Follow Up Review: IWC Pilot's Watch Automatic Spitfire Bronze

[@DecemberNames]

I love my spitfire. I just wanted to take a moment to say how amazing your video was! I was really impressed with the quality of the footage, the editing, and the overall presentation. You did a great job of explaining the topic in a clear and concise way, and I learned a lot from watching your video. I also really appreciated the way you made the video engaging and entertaining. You kept my attention throughout the entire video, and I never felt bored or lost. I would definitely recommend your video to anyone who is interested in learning more about the video. Thanks again for making such a great video! I look forward to watching more of your content in the future. PS: I outsourced this feedback to AI.

[@rafalwasilewski2235]

Beautiful watch. I wanna buy one next year for my birthday. I never knew how much I will love this watch. 😍

[@dbiwatches1891]

This watch has been on my radar for quite some time now,really nice piece 👌

[@TOKKANTE]

Well I can fully recommend it! I think I've said that before in response to someone's comment, but it's my easiest watch to wear: the smallest, the thinnest, the most legible and the most comfortable overall watch to wear. The 72-hour PR is also great; it's my only watch with such a long PR and it's so nice not to have to reset it even after the weekend. And if you don't like bronze, there's always the steel version!

[@lawrencedonovan7552]

Happy to say I guessed IWC! The watch looks great, as does Hong Kong (such a great city). Enjoy, and Merry Christmas!

[@TOKKANTE]

Thanks! Now let's see how it evolves over time... You know I used to really dislike IWC when I was younger and what do you know... we get older, tastes change, we learn and here I am with a bronze IWC!

[@lawrencedonovan7552]

@@TOKKANTE I’ll be interested to see how the patina develops on this watch. I’ve always stayed away from bronze…but perhaps IWC has cracked the code.

[@TOKKANTE]

@@lawrencedonovan7552 Me too, since it's already been almost 8 months now, I'm hoping it won't go all nasty on me, but let's see!

[@jlg395]

We have the same birthday, Tokkante. I was born on May 4, 1983. I wonder if all guys born on that day love watches.

[@TOKKANTE]

At least all guys born on May 4 are great guys, don't you think lol! I know it's a silly detail but when I saw it was dated May 4, I felt this was a sign from the watch gods that it was meant for me...

[@kevinaudette9550]

I just bought that same watch. Love it.

[@ashfishpool8834]

Great choice from left field Ben. Happy holidays and have a good break

[@TOKKANTE]

One that I myself did not expect to end up with until it called my name! Then I tried to rationalize it...

[@bartglover22]

The saga has finished and the hero gets the prize; congratulations! Ben you threw a sneaky curved ball there, you rascal. Here's me thinking he's going to go for the IWC as a daily wearer and 3 maybe 4 times the price of a Sinn. What happens? Our hero likes a bargain just as much as us plebs; you never once gave us an inkling this is what you were up to, sneaky. Wear it well and have a very Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

[@TOKKANTE]

Hahahaha! Yes, I am always looking for good value (at least to me) and I can't play the Rolex bubble game so I am very careful. There was a clue though in the previous video, where I left a photo of both the stainless steel and bronze versions of the Spitfire on screen, instead of just the SS, so it was in there! Merry Christmas to you as well!

[@edjustice7755]

Ah man...missed the vote. We had conv on IWC and the SS pilot b4, case materials etc. Enjoy and congrats. A rubber for summer will be a great look, some real rubber 3rd party brands out there.

[@TOKKANTE]

Thanks, yes, I should be able to find many a strap that goes with it!

[@Maarten_official_account]

Congratulations with this not so obvious choice, it’s a beautiful watch and the bronze is very interesting 👌 Enjoy that piece and wear it in good health Ben.

[@TOKKANTE]

Thank you! Yes, you know, part of the reason was also your purchase of the NTTD Seamaster and how you said on IG that you really bonded with it even though it's also quite different in terms of looks and materials. I've seen a few people lately taking more risks and so I decided to dare to do the same!

[@Maarten_official_account]

@@TOKKANTE excellent approach 👍

[@patrickjean-philippe7679]

For the strap during summer you may go for an IWC rubber strap, the top has fabric. There are various colours as well as a green similar to the dial. I have one of these straps on my Ceramic Doppel and it is great as this is my work watch when I am on site on oil & gas installations and even offshore Iraq during summer. The cleaning with a piece of cotton fabric and lemon should be fine providing you wash it well with water & soap afterwards. You may also use a mix of toothpaste, liquid soap and water and rub it with a piece of cotton fabric then clean with water and soap, this would be much milder than with the lemon i.e. acid but it takes time. The advantage is that you have full control on how much you want to reset it. I would not reset its oxydised finish though. The IWC service centre would polish it with machines which is a no no...

