[Interview] IWC CEO Christoph Grainger-Herr

The IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph Top Gun "SFTI" was announced in October 2020. CEO Christophe Grainger-Herr took the time to explain it, perhaps because people are waiting for the release of the new movie "Top Gun: Maverick." Considering that the CEO didn't even appear at the announcement of the Portugieser, it seems like a lot of effort has gone into this.

The new Top Gun is a civilian version of a military watch.

"TOP GUN originally began as a license agreement with the US Navy Fighter Weapons School in 2007. But in 18, we worked with TOPGUN instructors based at Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada to develop two watches exclusively for TOPGUN graduates. Now IWC is the only company authorized to work on watches for all US Navy and Marine Corps squadrons."

　The old Top Gun was supposed to be a model that only added the logo, but has it changed significantly since 18?

Christophe Granger-Herr
Born in Germany in 1978, he studied interior design at Bournemouth University in London before building his career as an architect. He joined IWC in 2006 and has worked in several departments, including the design of the IWC Museum, trade marketing, and brand marketing, before assuming his current position in 17. As a former architect, he says, "The definition of an architect is building a vision. Architects are the cultural creators of society."

"Pilots wear our watches every day in the cockpit, providing valuable feedback to our engineers, materials engineers, and designers. This has enabled our pilot's watches to function accurately and reliably in the most unforgiving environment on Earth: the cockpit of an F/A-18 Super Hornet." The new Top Gun, unlike previous models, incorporates that expertise. "The Pilot's Watch Chronograph Top Gun SFTI is essentially a civilian version of the 18 pure military watch. After many conversations with pilots, the exterior has been further refined. The matte black zirconium oxide ceramic case, case back, chronograph pushers, and ceratanium pin buckle complement the all-black, non-reflective exterior, a design that was specifically requested by pilots."

　IWC previously produced the Mark XI for military use and later sold some of it commercially for civilian use. This time, they have reproduced it exactly.

"The new TOP GUN has been designed to perform reliably in operating environments where people and goods are pushed to their absolute limits. Of course, most people wearing a TOP GUN watch are not professional pilots, but they will appreciate the fact that they have an accurate, reliable and robust timekeeping instrument on their wrist. A TOP GUN is a watch for all life's adventures."

　I thought they would talk about the new movie "Top Gun: Maverick," but there was no mention of that. No matter what, IWC is still IWC. This was a serious watch.