Pilot's Watch Automatic 41 Black Aces

IWC's Pilot's Watch series has been trusted by pilots around the world for over 80 years, offering high visibility and precision on board. This time, we'd like to review the limited edition "Pilot's Watch Automatic 41 Black Aces," a collaboration model with the U.S. Navy's 41st Fighter Attack Squadron (also known as the Black Aces). Created by IWC, a long-established manufacturer of military watches, this model pays homage to the Black Aces, but is more than just a double-branded watch; it's an innovative and solid pilot's watch.

A design that pays homage to the Black Aces

Unless you are a serious military enthusiast, few Japanese people would know what the "41st Fighter Attack Squadron" is.

　Originally formed at Naval Air Station Oceania in 1950, it is a U.S. Navy fighter-attack aircraft unit currently assigned to Carrier Air Wing 9 on the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln.

　They are also known as the "Black Aces" and their unit mark is based on the "Ace of Spades" motif.

　Many readers may recognize the Black Aces unit mark from the blockbuster movie "Top Gun: Maverick," released in 2022, which featured the Black Aces unit mark on the front of the flight suit of Phoenix, a female pilot recruited for a top-secret mission.

　This Pilot's Watch Automatic 41 Black Aces, a collaboration between the legendary Black Aces squadron and IWC, a long-established manufacturer of pilot's watches, pays tribute to the squadron by featuring the squadron's iconic mark printed large at the 6 o'clock position on the dial.

　Another unique feature of this watch is the titanium screw-back on the back, which is engraved with an image of the F/A-18F, a carrier-based fighter plane operated by the Black Aces.

　Although it is a rough sketch, it is drawn with extremely faithful detail, and although it is unlikely that the average watch enthusiast would notice it, it will be a point that will make military enthusiasts, who are the target audience for this work, smile.

Fully luminous dial with high durability and long-lasting illumination

　The uniqueness of this work is not limited to its design.

　The white dial with the unit mark printed on it looks like just lacquer at first glance, but the dial itself is actually fully luminous, glowing in the dark.

　And it's not just a case of applying luminous pigment to the surface.

　The Super-LumiNova pigment is mixed with a binder and poured into a circular mold where it is allowed to harden, meaning it will not peel off when subjected to impact and does not impair its practicality as a military watch, which is an innovative feature unique to this watch.

　Naturally, the amount of luminous pigment used is far greater than that of a surface coating, so in a darkroom experiment conducted by IWC, the watch continued to glow for more than 23 hours.

　With this dial, you won't have any trouble with visibility even during night flight missions.

Robust and highly visible exterior design that can withstand harsh environments

　Although the aircraft operated by the Black Aces are classified as multi-role aircraft that emphasize versatility, when it comes to actual combat they are a fully-fledged fighter unit that can also handle air-to-air combat, making full use of turns of up to 7.5G.

　The dogfight scene at the climax of the 1986 film "Top Gun" is famously based on the Black Aces battle that took place in the Gulf of Sidra in 1981.

　The case of this watch is made of black ceramic to withstand all the stress that can be expected from such a harsh mission.

　Zirconium oxide, which IWC calls ceramic, is a high-tech material that is second only to sapphire glass in hardness.

　Black ceramic is lightweight, scratch-resistant, and there is no need to worry about the black color peeling off due to wear, making it the perfect material choice for this product, which is expected to be used hard inside the cockpit.

　Due to the extremely hard nature of the material, precision machining requires advanced technology and effort, but the case of this model has a very sharp and neat shape and an outstanding sense of luxury.

　Titanium is used for the crown, case back, and buckle, which also give them an extremely sharp design.

　Another feature of this model is that the exterior parts all have a matte finish to prevent the direct sunlight reflecting off them in the sky from interfering with the pilot's vision.

　Looking at the dial, the only shiny part is the printed part.

　The domed sapphire crystal is anti-reflective on both sides.

　The bezel ring is engraved with a deep hairline and all hands are matte painted, so the dial is designed to minimize reflections as much as possible, regardless of the angle from which sunlight shines on the dial.

　Additionally, the tips of the minute and second hands have been bent to reduce the clearance with the dial, preventing misreading of the time, a design befitting a professional tool.

A compact body that fits even on the slender wrist, with outstanding visibility and practical accuracy

　Born and raised in a city where US military aircraft fly low, I have been able to watch F-14s and F/A-18s flying in formation up close since I was a child.

　Thanks to this, I feel more affinity and admiration for supersonic jet fighters than most people, but there's no way I'll ever get the chance to ride in an actual fighter jet, and I don't think my frail constitution would be able to withstand the G-forces, so I've decided to test it out around town to see how it feels.

　The first thing that surprised me when I put this watch on was how well it fit on my arm.
The case diameter is 41mm, which is large for a three-hand watch and gives it a strong visual presence, but the lugs are kept short, so even when I wore it on my wrist, which is 160mm in circumference, it did not stick out.

　The thickness is kept to 11.4mm, so it fits easily under a shirt sleeve, and it also has the lightness that comes with a ceramic case.

　This will go well with any outfit and can be used as a watch for daily use.

　The next thing that surprised me was how easy it was to read the dial.

　Generally, white dials tend to be dazzling in sunlight, so I decided to expose it to direct sunlight outdoors on a clear day, but there was no unpleasant reflection at all and I was able to read the time smoothly.

　Additionally, the Arabic numerals are positioned closer to the center, so they are not affected by the shadows cast by the endpapers, regardless of the viewing angle.

　It's only natural, considering that this is a professional pilot's watch used above the clouds, but the dial design of this watch is extremely well-made as a practical watch, and its visibility can be said to be of the highest standard.

　The movement used, "Cal. 32100," is a Val Fleurier ebauche tuned by IWC, and the review model has incredible accuracy with a daily deviation of +1 second.

　The winding efficiency is also extremely good, and even during a week of daily use by me, who mostly does desk work, it never stopped even once.

　The movement is protected by a soft iron inner case, and the escapement is made of silicon, so there is no need to worry too much about the effects of magnetic fields.

　The needle adjustment is smooth and has a consistent weight, making it a very comfortable feel.

　The only thing I'm not happy about is the length of the included strap.

　The strap on the watch I borrowed this time was short on the 12 o'clock side, so the buckle and strap were closer to the 12 o'clock side, and even on my wrist, which is 160mm in circumference, it did not balance well with the watch itself.

　Naturally, if your wrist gets thicker, the buckle will move further towards 12 o'clock.

　In order to keep the watch body stable on the wrist facing the wearer, the buckle needs to be positioned slightly towards 6 o'clock, so it would be convenient for users if they could choose from multiple strap patterns for both the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock sides.

An innovative and well-built practical pilot's watch

　The most unique feature of this Pilot's Watch Automatic 41 Black Aces is, of course, the collaboration with Black Aces.

　This project could easily have ended up being just a novelty watch, but the design arrangement is brilliantly balanced, and with a fully luminous dial made possible by innovative technology, a high-quality exterior, and a highly accurate movement, this watch exudes the solidity that is unique to IWC and is undoubtedly a practical pilot's watch.

　For this review, I wore the watch for a long period of one week, but as someone who hasn't had the opportunity to get up close and personal with IWC watches in recent years, I was amazed at the level of improvement in the precision of the exterior finish.

　When it comes to IWC ceramic watches, the legendary chronograph "Ref. 3705" released in 1994 is famous, but 29 years have passed since then, and this model has evolved to an exterior of a completely different level. We hope you will take a look at it for yourself.