In the 1930s, advances in aviation and navigation increased the need for equipment which offered maximum reliability under tough conditions.
IWC Schaffhausen pioneered aviation watches with its robust Special Watch For Pilots in 1936. The design included shatterproof glass, a rotating bezel with an index for recording short periods of time and an antimagnetic escapement, together with high-contrast luminescent hands and numerals.
In 1940, the Swiss maison supplied the Big Pilot's Watch to the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force. It was constructed according to strict criteria for observation watches and was the biggest model ever built by IWC, with a case diameter of 55mm, height of 16.5mm and weight of 183g.
The British Army asked IWC to produce the W.W.W. (Watch Wrist Waterproof) model, delivered to the UK from May to June 1945. In response to another order from the British Government, the Mark 11 was developed in 1948 as a service watch for pilots in the Royal Air Force (RAF).
The technical specifications stipulated by the RAF were very strict and included a special demand that the movement be protected against magnetic fields.
The Mark 11, with a hand-wound 89 calibre movement, is the most famous IWC pilot's watch and was used by civilian and military navigators and pilots. The watch features the original radium RAF dial used between 1949 and 1952, which is often referred to by collectors as the "White 12" dial.
The design changed slightly in 1952, with a white triangle index marker at the 12 o'clock position to enable pilots to discern the time at a glance. By 1963, the RAF had decided to exchange all the radium dials with tritium dials clearly marked with an encircled "T".
