Watch type
Vintage Swiss pilot and field watches
Plain, legible watches for cockpits and service use. The IWC Mark XI is the classic. The RAF ordered it in 1948, and every one had a 36mm steel case and a soft-iron cage to protect the hand-wound caliber 89 from magnetism. Early dials used radium, and most were later swapped for tritium dials, so a dial's lume tells you part of the watch's service history.
2 references we cover.
IWC Schaffhausen · Pilot's Watch
Pilot and fieldIWC Mark XI
ref Mark XI (6B/346)
- Caliber
- cal. 89
- Years
- 1948–early 1980s
$8,050–$8,725 typical ask
2 on eBay
Tissot · Navigator
Pilot and fieldTissot Navigator World Time
ref Navigator
- Caliber
- cal. 28.5N-21T
- Years
- early 1950s
$775–$2,300 typical ask
32 on eBay