First saw this watch on Tom Cruise's wrist in the film "Vanilla Sky" way back in 2001. Learned from a men's magazine at the time (GQ, Esquire, Maxim, etc.) that it was an IWC. Had not heard of the brand and was shocked to learn that was was over $5k at the time. I could not afford it even at half the price. But, I loved the simple dial and it stayed on my mind for several years. It is still a very handsome watch today. Nice video.
Very nice review of a gorgeous watch. Beware though, it looks like it was 10:25pm when you were setting the date, which is a big no no. The date should advance in nice solid clicks, which it does normally. If you set the date between about 10pm-2am (this varies with different movements), you can damage the date change mechanism.
Glad your watch is now running +4 sec/day now. I'm really liking this watch. I tried on the new Mark 18's and a Mark 16 in a video and I found the Mark 18 cases have a broad reach and don't hug my wrist like the older Marks (16& 15) do. Quite the difference in case designs in the one size range over the last decade.
Very true. Sometimes I think watch manufacturers just wanna make them bigger for the sake of doing so. A lot of modern watches are reaching what I think are clownish proportions.
thank you so much. many years later after the purchase of this watch, I really started to thing how much nicer it would have been if it had no date window.
This is the first type. l have the same watch. T swiss made T on the dial. I think this dial is coated with matte lacquer over printed index and sticked luminas blocks. It feels rough. This has no coating on crystal. I could choose the first or 2nd type one when I bought , I chose the 1st type., because I hate the scratched damage of coating on crystal and I love this rough finished dial. Though there is T mark on the dial, this isn't used tritium but luminova. Index and hands still glow in the dark over 25 years and no sunburned.
It really is a classic watch. Although i didn't think about it when I first bought it, it would have been ideal if there were no date window. I actually emailed IWC asking them if they would retrofit the dial with a dateless dial, but they said they don't do "customization". thanks for watching.
I still have the watch but I would not buy it again b/c it's an ETA base movement although heavily modified. Also not crazy about date windows on watches that traditionally didn't have the date. I still wear the watch from time to time and it's accompanied me to many places
Just to clarify I don't have anything against eta movements, but these days I just hate it when watches that traditionally had in house movements are substituted with eta base. (Another example would be modern Longines watches)
+nevermind2886 I'm sure you could wind it less than 50X to get the mainspring at full tension, but with automatics you can't over wind, so better safe than sorry I guess. Thanks for watching :)
No B.S. WRISTWATCH REVIEWS Thanks again for this excellent review. Perhaps one thing to add is the tritium dial and hands in the earlier versions. These were replaced by luminova in the later versions. I believe the change happened sometime around 2002/2003 in Europe. Tritium models are indicated by the letter T before and after the "Swiss Made" mark on the dial.
+ripperx444 Back in the day, I wasn't quite as fastidious about the movement. Now you couldn't pay me to buy an IWC with a modified ETA movement. All this considered though, its still a very decent watch, keeps very good and one of my go to watches when I travel.
+NO BULLS**T WRISTWATCH REVIEWS yea I agree. Before I knew better I thought IWC was awesome. Now I won't touch them or breitling regardless of in house or not tho. Just don't like the beads anymore
@@trevbarlow9719also far more affordable to repair. I used to look for everything in-house but now I have realized how much more expensive that is in the long run
IWC are cut above, unfortunately when it comes to traditional pilot watches, Alpina and Glycine are just about affordable, maybe I'd pick up a vintage IWC at some point. They are pure class
2 different watches. big plus about the Seiko is that its all in house, but its the whole package that does it for me.between this Seiko and the IWC (even with the modified ETA mov't) I'd still pick the IWC. Not bashing Seikos, have about 10 Seikos in my collection and am thinking about adding a Grand Seiko at some point.
First saw this watch on Tom Cruise's wrist in the film "Vanilla Sky" way back in 2001. Learned from a men's magazine at the time (GQ, Esquire, Maxim, etc.) that it was an IWC. Had not heard of the brand and was shocked to learn that was was over $5k at the time. I could not afford it even at half the price. But, I loved the simple dial and it stayed on my mind for several years. It is still a very handsome watch today. Nice video.
Have you meanwhile aved up, and acquired one?
Very nice review of a gorgeous watch. Beware though, it looks like it was 10:25pm when you were setting the date, which is a big no no. The date should advance in nice solid clicks, which it does normally. If you set the date between about 10pm-2am (this varies with different movements), you can damage the date change mechanism.
Beautiful the nearly mother of all pilots! It is gorgeous in every detail, contracts for having it dude
Glad your watch is now running +4 sec/day now. I'm really liking this watch. I tried on the new Mark 18's and a Mark 16 in a video and I found the Mark 18 cases have a broad reach and don't hug my wrist like the older Marks (16& 15) do. Quite the difference in case designs in the one size range over the last decade.
Very true. Sometimes I think watch manufacturers just wanna make them bigger for the sake of doing so. A lot of modern watches are reaching what I think are clownish proportions.
