A Year With The IWC Mark XX - Long Term Review

[@GoTerpsGoBlue]

Tried this very watch on at the IWC Paris boutique. Stunning piece that has to be tried on to fully appreciate. Best green dial I’ve seen. Def on my list

[@welcomewrist]

@@GoTerpsGoBlue the green really is incredible in person

[@crisnoll1909]

I like that you can see that this watch really was been worn and has got wristtime. Thats how to treat a watch the right way!

[@arthur-l7d1g]

Great watch and great review. It's good to hear your thoughts after wearing it for an extended period.

[@DeloreanDave]

Bought this a month ago and love it. Dial colour always makes me smile.

[@impexRQ]

The lack of lume is a huge deal breaker … I don’t understand why IWC didn’t lume all the numbers properly… what a big miss opportunity

[@coffeeboyclips1973]

Own the blue dial xx on bracelet Love the bracelet but does make the watch a bit flashy Also have the mark 18 in black on strap, that's my daily, xx for weekends and more formal events

[@pearlflubber]

One of the best bracelets offered

[@welcomewrist]

@@pearlflubber I agree

[@douglaskrueger357]

Yes but … I don’t love the polished center links. Way too clingy for a tool watch. The mark 18 bracelet is better.

[@whereRbearsTeeth]

Rolex bracelets are superior

[@leeharding8306]

I’ve owned this watch and it’s just ok. The lume is awful and a deal breaker alone but it’s the well known jumping hour minute hand problem when you pull the crown out that is totally unacceptable at this price point as is the lack of any chronometer certification or accuracy indication. Mine lost 10 seconds a day. The bracelet doesn’t match the watch head for me either. It’s a pilot’s watch which is a tool watch but the bracelet is a dress Watch style bracelet but without a decent taper to it. The two simply don’t work together especially if you buy a black dial variant. The engineering is excellent on the bracelet but the execution is awful. The MK XXI has plenty to improve on.

[@impexRQ]

The lume is the biggest deal breaker for me on this piece … what a pitty

[@Mike-dg9ib]

Genuine question, but when do you really find yourself needing more lume on a watch.

[@daniell2217]

@lee. Thank you for this honest review. I agree with you about the bracelet aesthetic, and I also HATE a jumping minute hand. FWIW, I used to own the BP43 (leather strap; blue face) and it was an absolute gem. Wish I’d never sold it, and plan on rebuying it sometime in the next 2yrs.

[@fredrik1552]

What did you trade it in for?

[@MeestroDavid]

I owned and quickly sold the Mark XX as well. I don't care about lume at all, but the jumping minute-hand defect was shocking on a watch at this price and IWC calling this "normal" when I asked to have it repaired was the deal breaker. It's shocking to me that no articles or reviews of the watch call this out or the fact that IWC doesn't provide any accuracy estimates for this movement while the same caliber in the far-cheaper Baume & Mercier is COSC.

[@gpapa31]

I was between that and the BP43. I wanted to love thr Mark XX but found it too small and plus when I think of the Mark series I always think of the XV with sword hands. Tried the BP43 on the spot and never looked back. I am obsessed now with it!!

[@mt24Carson]

Excellent watch and video, cheers. For myself, I prefer the Spitfire. Happy New Year. 🎉👍⌚

[@douglaskrueger357]

Same here … on the mark 18 bracelet, it’s next level.

[@yigitisk9248]

My grail watch. I hope I can get it some time

[@MeestroDavid]

Every time I see a review of this watch, I want to scream RUN AWAY and warn any potential buyers about the defective movement they're about to pay $6000 for only to have IWC claim that it's "normal" for the minute hand to jump when you try to set it. It's a beautiful piece of jewelry but a very low quality watch. This remains my worst experience owning a watch and, thankfully, I was able to sell it quickly and recoup most of what I paid for it.

[@LyricalLimbo423]

I really like the Mark XX, but im not sure which dial i'd go for just yet.

[@Fb1907kysf]

Amazing watch !

[@welcomewrist]

@@Fb1907kysf It sure is

[@svelinov]

Excellent review

[@welcomewrist]

@@svelinov Thank you!

[@Youy0u3010]

Watch is better on straps

[@EdmundPorter-ju8kd]

I really like the Mark XX. There are also a bunch of Laco & Stowa I like. You can pretty much get 3 Laco &/or Stowa for the price of the MarkXX. I don’t think the MarkXX is priced wrong - just how thick is your watch & how big your watch box.

[@michaeljordan6008]

Fisher Price makes a decent pilot too, but the finishing is somewhat lacking.

[@saodavi6267]

Huge miss on the lume. All their other pilot watches are lumed correctly. Not sure what they were thinking with that decision.

