Meet The IWC Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Year Of The Goat
The Year of the Goat starts on February 6th, 2027, but IWC is getting a head start on the festivities. Today, the brand from Schaffhausen announces the Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 ref. IW388310, a 500-piece limited edition for those who want to celebrate this Chinese zodiac sign with an iconic chrono.
IWC Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 ref. IW388310
The IWC Pilot’s Performance Chronograph 41
What we have here is a gold-and-black color scheme applied to the IWC Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41. It’s close to the popular “hotel chic” design, one could say. The black registers on the gold-colored dial match the black ceramic bezel perfectly. As you probably know, red and gold are the typical colors during these Chinese New Year celebrations. IWC previously used burgundy red for its Chinese New Year special editions. This time, the brand has opted for a gold-colored dial to highlight the precious metal’s association with fortune, prosperity, and prestige.
Black and gold details
Also, IWC has used gold-plated hands filled with Super-LumiNova for low-light conditions, except for the chronograph-seconds hand, which is entirely gold-plated. The white Super-LumiNova on the hour and minute hands also helps provide enough contrast with the gold-colored dial. The small, gold-plated hands in the three black sub-dials provide enough contrast. The day and date are printed in white on black discs. On the 8th of the month (a nod to the goat’s number in the 12-year zodiac cycle), IWC used the Chinese character for “goat” instead of a numeral. The applied Arabic numerals on the dial are also gold-plated and filled with white Super-LumiNova. It’s a warm ensemble, and it slightly reminds us of last year’s IWC Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 ref. IW388309 with a red gold case and black dial. The tachymeter scale in the black ceramic bezel is also gold-colored.
Dimensions
The IWC Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Year of the Goat limited edition uses a 41mm titanium case with a 50.8mm lug-to-lug, a 14.8mm profile (crystal included), and a 100m water resistance rating.
A special rotor
Inside is IWC’s caliber 69385, the same movement we’ve seen in many other Pilot’s Watch Chronograph models over the years. This column-wheel chronograph provides a 46-hour power reserve and beats at 28,800 vph. But instead of the standard skeletonized IWC-signed rotor, we see a gold portrayal of three goats. On the case back’s rim, we find a special “2027・Year of the Goat” engraving, as well as “One of 500,” indicating it’s a limited edition.
The IWC Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 ref. IW388310 comes with a black calfskin strap and IWC’s EasX-Change system for hassle-free strap swaps.
Initial impressions
Two weeks ago, I spent a weekend wearing the new green-dial steel IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph. Its proportions worked perfectly for me, and it’s still one of the most readable chronographs out there. Although I have not tried this new IWC Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 in real life yet (I will soon), I like the gold-and-black color scheme and hope the dial will still be very readable. This classy-looking chronograph will easily find its way to 500 customers, especially those who want to celebrate the Year of the Goat with a new watch. The sunburst gold-colored dial looks chic, and the black ceramic bezel and sub-dials add some sportiness.
The retail price is €13,100. You can find more information on the IWC website.
