If you are reading this, chances are that you are well into IWC watches, maybe even considering one for purchase at some point in the future. Well, in 2024, among the most affordable IWC watch is the IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX that is priced at $5,250 on a calfskin strap, or $6,150 on a steel bracelet. This is the review of rather more entry-point version on a leather strap, seen here with a silver dial as reference IW328208.

Over its various “marks,” the base IWC Pilot’s Watch has evolved both inside and out — which it absolutely should have if it were to remain competitive in the upper half of this cut-neck segment called, hate to say it, “entry luxury” watches. For five large ones, customers have been trained to expect an in-house movement, a beautiful case and dial, comfortable wearability and legibility, and solid reliability. Oh, and, as often as not, a powerful name and logo on the dial. The IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX delivers on many, if not all of those fronts.

It should not be a surprise, and yet it somehow still is: One of the affordable references in this luxury brand’s portfolio is also one of the most handsome-looking ones. Design-wise one really does not feel short-changed at all — you are given everything that has made the Pilot’s Watch such a darling in the eyes of many, including fans of watches and IWC, delusional desk-pilots, and real ones, too. The recipe includes a discreet crosshair-like design with a triangle and two dots at 12 o’clock indicating your heading without a whiff of uncertainty, while the white rectangles at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock help your mind subconsciously complete the overall design into a crosshair, never losing your bearings.

The IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX formula continues with rather basic, sans serif numerals that may appear borderline juvenile until you realize that this font is used on proper aviation instruments such as altimeters, compasses, and what have you. These curvy, funky numerals are contrasted by extra-large hour and minute hands — both enormous, but not disproportionate. Props to the movement (more on that soon) for having the torque to drive these large hands. The seconds hand is extremely thin and long, but is nevertheless easy to locate as it stands out against the bright backdrop. All three hands are perfectly sized, as all reach their respective scales — a refreshing trait that is achingly far from being the norm in modern watch design. Well done.

The case of the IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX (IW328207) measures 40.0mm wide and just 10.8mm thick, making this a beautifully wearable package. It is fitted with a screw-down crown, screw-down caseback, and is constructed with proper, 10bar (100m/330ft equivalent) water resistance for perfect peace of mind. We have said this often, and will say it again: Every luxury watch, pilot’s watch or otherwise, should sport a screw-down crown and 100m water resistance, no excuses. Refreshingly, the Mark XX evolution of the base IWC Pilot’s Watch does, which is a step up from the 6bar rating of the Mark XVIII.

The solid steel caseback shows a polished relief of a Junkers Ju 52 (pronounced yoonk-airs, not junkers, if you are wondering), an ingeniously designed, light-weight, trimotor plane that was first introduced as a civilian airliner in 1930. The plane then went on to serve as a passenger carrier and freight hauler in Finland, Sweden, Spain, Brazil, and other nations. From 1994 for around two decades, IWC even operated its own Ju 52, a 1939 plane that was originally used by the Swiss military.

Behind that caseback, you would find the IWC caliber 32111, something that IWC calls “IWC-manufactured,” although we are pretty sure it is at least in part from IWC-owner Richemont Group’s Manufacture Horlogère ValFleurier movement factory. While the Mark XVIII had a Sellita-based movement with a rather measly 42-hour power reserve, the 32111 is based on the group’s more impressive self-winding caliber architecture. You will find this base caliber with different executions in Cartier as the 1847 MC, in Panerai as the P.900, and in Baume & Mercier as the Baumatic which, if memory serves us right, is where this caliber architecture originally debuted.

It offers 120 hours (5 days) of autonomy in its 32111 guise (the 32110 is a 3-day version), with an uncompromised operating frequency of 4Hz. The self-winding rotor is mounted on ball bearings and it functions in both directions of its rotation — but it is not a full Pellaton system that you would find in higher-end IWC watches. While the caliber has had time and opportunity to prove itself — see the list of brands and implementations just above — it arguably would have been nice of IWC to throw in COSC chronometer certification to sweeten the deal and also underline the instrument nature of the Pilot’s Watch. Even without said certification, this test sample performed well within the -4/+6 seconds per day COSC requirements, gaining just a few seconds per day on average.

If you are looking to get your first IWC, you will want to know that the IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX delivers on a lot of IWC and, specifically, IWC Pilot’s Watch vibes and expectations. It is a peculiar mix that could be best described as “expensive watch meets humble, but confident presence.” In other words, the Germanic, restrained aesthetic that has always been a solid match for IWC — just think of the hand-wound Portofino, or Portugieser 7-Days — does come to the fore on these three-hand Pilot’s Watches. On a personal note, I think it could do with a few more bells and a couple more whistles, in particular when it comes to the complexity of the dial and less so the case.

