The IWC I Would Buy: Pilots Chronograph Miramar

This video is sponsored by Squarespace. Squarespace is the all-in-one website platform to help you stand out and succeed online, but more on them later. I have been thinking about the color blue an unreasonable amount. Blue watches are often very important for brands and represent some of the highest selling models, like the Omega Seamaster Diver 300, Tudor Black Bay 58, Glashütte Original CQ, Vacheron Constantin Overseas. And I'm not saying blue is the only color that matters, but getting it just exactly right can make or break a watch. And I think IWC got it right. So this is the IWC Top Gun Pilots Watch Chrono Miramar in stainless steel. This was released back in July 2025. I've wanted to be hands-on with one since then, and I finally convinced them to send me one. Full disclosure, this is a press piece that IWC sent me. I had it in for a few days, then sent it back. They didn't ask me to make this video. I asked them because I really liked the way it looked, and I thought it would be fun to make a video. It's not a perfect watch, but it's really, really good. Let's start with the color. That's what drew me in. And as I said before, blue is a very specific color, and I've never seen a watch in this shade before. Inspired by the flight suits worn at the Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, IWC developed this new color of blue with Pantone. I could talk about Pantone at length for a very long time. I won't make you guys sit through that. We're going to keep it about this watch. But I could. The blue color that was created is almost a subdued matte color, a muted sky blue. My husband was in the Fleet Air Arm of the British Royal Navy for 24 years, so this shade of blue, this kind and style of blue is familiar for me. It reminds me a lot of the blue in RAF uniforms. I really like the idea of this watch. Using a kind of safe staple of the brand, the Pilot's Watch Chronograph, as a fun experimentation ground that has a clear story and purpose. It's kind of like trying a flavor I didn't know I would like, but I like it. Looking at the specifications, this has a case diameter of 41 millimeters, a thickness of 14.5 millimeters, and a 50 millimeter lug to lug. I have the stainless steel variation, but it is also available in ceramic, which I think looks awesome. But it is limited to 1,000 pieces, whereas the stainless steel is current catalog. On the wrist, yes, this is a pleasure to wear. So here it is on my five and a half inch wrist versus my husband's seven inch wrist. As per usual, I think this looks perfect on him and oversized on me, but I don't think it's a bad oversized. It's almost at the point where I think it's too large, but pilot style watches are meant to look large. But this does carry a large visual footprint. The thickness specifically makes it feel quite large. If you have a five and a half inch wrist to six and a half inch wrist, this will look a little bit oversized, especially six inch wrist and below. Six and a half inch wrist to seven inch wrist will feel like modern proportions. And for a seven and a half inch wrist and above, this will feel right at home. Back on specifications, this has 100 meters of water resistance, a highly legible dial featuring day-date complication and chronograph functionality. Powering this watch is the self-winding manufacturer caliber 69385, which is visible through the display case back, giving 46 hours of power reserve. It's a well-decorated movement, especially for the price, featuring Cote de Geneve and Perlage. Let's actually talk about the price. So this retails for £5,900 or $7,200 USD. And I'm not saying that's cheap, but they are packing a lot into that price. For comparison, the Rolex Oyster Perpetual 41 retails for £5,650 at the time of filming. So for a £250 price difference, you're getting a day-date complication with a quick set adjustment, the chronograph complication, a newly developed color, a manufacturer caliber, from a storied mainstream brand with a lot of brand name power, if that is something that's important to you. Watches are more than just specs, but these are very hard to argue with. You know what else is very hard to argue with? How gorgeous my website is. Feast your eyes. Yes. And this is where we need to talk about today's fabulous video sponsor, Squarespace. As you guys know, I've been using Squarespace since before they were a channel sponsor, and they are essential to what I do on the channel. Your website is the way that people find you. It is the first port of call for whatever you're doing. Maybe you have a doctor's practice, or a whiskey review blog, or maybe you have an awesome watch review YouTube channel. Whatever it is, Squarespace gives you the tools that you need to make a beautiful website. 