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Still my go-to when people ask me what to buy if they one want one. I just hate sounding like a fanboy, so I point out flaws where I can find them.

I have not. On a lighter watch that doesn’t need so much support, I would rather have an assortment of NATOs. For a heavier piece, a thicker rubber strap makes more sense.

It looks amazing on leather. But of course the bracelet is great for a weekend where you just want to set it and forget it. Thanks for watching.

Thank you! What pieces do you own? Happy collecting and thanks for sharing your experience.

The scale would be too small. It has half hour jump increments.

I don’t know about “ALL”, but IWC do. Otherwise it would be too difficult to see the minutes elapsed.

No doubt I’d have more money and a good watch if I took your advice!

@@Randyswatches 😃

I used to think that, but I don’t need a 3rd party to tell me it is accurate. If IWC sells it, it is accurate and waterproof. Patek doesn’t give you a COSC certification either and they cost much more.

It is. More to come

Let’s find out. Check back next month.

That’s awesome. Would love to see a picture. I have a 6.25 in wrist that swells up to about 6.5, and I thought the 41+ watches were too big for me. But once I got the cerratanium chronograph, I got more open minded, and even tried on a big pilot 43 and thought it looked super cool. I agree, their 39-40 pilot watches are the most wearable and best fit for a got-to watch. But if you like to make a statement, the big watches are actually worth giving a shot.

Happy hunting. Let me know what you are looking at. There are some pretty awesome moon-phase watches out there at great price points.

I used to be locked into the 38-40mm size like you, but the more I came to love these pieces, the more I see myself with larger statement pieces that wear more like jewelry. I think over the next few years I’ll pick up one or two interesting large models.

Well, the Richemont group has a lot of cross-pollination. And keep in mind that just because something is “in-house”, doesn’t make it exclusive… this dates all the way back to the Daytona and Zenith, and Breitling and Tudor, and an endless list of others. An example of an in-house and exclusive movement would be like the Oris 5 day calibre, or certain Omega movements. Regarding IWC, it seems a few models, such as the 36mm pilot watches, use sellita base with upgrades. Otherwise it’s all Richemont owned.

Thank you soo much for your quick response. I’m really drawn to IWC.

Go find a shop and try some on. Or if you are have a certain look in mind, hit me up and I can give you some cool models to look up that you might never have seen.

@@Randyswatches do you like the older spitfire or the newest mkXX?

Impossible to pick. If you put a gun to my head, I’d pick the spitfire, even knowing the mark xx is more versatile, because my wife likes it on me. But I’d tell anyone any day to buy the Mark XX on the bracelet and get accessory quick change straps and you have a whole collection for any occasion for $7k.

Thanks!

The fact that it was a gift makes it more special. Enjoy and love wearing it and make it a part of you.

Which dial do you have? I have the XX and I want the ceramic top gun XVIII

If I had a son, I’d have bought the Father Son set. Alas, I do not. Post a video and reply with a link when you get yours!

@@Randyswatches Will do. About a son- maybe,someday. Be well.

I agree. Can’t please everyone. But time will prove me right!

@@Randyswatches by the time they prove you right (no sarcasm implied), they will have new model in for latest and greatest hype mate.

I say wear it and enjoy it.

The ingenieur is a good watch, but has nothing special about it. See Tim Mosso’s take on it on his last show. That’s how I feel. Regarding the top gun 41, it wears easily on my 16-17 CM wrist. It isn’t marketed as a “thin watch”, but it is certainly nothing unwieldy. Thanks for enjoying the content!

It is an amazing timepiece. Glad you enjoy the watches.

I’m honestly don’t know what the thought process was when releasing it. But apparently it is selling well, so what do I know.

@@Randyswatches Is it? I'm honestly surprised. I've tried it on and liked it. And was resentful that they had finally made the Ingenuir that I wanted it was so over overpriced. I was planning to get another Portuguiser.

Which one? They are very different model lines.

I’m not sure what you are describing, however I’ve not had any issues. Fortunately the IWC extended warranty is robust and I hope you have a good experience once it’s returned to you. I know you’ll be taken care of. I think it’s impossible to produce large quantities of anything without an element of randomness that is beyond control. The question is, how do companies deal with defects? I’ve heard of even high end bespoke brands with warranty issues.

@@Randyswatches I just got my chronograph Woodland back from service and it's working perfectly now. Boutique service was good, they are understanding and wanted to solve the problem for me. Wait time was about 1 month+ as they had to order some parts from Switzerland as I'm told, they didn't specify what part and what went wrong. All in all, despite the mishap I would still buy this watch 10 times over. The forest green and larger dial and the character of the watch just works for me.

I’m glad you have a good experience. I have seen the phenomenon you are talking about. My new chronograph is a little janky between 15 and 30 seconds, but not enough for me to care. That’s why a great warranty and customer service is so important. I also agree, I’d buy all of mine twice. Thanks for sharing your experience!

I’ll have to look again.

Congratulations! Let me know how much you love it after you’ve gotten to know it. I know it’ll be a part of your life forever. Don’t sleep on the accessory straps. Check with the 1916 company for factory straps at a steep discount, or negotiate a leather strap from your AD with the purchase.

@@Randyswatches thank you so much that's a great help. I'll be getting as many straps as I can for it even an orange rubber for fun

Great pieces! Maybe they could score more market share that way… Or maybe game theory says that if everyone competes for the same market, no one thrives. It’s ok to have something that isn’t for everyone. It may even confer longevity at the expense of growth, since fashion trends come and go.