[@TOKKANTE]

Thanks for all the advice! Yes, when I was at the IWC boutique prior to buying it, they had shown me an olive green canvas strap which may be the one you're talking about. We're almost in May here in HK and I think i'm gonna make the switch soon. For the patina, surprisingly I'm totally ok with it so far even though it has gone darker but I like the look. I also wonder what "secret" IWC would use to remove the patina that I couldn't do myself (except polishing). Maybe after a full year, I'll think about it and go with a mild solution first. You wear a ceramic case as a work watch on an oil rig? Not afraid to bang it and shatter the ceramic case?

[@patrickjean-philippe7679]

Yes, it is the olive green rubber strap with canvas on top. I have the black one on my ceramic Doppelchronograph and it is fine. At the IWC Paris Boutique, they did not have the original strap in stock and I had no time to wait, taking a flight the next day…

[@patrickjean-philippe7679]

I think the darkening of the bronze should make the watch quite nice. I don’t think I would do anything to it as the watch appearance would become unique.

[@elturko1430]

Very beautiful watch, congratulations

[@TOKKANTE]

I'll be honest, it was a little bit of a risk but to this day I still love it!

[@yashara1e]

Congratulations and wear in good health, awesome watch and sweet deal

[@TOKKANTE]

Thanks! Yes it's the combination of watch + deal that made it sweeter...

[@thadpasquale]

Congratulations, looks great!

[@TOKKANTE]

Thank you, now let a new search begins...

[@matgorelsp]

Congrats on the IWC that Green dial is amazing.

[@TOKKANTE]

Yes, bronze may not be for everyone but that military green dial is really nice, does not attract unwanted attention and given it's a smaller size at 39mm it's really discrete overall.

[@philipsavage114]

Nailed it! -- "With Frankfurt and Glashütte exiting the fray, something tells me that Schaffusia is making the running." Enjoy!

[@TOKKANTE]

hehe, yes! I thought I talked about IWC enough that it would make this brand choice pretty obvious!

[@jameshoward9700]

Congratulations! Wear it well! Alexander on Watch Advisor recommended denture/false teeth cleaning tablets to clean bronze. Might be kinder then alternatives. But I've not taken the plunge with bronze, so no direct experience. As you say, it's a hobby - trying new manufacturers/materials/designs is what makes us tick. I'm a fan of the green here - a correct RAF period Pantone... if my model making years taught me anything! It makes up for the perverse use of flieger hands, but then so does the Mark! Joyeux Noel!

[@TOKKANTE]

Thank you! Yes, I saw Alexander's video and mentioned it at the IWC boutique, and they were not recommending it but as I said, I wonder if it's just because they don't know better or just because they want to charge me for the service. They were also saying that Tudor bronze is different from IWC bronze so I couldn't compare... I'll investigate this further when the time comes for a cleaning...

[@errorlogging459]

Congratulations!! Enjoy in good health…

[@TOKKANTE]

Thank you!

[@CaptCanuck4444]

I bet that would look good on a NATO strap, and a sailcloth strap like ARTEM.

[@TOKKANTE]

At first i wanted to get the olive textile strap from IWC for summer, because it's so hot and humid in HK. But then I felt like this bronze version is really an autumn/winter kind of watch because of the color palette (it doesn't scream summer watch to me) so I didn't change the strap, but I may still give it a try at some point.

[@thomashendrick6711]

Wow Great video-all around excellence, and Hong Kong too😃 Spent a whole lot of foaming over fan time into bronze watches, with the much more expensive ones and one aliexpress one were the best ones where the price IS part of the equation, but this one here you have is seemingly overall the best of all the half-dozen I have spent a great deal of time researching over. Thanks Ben!

[@TOKKANTE]

Thanks! And what's your verdict in the end: do you still keep some bronze in your collection or did you find it was just a phase that we seem to go through? Honestly, I had not even spent much time thinking about bronze until this one.

[@austinzizzi1142]

That was a good choice

[@TOKKANTE]

It's been 2 months and I'm so happy how comfortable this little thing is. It's darkened a bit but am ok with it for now. I will do a follow up maybe after 6 months.

[@borjastick]

I really like this watch but not so much in the bronze. I don't really understand the current trend of bronze especially when it tarnishes so aggressively, so I am told. Having said that the standard stainless steel version is a thing of beauty. Many commentators have said that it is too plain and doesn't justify the price. Not all beautiful women wear tons of makeup every time they go out do they? Last summer I bought the Tudor BB58 925 silver which for me is also a thing of beauty. It tarnishes so they say but for me living in France where it isn't too sweaty I have had no tarnishing to speak of. I have washed it gently once with a little toothpaste and then warm soapy water but it wasn't off colour to begin with, it just needed a wash. It is a lovely watch that has star quality. I would like an IWC Spitfire and will now have a think. I would also consider a Longines Legend Diver in blue if they could reduce their obsession over lug to lug length and reduce the dial to a more reasonable 39-40mm size. Enjoy your new watch it is lovely. The colours look great but I would have to be cleaning it too often for my liking.

