IWC has launched new pilot watches for the Middle East.

The Supermarine Spitfire is perhaps the most elegant and graceful aircraft ever to take to the air.

Beloved by pilots and aviation enthusiasts of all ages, this iconic machine cemented its reputation in the annals of aviation history during the long summer of 1940, when brave pilots took part in dizzying aerial displays high above the English countryside, leaving swirling white contrails set dramatically against blue skies.

Never before has one aircraft established itself so firmly in the collective psyche of a nation, but during the heady months of the Battle of Britain, the British public came to regard the Spitfire and its pilots - “The Few” - as their saviours, referring to the season as the “Spitfire Summer.”

In 1936, the same year that the prototype Spitfire made its first maiden flight, exclusive Swiss watch manufacturer IWC launched its first special pilot’s watch, a timepiece that was to achieve the same high levels of acclaim from flyers and watch connoisseurs across the world.

The spirit of the Spitfire now lives on in the newly redesigned IWC Spitfire Double Chronograph Automatic; a creation that pays homage to this unique symbol of aviation.

Complementing the existing range of Spitfire watches, the Spitfire Double Chronograph Automatic features a third button at “10 o’clock,” which permits the measurement of intermediate times accurately within a given minute.

This chronograph split-seconds hand feature, also known as the “rattrapante,” permits the measurement of intermediate times accurately within a given minute.

Compared with the original case dimension of 42 mm, the new Spitfire Double Chronograph Automatic has grown by two millimetres and the new dial layout with discreet, signal red elements imparts an air of freshness to this high-flyer.

The two shades of the silvered dial suit the aesthetics of this top-class instrument and also make stop times and intermediate times easier to read. This is because all the indicators associated with the chronograph function – minute graduations, minutes counter and hours counter – are also kept in the same, darker colour shade and are immediately identifiable as such.

The watch’s casing is fashioned from stainless steel and a unique engraving on the case back, depicting a Spitfire in action, commemorates the inspiration for this worthy pilot’s timepiece. In addition to the split-seconds chronograph, the Spitfire Double Chronograph Automatic offers the watch connoisseur automatic winding, a date and day display and a sapphire glass with an anti-reflective coating on both sides.

This protective covering is secured against any drop in pressure, and additional shielding from extreme magnetic fields is afforded through a soft iron inner case; a feature the watch shares in common with all IWC Pilot’s timepieces. The Spitfire Double Chronograph is ready for take-off as a sportingly elegant alternative and is worn on a dark brown buffalo leather strap with light backstitched seams.

IWC Schaffhausen’s watch collections include Pilots’ watches, Divers’ chronographs and Skeletonized Minute Repeaters.

Leading impulses for the mechanical watch are produced by IWC.

With its 390 employees, the company manufactures these sought-after time pieces. Since the year 2000 IWC has belonged to the watch division of Richemont SA.