It was a strange time to go deep into the watch. The past decade has seen a sharp rise in auction and market prices for antique steel watches, as well as demand for new steel replica watches from a few specific brands. Many people are concerned that when I use “sharp”, I describe a scenario where the empty display case, the waiting list, secondary market flippers are willing to help anyone skip a line as long as you have more than the manufacturer’s suggested retail price in your wallet. 
Thanks to the Internet, as prices rise relative to access, we are also entering a new era of rapid knowledge. In this day and age, any Johnnie on the street with an iPhone can rattle off the reference Numbers that were once the passwords of the best gamers. For anyone looking to buy a stylish steel sports watch, the game has changed, and the competition — that is, the battle between those clamoring for certain watches — has grown in size and appetite.
So what does a normal man or woman do?When I first entered this whole scene, both the old and new submarines were available. The number of gm-masters is so large that not only can steel be found in most display cases, but five large ones seem to be far more numerous than they are today. Thankfully, some powerful alternatives exist for those willing to look beyond the royal family.
Here we see the handsome IWC pilot’s watch Spitfire. Tough but not overdone of course with the retro style of toolish, cranky people collect recent overhauls, and I’ll bet that this timepiece, in steel or copper, manages to provide IWC with an effective flying aesthetic that isn’t unique enough to stand apart as a form of expression, trying to capture an old world charm.
Chances are, if you think of pilot replica watches, you think of IWC. The brand has become somewhat synonymous with the modern form of this classic wartime Flieger aesthetic. From big pilots to top guns and their mark series three handles of different generations, you can have your replica IWC pilot’s watch in varying degrees of Stoic style and case width. The pilot is pretty bold, and top gun feels more tactical, so where does top gun draw the line?
With IWC’s Mark XI, the Spitfire collection aims to capture the rugged and capable charm of the watch the brand has built for the RAF since 1948. As shown in the figure below, Mark XI is a steel structure pilot dial with tan and white dial elements. IWC caliber 89 movement is surrounded by a soft iron inner shell structure to protect the movement from magnetic force.
Reportedly in service until 1981, mark XI helped establish the IWC’s medieval pilot design language, while the aesthetic would evolve, with more and more Stoic brands moving toward modern classics like pilot chronology ref. In 3717, it’s easy to see the roots of the mark XI in the implementation of this new spitfire chronograph. While the basic building blocks of the IWC pilot fake watch provide great readability and some sort of ruler layout, the Spitfire is a bit more relaxed. If top gun goes well with a flight suit, then spitfire really needs a nice ripped leather jacket. And a motorcycle. . And maybe Bradley cooper’s wrist.
