New Release: The All-New IWC Top Gun ‘SFTI’ Limited Edition

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The Vietnam War is still one of the most talked about wars in modern history.

It officially went on from November 1, 1955 went till April 30, 1975. The war ended post direct involvement from the United states. One of the things that came out of this gruesome and unfortunate battle between South Vietnam and North Vietnam was the Strike Fighter Training Program which is still in place today. Some might know by the name ‘Top Gun’.

The All-New IWC Top Gun ‘SFTI’ Limited Edition

The Top Gun program was structured to allow fighter pilots to be able to handle flight as well as tactical situations. In 2018, IWC, in collaboration with instructors from the Naval Air Station Leemore, California created the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor”. The timepiece was, however, available to graduate students of the Navy Fighter Weapons School only.

Now, in 2020, IWC has decided to change that decision. The Swiss watchmaker has released the all-new Top Gun ‘SFTI’ Edition. The SFTI stands for – Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor.

First Impression

The 45 mm timepiece is ecstatic to look at. Simply put, the watch does a perfect job at being a quintessential pilot’s watch. Now, although it is a limited edition, it does leave a lasting impression. Taking inspiration from the 2018 Top Gun release, this limited edition reference offers a few design changes that will help you differentiate it from other models in the popular Top Gun line of watches.

For one, there is an emphasis on red accents, be it the seconds hand, the pushers, or the chronograph seconds hand. The watch is being made available with a green textile as well as leather strap. The watch is 44 mm in width and has a rather rugged aesthetic to it. It will be available in only 1,500 pieces.

Honest Opinion

Now, this might seem to be a ditto copy of the 2018 “Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor” Chronograph Edition but it is not. This is more of a tribute to the marvelous original that is built for the non-military folks. A striking difference in this timepiece is that it has three chronograph registers instead of the two in the 2018 reference.

Coming down to the more detailed differences, the limited edition model has a case that is made out of black zirconium oxide ceramic (ZrO) with a caseback that is made of Ceratanium. As per IWC, Ceratanium is a recent innovation that came into existence only in 2017. Furthermore, the 2018 version had chronograph pusher as well as crown made out of steel. On the other hand, the limited edition Top Gun ‘SFTI’ has those in Ceratanium.

There is a certain playfulness to the timepiece which is actually a welcome surprise. Limited editions often tend to disappoint because there is so much they lack. But this timepiece does a phenomenal job at avoiding those drawbacks. The ceramic and Ceratanium combination offers a tactical aesthetic whilst the green strap with brown underside leather complements exactly that. You couldn’t ask for more.

The Movement

The mechanism used in this timepiece is the calibre 69380. The movement offers hours, minutes, seconds, date, day, and of course, a chronograph. The automatic calibre has an in-house vertical-clutch and a column-wheel chronograph. The small seconds is located at the bottom whilst the minute totalizer is located at the top. Lastly, the hour totalizer is situated on the left side.