This is Tom cruises watch in vanilla sky
Gideon Heilpern thought it was a big pilot
Seen this in a shop window, great looking watch, I own a mark 18, iwc marks are very underrated
thank you so much. many years later after the purchase of this watch, I really started to thing how much nicer it would have been if it had no date window.
Because of my smallish wrists IWC Mark XII and Mark XV were the last models suitable for me. And I adore them !
actually wearing my Mark XV as we speak :) thanks for watching.
MrVoayer , I have both the XII & the XV; beauties 👌🏼
I learned that the hard way...did some damage to my breitling that way. thanks for the heads up and for your viewership :)
thanks so much for your kind words :)
This is the first type. l have the same watch. T swiss made T on the dial.
I think this dial is coated with matte lacquer over printed index and sticked luminas blocks. It feels rough.
This has no coating on crystal. I could choose the first or 2nd type one when I bought , I chose
the 1st type., because I hate the scratched damage of coating on crystal and I love this rough finished dial.
Though there is T mark on the dial, this isn't used tritium but luminova. Index and hands still glow in the dark over 25 years and no sunburned.
I've always tried my best to collect watches that are iconic, but the watch itself has to "speak" to me as well :)
thanks for watching.
It would have been nice to see how it looks on the wrist.
Those vintage IWC pilot watches are really nice esp the cal 89
Mark 15 are the classic and best!
A beautiful understated watch.
I have the XVI with the same movement. it gains 5 seconds a week and is orn constantly.
I wouldn't consider any of my watches to be "holy grails" per se, but I do try to collect what I believe are "Iconic" watches. thank you for watching
thanks so much, thank you for viewing
It really is a classic watch. Although i didn't think about it when I first bought it, it would have been ideal if there were no date window. I actually emailed IWC asking them if they would retrofit the dial with a dateless dial, but they said they don't do "customization".
thanks for watching.
this is a beautiful watch
thanks ! it would have been a little nicer if it didn't have the date window.
Want to sell or trade it if you still have it. I know this video is 12 years old.
Excellent review. Really enjoyed it.
Great video! Do you still have the watch? Would you buy it again?
I still have the watch but I would not buy it again b/c it's an ETA base movement although heavily modified. Also not crazy about date windows on watches that traditionally didn't have the date. I still wear the watch from time to time and it's accompanied me to many places
Just to clarify I don't have anything against eta movements, but these days I just hate it when watches that traditionally had in house movements are substituted with eta base. (Another example would be modern Longines watches)
@@369168 do you have any interest in selling it?
I'm surprised IWC recommends hand winding an automatic movement so much (50 times).
+nevermind2886 I'm sure you could wind it less than 50X to get the mainspring at full tension, but with automatics you can't over wind, so better safe than sorry I guess. Thanks for watching :)
Steve, is that you?
thank you so much for watching. more videos on the way.
Iwc use to be a "tool watch" , at now the iwc mark 15 is about $3000.
David there aren't any real tool watches left except maybe g shocks...watches are getting really expensive in general. thanks for watching
thanks for watching, hope you found the video informative :)
Thanks, nice job.
thanks!,
Could you tell which year you bought this watch? Thank you.
I believe I bought this watch in 2001.
No B.S. WRISTWATCH REVIEWS Thanks again for this excellent review. Perhaps one thing to add is the tritium dial and hands in the earlier versions. These were replaced by luminova in the later versions. I believe the change happened sometime around 2002/2003 in Europe. Tritium models are indicated by the letter T before and after the "Swiss Made" mark on the dial.
IWC loves selling base ETA movements for 4k + to people that don't know any better and think they are getting a true IWC watch.
+ripperx444 Back in the day, I wasn't quite as fastidious about the movement. Now you couldn't pay me to buy an IWC with a modified ETA movement. All this considered though, its still a very decent watch, keeps very good and one of my go to watches when I travel.
+NO BULLS**T WRISTWATCH REVIEWS yea I agree. Before I knew better I thought IWC was awesome. Now I won't touch them or breitling regardless of in house or not tho. Just don't like the beads anymore
In-house kool-aid is a new phenomenon designed by marketing. ETA as supplied to and adjusted by IWC is fantastic and future-proof.
@@trevbarlow9719also far more affordable to repair. I used to look for everything in-house but now I have realized how much more expensive that is in the long run
winner mark xv ?
Hey would you sell this?
Nope, I'm not Steve.
IWC are cut above, unfortunately when it comes to traditional pilot watches, Alpina and Glycine are just about affordable, maybe I'd pick up a vintage IWC at some point. They are pure class
You got so many classi holy grail watch like mark xv explorer submariner..
Get a Seiko SARG009 and save yourself several thousand $.
2 different watches. big plus about the Seiko is that its all in house, but its the whole package that does it for me.between this Seiko and the IWC (even with the modified ETA mov't) I'd still pick the IWC. Not bashing Seikos, have about 10 Seikos in my collection and am thinking about adding a Grand Seiko at some point.