Spitfire double chrono top gun

I am looking to acquire a double chrono. Was just wondering if there is a difference between the IW371802 and the IW371806? Thanks!

Well spotted

I looked it up in the different catalogues, it was 02 until 2008 and 06 in the last 2009/10, while the watch, and the mentioned specifications, are the same. I would, of course, go for the 06.

Kind regards,
Paul, wearing rose gold VC Portuguese

PS: It is not a Top Gun (nt)

It is a great watch and I would suggest that >>>

the change in Reference # denotes nothing more than a different strap on the watch.

Well, in the catalogues the straps were identical

I really tried to find any difference, like even strap colour, but at least the pictures and descriptions there are identical. My guess is a renumbering, though I wouldn't know why: what happened to 03 - 05?

Kind regards,
Paul, wearing rose gold VC Portuguese

The 371806 has less magnetic protection

Please follow the link below.

Cheers from the cellar

Got an answer from IWC!

Catalogues 08 and 09/10 didn't mention this

Thank you. I read about every post and somehow missed this, or forgot. In the catalogue you easily miss what is not there. About all the other Pilot's watches have such an anti-magnetic case, but this was not mentioned for the Father-Son watches!

Kind regards,
Paul, wearing rose gold VC Portuguese

Interesting!

I immediately checked the details on the IWC site for this Spitfire Double chrono and all other pilots watches in the Spitfire and Classic collection and found a few others where the soft iron inner case isn't mentioned:

BP St Exupery (500420, 500421 and 500422)
Father and Son, both versions (500413 and 325512)

I didn't notice this before. Looking af the weight of the St Ex BP in steel, it is the same as for the regular BP 500401. The case height for the St Ex BP is listed as 16 mm where the BP 500401 is 15.8 mm.

Kind regards,

Clemens

I wonder about the Saint Exupéry

According to the catalogue and the collection information of this site, the Saint Exupéry Big Pilot has no extra anti-magnetic provisions like the normal Big Pilot. Why? Only because of the dial? What are the features of that dial then, to not give it the anti-magnetic properties? That diversion would be strange, because, at least in the catalogue of 2006, the Saint Exupéry Chrono had the extra anti-magnetic provisions. Those watches with no anti-magnetic provisions: do they only not have an anti-magnetic dial, or are the other anti-magnetic provisions, like the cage, replaced by, for instance, fill-up provisions? What would be the point of half an anti-magnetic cage without a top?

Kind regards,
Paul, wearing rose gold VC Portuguese

maybe the price of the dial?

I had a full service plus new dial on my Inge 3227 and I know the anti-magnetic dials are not cheap!

Maybe dials made from anti-magnetic material are much harder to manufacture.

Kind regards,

Clemens

Interesting!

Magnetic protection not mentioned for the Ref. 3718 Pilot watch for the German National football team in Watch International #1/2008.

Cheers from the cellar

That would be disappointing

Given the fact that the steel Saint Exupéry Big Pilot is (was) substantially more expensive than its normal brother, that should not be the reason, even if only a limited amount of dials would be needed. I wonder whether there are other reasons to it, as it also happens to other limited editions. Like, is a brass dial easier to work with than the soft-iron one (so what?), and what about the rest of the anti-magnetic cage, is it still there or is it replaced by something different? It would be strange that for a watch that has all the preconditions for anti-magnetic provisions, it is denied of these provisions just because of a cheaper or easier to work with dial. Can you provide information about this, Michael?

Kind regards,
Paul, wearing titanium Ingenieur Automatic AMG, having te total anti-magnetic protection

As an owner of a non-antimagnetic Inge (3234)...

...which I bought because I appreciate the use of different materials (ceramic) and the resulting appearance, I would also go for the '06 because I prefer its appearance.

It seems, however, that if protection from magnetic fields is important to you, you should go for the '02.

@Michael: any information to be expected?

Hi Michael,

I posed some questions in my previous posts about the different Big Pilots and anti-magnetism, maybe they escaped your attention. Are you able to provide answers to them? I think the topic is interesting to all who like this watch and its different variations. Thank you for your answers.

Kind regards,
Paul, wearing rose gold VC Portuguese

Thank you David, it is at least part of an answer

So, at least for the "Doppel" it is clear: the supplier of the dials couldn't provide soft-iron dials of sufficient quality anymore, so for these Doppels brass dials were provided. The rest of the anti-magnetic provisions were maintained, but were really not effective anymore, but that effectiveness was not claimed, so there are no problems here.

The question that remains is about some limited editions for the Big Pilot like the Saint Exupéry. The dial of the Big Pilot is relatively simple, and the normal version has a soft-iron dial. Is this also true for the limited edition versions, whereby the documentation about the anti-magnetic feature then is incomplete, or do these limited edition Big Pilots have a brass dial, whereby the documentation correctly states no special anti-magnetic features? If the last case is true, the question that is interesting is: why? Please Michael, could you tell us what is the matter here?

Kind regards,
Paul, wearing steel VC Portuguese

sorry...

...I just don't get answers to every question. Keep in mind that I'm not a "customer service" rep, although I personally try to be helpful when I can beyond my normal moderating responsibilities.

Understood, but...

maybe IWC is willing to share this information. I am sure I have no entry there, but the moderators have, and they used it in the recent past. Please, could you pass this question through?

Kind regards,
Paul, wearing steel VC Portuguese, without any question a great watch