The 11 Best IWC Watches Money Can Buy

From the cockpit-ready forms of the Pilot’s Watch collection to the precision-focused Portugieser line-up, most watch enthusiasts will remember the first time they came across IWC Schaffhausen.

The brand is known for its elegant solutions to technical challenges and straightforward approach to design, and today, the IWC catalogue boasts some of the best watches currently made in Switzerland.

If you’re someone who’s recently fallen in love with IWC, but need a little help in narrowing your choices down, here are some of Boss Hunting’s favourite IWC watches and why we love them. Let’s get into it.

BH Approved: The Best IWC Watch You Can Buy In Australia

If there is one watch that encapsulates the current identity of IWC, it’s the Big Pilot’s Watch 43. A timepiece that respects the brand’s legacy of function-forward tool watches, but enjoys a handful of modern concessions to make it more wearable as a daily companion.

The design language of the Big Pilot was born during the Second World War, when IWC was commissioned to produce a run of air force navigator’s watches. The resulting watches were the forefathers of the ultra-legible design we see here today, featuring large Arabic numerals, an oversized half-onion crown (for use with thick flying gloves), and luminous material on the hands and hour markers to ensure legibility no matter how dark it was.

For much of the last nearly two decades, the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch has been a 46mm behemoth paying homage to the original oversized wartime design. However, in response to collector feedback desiring a slightly more modestly proportioned case, IWC announced the Big Pilot’s Watch 43 collection in 2021 and it’s been a roaring success ever since.

Featuring a 43mm stainless steel case that measures Big Pilot’s Watch 13.6mm in thickness, it’s powered by the automatic IWC-manufactured 82100 Calibre with 60 hours of power reserve. Arriving with a water resistance of 100m and in several different dial colours — as well as the option of a leather strap or steel bracelet — the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch 43 is a contemporary classic from every angle.

The Best IWC Watches To Add To Your Collection

IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Edition “Lake Tahoe”

SPECIFICATIONS

• Case Diameter: 45.5mm
• Case Thickness: 15.7mm
• Case Material: Ceramic
• Bezel Material: Ceramic
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Rubber
• Dial Colour: Black
• Water Resistance: 60m
• Movement: 69380 Calibre
• Power Reserve: 46 hours

It was IWC that produced the first ever ceramic watch case in the mid-80s and the brand is still one of the leaders in ceramic component manufacturing today, with the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Edition “Lake Tahoe” a gleaming example of this expertise. With a case colour inspired by the white US Navy uniforms and the landscape around Lake Tahoe in the winter, it’s powered by the column-wheel-equipped 69380 Calibre chronograph movement.

IWC Portugieser Automatic 40

SPECIFICATIONS

• Case Diameter: 40.4mm
• Case Thickness: 12.4mm
• Case Material: White gold
• Bezel Material: White gold
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Leather
• Dial Colour: Ice blue
• Water Resistance: 50m
• Movement: 82200 Calibre
• Power Reserve: 60 hours

A reference that was launched at Watches & Wonders 2024 (and one that was celebrated in the first-ever issue of B.H. Magazine), this IWC Portugieser Automatic 40 in white gold has one of the most attractive dial colours we’ve seen in years. Masterfully reflecting the light and perfectly proportioned at 40mm in diameter, the case has been redesigned to offer an even more expansive view of the movement via the exhibition caseback, while the leather strap matches the dial wonderfully.

IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40

SPECIFICATIONS

• Case Diameter: 40mm
• Case Thickness: 10.7mm
• Case Material: Steel
• Bezel Material: Steel
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Steel
• Dial Colour: Green
• Water Resistance: 100m
• Movement: 32111 Calibre
• Power Reserve: 120 hours

In 2023 IWC gave enthusiasts exactly what they wanted with the relaunch of the famed Ingenieur collection, returning in black, white or green in stainless steel (as well as a grey reference cased in titanium). Originally designed by the legendary Gerald Genta (the same gentleman who designed the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and the Patek Philippe Nautilus), this latest generation of the Ingenieur features an integrated case and bracelet design, cross-hatched dial pattern, and an impressive 120 hours (or 5 days) of power reserve.

IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 42

SPECIFICATIONS

• Case Diameter: 42.4mm
• Case Thickness: 13.8mm
• Case Material: 5N rose gold
• Bezel Material: 5N rose gold
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Leather
• Dial Colour: Blue
• Water Resistance: 30m
• Movement: 82650 Calibre
• Power Reserve: 60 hours

A complication that IWC has become well-known for thanks to the technical genius of watchmaker Kurt Klaus, the perpetual calendar is capable of telling you the day and day of the week, the month, the leap year, and the phase of the moon, as well as the time.