In line with all that, much of the 40mm wide stainless steel case is brushed, including its vertical profile and flat-topped lugs, with the faintest suggestion of a gently widening, polished bevel present in all four corners. Even fainter still are the polished edges on the underside of the lugs: It is not uncommon for brands in this segment (and higher still) to leave the bottom edge of the case and lugs sharp, sort of as they left the milling machine, making for an unpleasant tactile and wearing experience. A closer inspection of the IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX reveals that these areas were refined by hand-polishing, just by a touch, to take this edge off. It would not be unreasonable to take this for granted on a 5,000-dollar watch, alas, that is far from being the norm.

The straps are secured by IWC’s EasX-CHANGE system that looks as though every other permutation of “easy exchange” had already been registered when IWC resorted to this one. This quick strap change system is built into the straps, and not the case, meaning that the straps are fitted with a push-piece that swivels a metal bar that normally hangs onto the spring bar fitted between the lugs. The spring bar, therefore, appears to be your regular spring bar, which is a bit of a shame as you will have to get straps from IWC and no one else if you want to enjoy this easy strap exchange system. Engineering this into the case, somehow, could have allowed for an easy swap between a wider range of other straps. Still, you could argue that the IWC IW328207 only looks “right” when fitted on these Pilot’s Watch straps that narrow down in a rather cool fashion an inch or so away from the watch head.

To continue with our notes and observations on execution, the dial — whose design we already discussed above — is beautifully, if not intricately made. It is a flat dial, with flat-printed numerals and text. This puts a lot of pressure on the base of the dial, as its texture, color, and sheen are in focus, in lieu of blocky and reflective applied numerals and fancy, colorful, or textured texts. The base lives up to the task with a surprising finish that is reflective, matte, and uniform, with a silver tone to it that has a tendency to put on a warm hue. Just compare its texture and color on the two images above — that is not editing, but something you can observe during regular wear.

To my eyes, the numerals and texts, and to some extent even the outline of the hands, appear to be blue a lot of the time. Whether this is because they actually are blue-ish in their tint (they are not) or are a result of the blue hue of the anti-reflective coating on both sides of the front sapphire crystal, does not really matter as it is very difficult to tell even with a trained eye for such details. What does matter is that it is a cool effect that works beautifully with the warm tone of silver used for the base.

On the wrist, the IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX wears well, thanks in no small part to its slender 10.8mm thickness and pin buckle. Arguably less luxurious than a folding clasp, a pin buckle is often a more comfortable option, and this one proves that point beautifully. It is also nicely executed, with polished edges, brushed top, laser-etched IWC logo, and a sense of milled solidity. Nicely done. Despite the modest 40mm diameter, the Mark XX wears rather long. The lugs extend rather far, and the straps are padded and stitched in a very strict fashion, making them stick out and visually extend the lug-to-lug footprint of the watch just a bit. You can expect the IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX on a strap to wear a bit larger than many other 40mm watches.

While the strap is nice, I would strongly recommend getting the IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX on a steel bracelet (reference IW328208 instead of IW328207). It is $900 more, which I expect is a whole lot less than what this bracelet would cost if you wanted to buy it separately after getting the Mark XX just on the leather strap. And, thanks to the — brace yourselves — EasX-CHANGE system that is also fitted to the steel bracelet’s end-link, all you need is a relatively cheaper leather strap from the brand and you can enjoy your Mark XX on both options. From previous experience, I recall it as a well-made bracelet that is rather easy to fit and to size, with a micro-adjust built into the clasp, too, making the 6,150-dollar Mark XX IW328208 on a bracelet a better value proposition than the lower-priced IW328207 on the leather strap.

In conclusion, the IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX is a likable package and a recommendable entry into the world of luxury watches — even if, by design, it is not without the premium pricing one would expect from a major-league luxury brand like IWC. The re-engineered case, with a more comfortable lug design, proper water resistance, screw-down crown, and the addition of a 5-day manufacture movement, all do their part in keeping the Mark XX in the fight against an ever-fiercer competition in its segment. While the overall design does have room for more embellishments, bevels, appliqués, and whatnot, adding those would arguably take away a lot of what makes the Mark series its own thing that unfailingly resonates with first-time and long-term IWC customers. The only detail I find difficult to forgive is the lack of lume on other than the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock markers, but that may just be because I am a helpless lume fiend.

The IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX (IW328207) is priced at $5,250 USD, landing very near the “cost of entry” point into the world of IWC in 2024. Our recommendation would, however, be the same watch on the steel bracelet, the IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX (IW328208) is priced at $6,150 USD. You can learn more at the brand’s website.