Thanks for the positive feedback! Congratulations on your new piece. I’d love to try one on the black strap one day. I hear you on size. 41/42 is a perfectly sized “big watch” on me. But when you strap on the Lake Tahoe, there’s something about the punch it packs. I’m starting to think we need to spend more time talking about the emotional connection rather than the clinical specifications of what is essentially a piece of jewelry.

Dear god, am I going to have to get a big pilot? I need time. Maybe next year. I’m glad you enjoy them.

If you order new, make sure to get a free leather strap. The online boutique will add one. Or get an AD to throw one in, or give a small discount. If somehow you can’t negotiate it, the 1916 company can hook you up at cost.

I’m thinking of where to go next. Big pilot annual calendar (neo-vintage)? Big pilot/perpetual? I think it’ll be a classic big IWC statement piece. But I suspect I’ll need to be responsible for the rest of 2024.

Congratulations! It’s incredibly versatile. Black strap or bracelet?

That’s a fair response. Unfortunately my wrist fluctuates too much for a non-adjustable bracelet to “fit”. The quality is fantastic. But I feel it could have been so much more. Clearly you can see from my videos, I’m a big fan of IWC products. Thanks for the response.

It’s weird right? Don’t focus on it. Congrats and enjoy!

That’s hilarious. Still beautiful.

It’s a great piece, and more are becoming available. It also wears very light for its size. The cost is due to the ceratanium, which has a high failure rate in production. It’s a very difficult metal to mass produce. There are less expensive full titanium or ceramic versions that I think look great, and don’t discount stainless steel. There’s a specific C.03 with black on stainless steel that is a 250 piece limited edition that is stunning.

@@Randyswatches Thank you! I read that Ceratanium can get marks easily and is not easy to clean. Do you find that true?

No. Any marks on it are just other material rubbing off onto the case. The case is not coated, the metal is hardened to an extreme, like ceramic. Mine is still flawless.

Columbia. They don’t carry IWC in that store, but if you are interested in a piece, they will drop ship it to the store and let you wear it around to see if you like before you purchase. And the manager is truly passionate about watches (mostly Panarai and Omega though). I’ve been wearing the Mark XX a lot lately, and choosing which strap to wear it with is almost as hard as choosing a timepiece. It looks phenomenal on any strap.

@@Randyswatches The Mark XX is amazing. I’m fortunate to have a Boutique just down the road in Nashville and have gotten to know the store manager and his team very well. Do you have a RedBar chapter where you are? I head up the RedBar chapter in Louisville.

Never heard of RedBar. Just googled it. Unfortunately Atlanta and Charleston are the closest places near me that could sustain such a group. There’s plenty of money where I live (a lot of red necks have quite a bit of wealth that they don’t display) but they don’t typically delve into collecting.

It’s a journey. I’m infatuated with them all. I think your journey is your own, and there’s no shame in rectifying a mistake, but maybe consider something outside of your style comfort zone that would be an occasional or weekend piece rather than an everyday. And maybe let it come to you rather than pursuing a look. As for the straps, call the 1916 company and let them know you need IWC straps. The concierge will hook you up with genuine straps at a discount, or consider thestraptailor.com and search IWC.

@@Randyswatches All good thoughts!! I appreciate the ideas of letting them come to me instead of always being on the hunt. Thanks too for the insights on straps!

Thanks for the input. I wouldn’t go that far. I’d simply say that it not the timepiece I’d engineer in 2024 given the competition. I’d have flexed my watchmaking prowess.

You obviously had no idea what you were looking at, luxury watches are not your thing

@@bdegrds lmfao alright whatever big luxury watch man

I suppose not

Thanks for sharing. Those are great pieces. It’s great to be able to simply remove the strap/bracelet from the mark xx and slap a NATO on it. It’s the best argument against an integrated bracelet watch.

@@Randyswatches I very nearly bought a mark XX. Ended up going with an Omega Railmaster with 40% off MSRP instead. Wonderful watch. Amazing for <$3k. It’s my simple three hander of the collection.

Great deal. I think the railmaster has a lot of class.

I will get the Inginieur if they develop exchangeable straps and a micro-adjust. The ceratanium is just an incredible all-around watch. Thanks for the comment!

I did see an interview recently with the IWC CEO that they have plans on expanding the Ingenieur line later this year

Thanks, I appreciate the point of view. Maybe I’m salty because I wanted to explore that line, but I just can’t do a fixed-length bracelet, and I love strap options. I just think that, with IWCs incredible engineering history, they could have flexed and made a great watch… a real competitor to the overseas and Alpine Eagle. Keep following, maybe one day I’ll go vintage Ingenieur or buy a new model that they really put some effort into. Especially if it’s in titanium.

@kbo513 Link?? I hope not, for my bank account’s sake. Seriously though, if they can do it without de-valuing the owners of the current model, I’m all for it. Thanks for the comment.

@@Randyswatches Yes I like easy exchange strap options too. Zenith is definitely one brand that offers extra straps AND easy exchange. I got to meet and talk to the Zenith CEO in W&Ws - I’m set to get their blue Extreme diver. Got into them when they released the Zenith pilot. The IWC Ingeniuer has half links included for the standard bracelet. I was originally set to purchase the VC Overseas but Richmont group got greedy - made the blue Boutique exclusive and eventually dropped a lot of ADs in my area. I don’t want to play the game all over again for one piece when most of my purchase history was with my AD.

I’d like to think it isn’t pre-planned obsolescence. More likely, it is a combination of artwork and machinery, as well as fashion. Since fashion changes and machines can be improved, I think it’s more likely that consumer feedback over time drives incremental improvements.