The Best IWC Watches

IWC, once known as the International Watch Company, is a leading watchmaker based in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, well known for its collection of aviation watches, chronographs, and complicated timepieces. Aside from these popular options, IWC offers a wide catalog of different timepiece types ranging from tool watches to dress pieces. So with all that choice, what are the best IWC watches? Read on to find out as we delve into the lineup and pick out our favorites.

Learn more about IWC.

IWC Pilot Watches

In 1936, IWC unveiled its Special Pilots Watch outfitted with a rotating bezel marked with an arrowhead index to record takeoff times, shatterproof glass, and antimagnetic movement. This aviation-ready watch laid the foundation for the brand’s famed IWC Pilot’s Watch collection as we know it today.

Don’t Miss: Types of Watches: Pilot Watches

The IWC Pilot’s line is not only one of the brand’s best collections but it’s also immensely varied in terms of sizes, materials, complications, and design execution.

Big Pilot

For instance, the Big Pilot range, as its name suggests, includes larger variants (starting at 43mm) of IWC’s famed aviation watches, available in time-only, chronograph, perpetual calendar, and tourbillon editions.

Back to Basics:
What is a Chronograph Watch?
What is a Perpetual Calendar Watch?
What is a Tourbillon Watch?

Mark Series

Furthermore, the Mark Series draws inspiration from the legendary Mark 11 military pilot watch from 1948. The company has made a slew of Mark Series watches over the decades and they remain one of the best IWC watches (and most recognizable) to buy today.

Top Gun

Other notable Pilot watches include the IWC Top Gun versions, which were created in 2007 specifically for the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program better known as the TOPGUN school.

Also Read: The IWC Pilot’s Mark XVIII in Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 – Mercedes-AMG Petronus F1 Edition

IWC and Mercedes-AMG have been partners since 2004 and the brand includes Lewis Hamilton as an ambassador. Therefore, IWC has made a few models dedicated to this partnership, including the super popular Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team watch in its characteristic teal green colorway, which is no doubt one of the best IWC watches for Formula One fans.

Regardless of the specific iteration, all IWC Pilot Watches have round cases, prominent crowns, and most importantly, distinctive aviation dials with Arabic numerals, an inverted triangle at 12 o’clock, and oversized hands.

IWC Portugieser Watches

The IWC Portugieser (previously known as the Portuguese) was created in 1939 after two Portuguese businessmen commissioned large wristwatches from the International Watch Co. that had to match the precision of a marine chronometer. Therefore, IWC merged a wristwatch design with a hunter pocket watch movement, and the blueprint for what would eventually become one of the company’s best-selling models was born.

It wasn’t until the 1990s that the classic design was revived from the archives to create the modern Portugieser watch collection as we know it today. The Portugieser is characterized by round cases with slim (almost non-existent) bezels, simple Arabic numerals on the dial, and slim feuille hands.

Learn More: A Primer on Watch Hands

Portugieser Chronograph

The Portugieser Chronograph has been recognized as one of the most elegant chronographs in the market and one of IWC’s best watches. There are also the Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph models, which offer a sportier nautical-inspired design approach.

The time-only Portugieser automatic models are solid choices for dressier everyday watches while some hand-wound Portugieser models offer an impressive eight-day power reserve.

Further reading: A Primer on Watch Movement Types

More Complicated Portugiesers

In true IWC fashion, there are also plenty of more complicated Portugieser timepieces available including perpetual calendars, tourbillons, minute repeaters, and so on that are perfectly on-trend with the rebirth of the men’s dress watch.

Back to Basics: What is a Minute Repeater Watch?

IWC Ingenieur Watches

Named after the German word for engineer, the Ingenieur first appear in IWC’s catalog in the 1950s, designed as an ultra-precise and tough anti-magnetic model. Two decades later, Gerald Genta redesigned the line, and the Ingenieur SL was born, featuring signature design traits of the legendary designer including an integrated bracelet, angular case, punctuations on the bezel, and a textured dial.

The IWC Ingenieur collection went through several design iterations over the following decades, yet in 2023 the company returned to the Genta-esque design of the 1970s. Many in the watch community applauded this move (although pricing was a point of contention) and the modern Ingenieur could soon become one of the brand’s most popular offerings in its current catalog. It does make a great GADA watch if you’re into that 1970s sports watch look that Genta popularized.

Further reading: Trending Brands From Watches & Wonders 2023: IWC

Other IWC Watches

While the above three lines are, in our opinion, the best IWC watches you can buy today, there are some other notable models worth an honorary mention. For instance, the Aquatimer is the brand’s range of dive models while the Portofino offers a selection of elegant pieces, often featuring complications.

Learn more: IWC Portofino Complete Calendar

Although the Da Vinci line isn’t as popular today as it once was, this collection debuted one of the brand’s most popular complications to date — a perpetual calendar chronograph that could be easily set via the crown rather than from multiple pushers. Many credit the 1985 IWC Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Chronograph as the watch that began the revival of Swiss mechanical watchmaking.

Takeaways

In short, IWC’s expansive catalog has something to offer for just about any type of luxury watch enthusiast. From pilot’s watches and divers to high-complication pieces and dress watches, the brand covers a wide selection of watch types to cater to an assortment of tastes, which you can view on their website. However, IWC watches don’t tend to maintain all of their value once purchased, so it’s always worth checking for them watches on the secondary market.