IWC Flieger Chronograph
- a successful aesthetical bend
- reliability, accuracy and harshness
- the price of the folding strap
| Brand | IWC |
| Model name | Flieger Chronograph |
| Reference | IW371701 |
| Case material | Steel |
| Case diameter (without crown) | 42 mm |
| Case diameter (crown included) | 45,70 mm |
| Movement type | Automatic |
| Caliber | IWC 79320 |
| Base Caliber | Valjoux 7750 |
| Functions | Chronograph Date Day Hour Minute Second |
| Crystal | Dual-face crystal with anti-reflective coating |
| Power reserve | 42h |
| Transparent back | No |
| Lug width | 20 mm |
| Length from lug to lug | 51,34 mm |
| Case thickness | 14,88 mm |
| Strap material | Alligator |
| Clasp type | Pin buckle |
| Clasp material | Steel |
| Total weight | 108 grammes |
| Retail price USA at August 8th, 2010 | $3,990.00 |
| Comfort (/15) | 13 |
| Movement (/20) | 11 |
| Movement Optimisation / Garnishment (/5) | 3 |
| Ease of handling and adjustment (/5) | 4 |
| Movement control proceeded by the Manufacture / horlogical awards (/3) | 1 |
| Power reserve (/2) | 1 |
| Complications (/5) | 2 |
| Finishing (/20) | 15.5 |
| Dial finishing (/6) | 4.5 |
| Case finishing (/6) | 5 |
| Quality of garnishment / caseback engraving quality (/2) | 1 |
| Crystal quality (/4) | 3 |
| Clasp finishing (inner and extern) (/2) | 2 |
| Functionality (/20) | 14.5 |
| Diurnal legibility (/5) | 5 |
| Night legibility (/4) | 3 |
| Water resistance (/3) | 0.5 |
| Strap : ease of size adjustment + ease of substitution (/4) | 3 |
| Clasp : quality and safety (/4) | 3 |
| Additional items (/10) | 4.5 |
| Limited edition (/3) | 0 |
| Watch delivered with several straps (/2) | 0 |
| Quality of the watch box (/1) | 1 |
| Portability with shirtsleeves buttoned (/2) | 1.5 |
| Goodies included (/1) | 1 |
| Understandability of the brochure (/1) | 1 |
| Value for money (/15) | 12 |
| When to wear it ? | Flying a Cessna ! |
With this 16th generation of aviator’s watches, IWC breaks some rectilinear aesthetical codes that have made the success of the Flieger’s. From now on, it inspires itself from those resulting from the analogical instrumentation of the planes.
IWC Flieger Chronograph
Overview
It is a beautiful 42 mm diameter and 14,7 mm thick engine, proposing quite outstanding dial openness, closed with a gorgeous rounded anti-reflection sapphire that must be close to a 38 mm diameter.
This glass wall offers a panoramically view on a black matt dial, contrasted, readable, sober and perfectly executed.
Every hour is marked in Arabic numerals, except for the 3-6-9 that are materialized by sticks and the 12 by a triangle.
Only those 4 markers are luminescent (green).
The time rate is indicated by 5 spear hands and a typical IWC chronograph trotteuse, namely, incomparably thin, long and elegant.
The calendar and the days of the week, in English, appear inside of a rectangular aperture, at three o’clock.
Everything is perfectly white, to the exception of the subsidiary seconds which, as an extreme fantasy, happens to be red!
Only the hours’ and minutes’ hands are readable in the darkness.
A Bauhaus design
The case of this pilot watch keeps a Bauhaus design, very geometrical and made of cylinders.
Around the wrist, it is not too big. Magic of proportions!
The case is made of steel and the brushed finishing is perfectly realized, including on the screwed back.
The lug width is entitled to a vertical brushing that makes the light iridescent.
Fragile, but astounding!
The cylindrical push buttons are quite prominent but strongly guided by steel-made tubes.
Their diameter allows manipulating the chronograph with accuracy and smoothness.
The screwed crown is relatively small for an aviator watch – who lives with gloves, like every one knows!
But for a barehanded aviator, it is ideal.
The strap
All these small attentions give a 6 ATM pressure resistance, which is 60 m.
It allows serenely foresee a crash in the sea – providing that you will be able to grieve the beautiful black large-scale crocodile strap that equips the watch.
A pin buckle at the origin closes it.
But I strongly advise to offer it the very expensive but very beautiful and practical deployment clasp.
Movement
The movement is a very classical ETA/Valjoux 7750 very largely revisited by IWC.
The list of the technical improvements is long.
But none of them is visible, except the very meticulous decoration, of course – only visible for adventurers who would open the case !
Each of them, on the other hand, contributes to give a very accurate, reliable and sturdy movement.
The movement is not certified by the COSC. But IWC insures doing its own tests, more demanding than the other ones.
What to remember
This Flieger’s 16th opus is, to my opinion, a very successful actualization of this incontrovertible model.
The 3 mm superior size to the previous one suits it and sticks to our era’s standards.