The example you see before you sits within the Portugieser collection and remarkably, measures just 42mm in diameter despite the movement comprising a total of 303 components. Cased in 5N rose gold, this watch showcases exactly what IWC watchmakers are capable of.

IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic Spitfire

SPECIFICATIONS

• Case Diameter: 39mm
• Case Thickness: 10.8mm
• Case Material: Steel
• Bezel Material: Steel
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Textile
• Dial Colour: Black/grey fume
• Water Resistance: 60m
• Movement: 32111 Calibre
• Power Reserve: 120 hours

Within the storied legacy of IWC Pilot’s watches, there’s nothing quite like a vintage-inspired reissue and this IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic Spitfire from 2019 is one of the best in recent years. Featuring a universally wearable 39mm case size, heritage-inspired off-white luminous material on the dial, and a military-style textile strap, it does everything you need and nothing you don’t.

RELATED: The Best Military Watches To Complete Your Everyday Carry

IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar “Mojave Desert”

SPECIFICATIONS

• Case Diameter: 46.5mm
• Case Thickness: 15.5mm
• Case Material: Ceramic
• Bezel Material: Ceramic
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Rubber
• Dial Colour: Brown
• Water Resistance: 60m
• Movement: 52616 Calibre
• Power Reserve: 168 hours

I’m personally a huge fan of IWC’s decision to make its watches a little smaller in recent years, however, if there’s one watch that deserves 46.5mm of wrist real estate, it’s the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar “Mojave Desert”. Surprisingly light and comfortable on the wrist thanks to its beige ceramic case and rubber strap, it’s a perpetual calendar with the addition of a window to tell the year, and with a full week (168 hours) of power reserve, it’s a complete package from every angle.

IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar

SPECIFICATIONS

• Case Diameter: 44.4mm
• Case Thickness: 14.9mm
• Case Material: Platinum
• Bezel Material: Platinum
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Leather
• Dial Colour: White
• Water Resistance: 50m
• Movement: 52640 Calibre
• Power Reserve: 168 hours

A timepiece that will go down in history as one of the most complex IWC has ever produced, the IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar is a technical tour de force in every sense of the phrase. Powered by the newly developed IWC-manufactured calibre 52640, it features a moonphase complication that will remain accurate for 45 million years (yes, you read that correctly) and the accurate display of the calendar information until the year 3999. Mind-bending stuff.

IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Spitfire

SPECIFICATIONS

• Case Diameter: 41mm
• Case Thickness: 15.3mm
• Case Material: Steel
• Bezel Material: Steel
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Textile
• Dial Colour: Black
• Water Resistance: 60m
• Movement: 69380 Calibre
• Power Reserve: 46 hours

Another of the Spitfire special editions from a few years back, the IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Spitfire looks like a military time capsule on the wrist thanks to the off-white luminous material on the dial and green textile strap. Cased in 41mm of brushed stainless steel and powered by the same 69380 Calibre we saw in the white ceramic “Lake Tahoe” edition, the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Spitfire is IWC at its pared-back best.

IWC Portugieser Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph “Lewis Hamilton” Edition

SPECIFICATIONS

• Case Diameter: 43.5mm
• Case Thickness: 15.9mm
• Case Material: Platinum
• Bezel Material: Platinum
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Textile
• Dial Colour: Teal
• Water Resistance: 30m
• Movement: 89900 Calibre
• Power Reserve: 68 hours

IWC has a strong relationship with Lewis Hamilton thanks to its support of the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team, and have previously worked with him on a collaborative burgundy Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar in 2021. More recently, the duo have created this IWC Portugieser Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph “Lewis Hamilton” Edition, cased in platinum and featuring a radiant sunburst brushed teal-tone dial.

IWC Aquatimer Automatic

SPECIFICATIONS

• Case Diameter: 42mm
• Case Thickness: 14.1mm
• Case Material: Steel
• Bezel Material: Ceramic
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Rubber
• Dial Colour: Black
• Water Resistance: 300m
• Movement: 32111 Calibre
• Power Reserve: 120 hours

Last, but certainly not least, is the sometimes overlooked IWC Aquatimer Automatic (a favourite collection of former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp) which is designed to withstand a solid 300m of water resistance and features an unusual external/internal rotating dive bezel. Paired with a comfortable black rubber strap that matches the dial colour, this reference is powered by the impressive 32111 Calibre that serves up a very respectable 120-hour power reserve when fully wound.

Now that you’re acquainted with all of the best IWC watches of the year, take a look at a couple of our favourite related articles below:

• IWC Explores Shifting Light & The Passage Of Time With Its Watches
• IWC’s Ceralume Pilot Showcases A Very Bright Future For The Brand
• We Sat Down With George Russell Ahead Of Grand Prix Weekend
• The Best Military Watches To Complete Your Everyday Carry
• The IWC Ingenieur Returns In A Blaze Of Glory