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Thank you so much to Squarespace for sponsoring this video. So, as I said earlier, this is available in ceramic and stainless steel. The ceramic looks quite different to me. It's amazing how much case material can affect the way that you see color, but the hands are slightly different as well. The ceramic feels significantly more casual and playful, while the stainless steel is a bit more elevated and timeless. It really was just a feel-good wear. It was happy, it was joyful, the color is easy breezy. It feels almost familiar and cozy, but still fun. Looking at the dial, there is a lot of information being displayed, while remaining quite balanced. IWC is so good at towing that line between busy and clean, really feeling like a technical instrument. The six o'clock sub-dial displays the running seconds. Nine o'clock is chronograph hours, which sets off slowly from the moment you engage the chronograph. And 12 o'clock is chronograph minutes. The last bit of information on the dial, beyond the time, is the three o'clock day-date display. I actually really like this. It's an iconic IWC look, highly legible, useful information laid out in a clear, almost clinical way. I have zero complaints. Preparing to make this video, I read a lot of reviews and comments, and a lot of people seem to be a bit harsh on this being a pre-existing model, just in a new colorway, which is completely true. But I don't know why it's so frowned upon when brands freshen up kind of stale lines with new colorways and exciting colors. I think they've done a spectacular job at capturing a new shade of blue, and there's something to say for exciting new colors. I think of the Tudor Black Bay 58 Blue. They did a very similar thing. I don't think every update has to be new movements, entirely new designs, etc. Especially from mass production manufacturers. This already has a great movement. The Caliber 69385 is a reliable, column-wheel chronograph, good power reserve, great finishing. It's cool when there's a big change or updated movement, but that's not the point of this watch. I think there's a lot to say for really investing in new colorways to breathe new life into collections. They have clearly labored over getting this shade of blue just exactly so, and I think that's worth appreciating. IWC, as of late, seems to be making a lot of right decisions and products that I'm excited about. The introduction of the 35mm Ingenieur was one of the highlights of 2025 for me, as was this watch, the Miramar Pilot's Watch. And being a key sponsor of the F1 movie. It was actually the F1 movie that pushed me to the place where I thought, I think I'm gonna buy a new IWC. I already wanted a Pilot's Chrono 41, but the Apex GP, but now I want the Miramar. And now it's just deciding which one would be more right for my collection. Or both. I need more money. And this kind of leads to a possible area of concern. IWC's heavy investment into cinema and watches to pair with the films. I think this is either going to be something that brings people in or keeps them out and keeps them away from buying specific models. Going back to the Apex GP example, will everyone want a chronograph tied to a fictional Formula One team? No. My husband and I were recently having a discussion about these watches and it's one thing that would actually keep him away. It makes him not want one of these. Whereas for me, it only makes me want one more. I think it's because I'm an insufferable dork. But if it's a watch that I love that's then tied in with a movie that I also love, it's a win-win. Whereas for James, I think it feels a little bit too dorky for him. If it was a real Formula One team or he loves the Patronus collaborations, he's in. But for fictional things, he doesn't like it. Now it should be stated, IWC isn't the first brand to utilize this strategy. The first brand that I think of is Omega and their heavy investment into the James Bond franchise. There are people who buy the James Bond limited editions and they're incredibly dorky. But once again, if it's a watch you already like with a cute tie-in to a film that means something to you, it's a win-win. Top Gun is kind of interesting because it's both fiction and nonfiction. So there's the Top Gun films that were inspired by the real life US fighter weapons school, colloquially known as Top Gun. I'd love to know in the comments down below if you're a little bit more like James, if movie and film tie-ins put you off a little bit, if you're indifferent, or if you're a little bit like me and you get even more excited about it. I don't know, just out of my own curiosity. What do you think? And also while you're down there, what do you think to this specific shade of blue? I love it. I think they knocked it out of the park. I'm sorry if this was way too positive. This isn't paid for or anything. I just, uh, I really liked these and liked them even more in person. Thank you to Squarespace for sponsoring this video. Thank you to IWC for letting me borrow this watch. And thank you to you for your viewership. Oh, you didn't think I was gonna forget to thank the Popes here patrons. No, no, no, not here. Not on this channel. Thank you so much to the fabulous names on the screen right now. These are the people who support my channel. They keep me in business. This is the highest tier of patrons. There's other tiers. You don't have to be a Pope tier patron. Thank you to all tier patrons. But biggest thank you ever to the names on this screen. You guys really keep this channel going. You keep this a financially viable thing for me to do. I love what I get to do. I love that I get to talk about watches as my job. And I hope you guys keep enjoying this channel. But even if you don't, even if you leave my Patreon, even if you start hating my channel, I hope you keep enjoying watches forever. They're awesome. You're awesome. And have a fabulous weekend. Bye guys.