[@impexRQ]

That’s the biggest deal Breaker for me on this piece

[@JohnnyBeans-w9k]

I was about to pull the trigger on this watch, but lume was subpar and didn’t pick it up

[@nathanf3230]

I quiet like the Mark XX. Would pick it up if it was a no date. The date window needs to be shifted to the right more. Looks off.

[@wqsnsr8]

I'd pick Spitfire over Mark series.

[@therascals8237]

Great video! What leather strap is that?

[@welcomewrist]

@@therascals8237 it's a pilot strap from b and r bands.

[@youssefrahoui5965]

I really hesitate between the green and the black dial.

[@welcomewrist]

@@youssefrahoui5965 Both are great, but the green is a winner for me.

[@kbeightyseven]

Honestly, comparing this to a date just or an aqua terra is a bit of a joke. Mine got sold after I compared it to a Longines Spirit and was suddenly very underwhelmed with the mark xx

[@thegorn]

The 5-link suits the watch and lack of taper is not an issue. But I wished it had an all brushed engineer-style bracelet like the fantastic one on my phoibos? Wavemaster which I bought for a fun mod project. I love the Richmont-patented adjustment clasp which they also use on G.O. Divers. The lack of lume on the numerals is baffling. I think there is a mismatch. If they go polished links they should also have applied markers. Printed markers demands all brushed bracelet. That’s why this is jarring. Not mentioned by yourself but I also dislike IWC for their use of topside AR - another sin often committed by Omega, but not Rolex. The power reserve is great but damn that Richmont movement that has time setting issues. They should fix that, or look to the high end arm of Sellita to make a bespoke solution which Tag did recently. But of course they want to claim “in house” as if that actually means something.

[@whereRbearsTeeth]

It’s not an in house movement to begin with.

[@brasso9393]

Sorry sun burst dial on rolex maybe but on a pilot watch is always a turn off ..

[@douglaskrueger357]

Nice watch … I prefer the spitfire.

[@mickbrown9021]

A fine watch ruined by a date window. Overpriced too !

[@cesarfernandosilvamelo]

Good Video

[@welcomewrist]

@@cesarfernandosilvamelo thank you!

[@davidoffice9922]

It tells time ..face it its just jewelry...a nive piece..not something that most go for..anyone who pays 1000 plus for a watch values time

[@TheDarlowiak]

Tooooooooo Big!

[@TheDarlowiak]

Do not buy it !!!!

[@whereRbearsTeeth]

The movement sucks.

[@MeestroDavid]

100% The Mark XVIII with the Sellita was more reliable, more accurate, and at least allowed you to set the time properly without a work-around.

[@DocMulholland]

Could you please elaborate? I'm genuinely interested in hearing about issues, since this watch has been on my shortlist for ages.

[@whereRbearsTeeth]

@@DocMulholland The movement is marketed as being “in-house,” which it definitely is not. It’s manufactured by ValFleurier, which is owned by Richemont, which in turn owns IWC. Furthermore, the movement is based on the 32110 caliber. VF also manufactures this movement, and IWC also calls this movement “in house.” And it gets even better… the the architecture of the 32110 is based on the ETA 2892. So calling 32111 movement in house is just ridiculous. Furthermore, it is NOT COSC certified and IWC does not guarantee any specific level of timekeeping. There are plenty of reports from owners of the movement not keeping good time. People love to compare this watch to Rolex. At least with Rolex they guarantee that the watch will keep time within +\- 2 seconds per day. Finally, there is the known jumping minute hand issue that lots of owners complain about. Everything else about this watch is fantastic. That being said, the movement is 100% a deal breaker and is what has kept me from buying one personally. IWC should either put a proper IWC built in house movement in it, or go back to the high grade sellita.

[@MeestroDavid]

@ the movement has a defect that causes the minute-hand to jump when the crown is pushed in and requires a workaround where you have to go past the time you want to set and then backwards to the actual time. IWC considers this “normal” and won’t repair it under warranty. Mine was also running 15-20 off out of the box and needed to go back for service almost immediately. It’s also worth noting that while IWC says this is an in-house caliber, it’s actually the same ValFluerier “Beaumatic” movement originally used in much cheaper Baume & Mercier watches. However, while the Beaumatic is COSC, the version in the Mark XX and Ingenuer isn’t (despite the higher price), and IWC doesn’t even state an accuracy range on their site. In a $6000 watch-or even a $300 watch-this is ridiculous stuff, let alone one marketed as a tool for extreme conditions. IWC was miserable to deal with when I brought up the jumping-hand issue, which not only convinced me to sell the watch, but to avoid the brand entirely.

[@DocMulholland]

@@whereRbearsTeeth Very interesting, thank you for explaining!

[@Dr_LK]

Iwc is overrated and overpriced.