1990s IWC Mark XII

During World War II, IWC was one of twelve brands commissioned by the British Ministry of Defense to produce mil-spec watches meant to be worn by soldiers in the field. IWC’s contribution to the “Dirty Dozen” was the Mark X, a beautiful time-only watch equipped with arabic numerals, sword hands, small seconds, and the hand-wound caliber 83. The Mark X was decommissioned in 1948 and replaced by the now famous Mark XI. This new pilot's watch contained several upgrades to the dial and movement, including the iconic triangle lume plot at 12 o’ clock, a paddle hour hand, central seconds, and the chronometer grade caliber 89 — now protected by an anti-magnetic soft iron shield. The Mark XI remained in service until the 1980s where it was phased out and ultimately unreplaced by the MoD.

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No longer commissioned by the military, IWC sensed an opportunity to offer a Mark series watch to the general public and in 1993 released the Mark XII. The newest version kept many of the same dial features as the XI save for the removal of the British Broad Arrow on the dial and the addition of a date window at 3 o’ clock. IWC also replaced the movement with the high-end automatic JLC caliber 889/2 (branded as the IWC 884/2), and the watch came fitted with either a black calfskin strap or an 11-link beads of rice bracelet in a matching satin-brushed finish. The Mark XII would end up being very well received, and has become a highly important watch in IWC’s history as it laid the foundation for subsequent iterations of the civilian pilot's watch that are now the brand’s most distinctive and recognizable offering.