[@TOKKANTE]

To be honest, it is a bit of an experiment for me as well. I never thought I'd end up with a bronze watch and time will tell if I keep it, depending on how the bronze turns out in HK weather... The bronze is not turning "dirty" like the BB58 bronze for example but we'll see... But like I said, if I sell it I'd probably buy back the steel version because as you mentioned, its subtle beauty should not be underestimated and it's very well done in my opinion. So far, it is my smallest watch, my thinnest watch, my lightest watch (because no bracelet) and my most comfortable watch! It's really so easy to wear. I've been looking at the silver BB58, in HK they are selling below retail at grey dealers, I wonder if it's because the HK weather will affect the tarnishing of it... Everyone comments how BRIGHT it is and I want to try one on. Longines has a 36mm LLD, not sure about the lug-to-lug but you may wanna try that. The 42mm with a lug-to-lug of 52mm is big but it's actually faithful to the original and that's the look I guess. But the Spitfire has made me discover how comfortable smaller watches can be!

[@kevinwagner4076]

That’s a killer watch, actually looks like an old clock on your wrist!!!!

[@TOKKANTE]

Hopefully it doesn't look as big though, it's just a 39mm! My dad was in the Air Force but I haven't shown it to him yet.

[@thomashendrick6711]

Merry Christmas!

[@TOKKANTE]

Joyeux Noël!

[@EmilMirzakhanian]

Great review! Please let me know if you decide to sell it. Thank you 🙏 Emil

[@TOKKANTE]

Still in the collection for now! But I think it'll be more of a winter watch though because of 1/ color palette of warm bronze/green/brown, and 2/ leather strap which is not really a good option in HK for summer. I thought of switching it to an IWC canvas strap for summer, but then decided that it's a winter watch for me, so I'll wait to wear it on leather again.

[@EmilMirzakhanian]

@@TOKKANTE , Thank you for your reply. Well, I live in Bangkok so i understand your point. Nevertheless, if you decide to sell it please let me know. I just bought the IWC mark XX Blu dial and would love to get the one you have as well. Thank you 🙏

[@jlg395]

Why do these companies not at the very least frame their date windows? The date here looks like such an afterthought for IWC.

[@TOKKANTE]

If you look closely (you may google or on IWC website), you'll notice that the window opening is actually stepped, it is not a straight punched hole, so there was some thought put into it. A frame window would probably make this look dressy or formal for a military-inspired tool watch. On a Grand Seiko, then yes the date should be framed. I do agree that I would prefer the date not be there AT ALL, but hey, nothing's perfect!

[@robertlock6041]

Is there any danger of galvanitic corrosion between the bronze and the titanium? Also, titanium is known for galling... I think you have a good deal there Ben, it's a nice watch. It was good to see Hong Kong in your video. I have many happy memories of my time in southern China.

[@TOKKANTE]

I looked into the galvanic corrosion and found that ""It is the generally accepted view that there is little acceleration of corrosion when two copper-based alloys are galvanic-coupled. Likewise, titanium is often coupled with copper-based alloys despite being much more electropositive, a combination that can work because titanium is not a very efficient cathode for reducing oxygen." For galling, isn't that more prevalent when there's cold welding involved or extreme force/tightening of metals? To be honest, I'm not opening it so I don't know how much of a problem that would be... Yeah, maybe I'll start doing stuff outside more (at least when it's not 35 degrees Celsius and 98% humidity!)

[@robertlock6041]

@@TOKKANTE Interesting... I only brought this up because galvanitic corrosion is an issue with bicycles. Alloy seat posts in steel or titanium frames need special care, and tightening steel big end fittings on a titanium frame can cause problems. I've no doubt that premium watch manufacturers have done their metallurgical homework thoroughly, and the various alloys will be different from the metals used for cycles. Whatever, that's a fabulous watch you have there Ben. Have a great Christmas, and I look forward to more fantastic content in 2022. 😀

[@TOKKANTE]

@@robertlock6041 Maybe we should ask Tim Mosso about this... he knows bikes as much as watches!

[@knutvonheim3838]

Congratulations! Great watch and dimensions! You should keep it forever. Much of the watch experience come over time. I am not surprised by your choice. And don’t overthink it, experience it over time. Watch choices my be as much emotions and experience, and not a rationale :) Cheers!

[@TOKKANTE]

Thanks! Yes, I always try to rationalize everything but you're right, this one is supposed to be the "fun" watch and we're not talking Patek money here, so I'll just see how we bond over time!

[@ripperx444]

How does it look now?

[@TOKKANTE]

A bit darker but actually not too much and I surprisingly like it! I will make a 6-month update video but if you wanna check, I recently posted a photo of it on IG @tokkante for St Patrick's day.