In 2018, IWC created the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor” in collaboration with instructors based on Naval Air Station Leemore in California. Featuring a case made of black ceramic and the iconic TOPGUN patch on the dial, the rugged chronograph is available exclusively for graduates of the Navy Fighter Weapons School.

The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Edition “SFTI”, limited to 1500 pieces, takes inspiration from the acclaimed “Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor” watch. It follows the tradition of IWC’s TOP GUN watches. It is made with extraordinarily robust materials to withstand the extreme strain that pilots experience in the cockpit of supersonic jets like the F/A-18 Super Hornet.

The large 44-millimeter case is made of black zirconium oxide ceramic. With a Vickers rating second only to that of a diamond, ceramic ranks among the hardest substances on earth. It is extremely scratch-resistant and its stealthy black color is totally anti-re ective. The case back and chronograph pushers are made of Ceratanium®, a recent innovation from IWC’s materials engineers.

Aussi léger et durable que le titane, ce nouveau matériau est This new material is as light and durable as titanium but at the same time as similarly hard and scratch-resistant as ceramic. Thanks to the combination of ceramic and Ceratanium®, the chronograph boasts an entirely matte black design. The tactical look is completed by a black dial and black hands coated with luminescence. The small second hand and the tail of the chronograph second hand, which takes the form of a jet, add a touch of red to the instrument-style dial.

Ticking away inside the sturdy case is the IWC- manufactured 69380 calibre. The robust chronograph movement in classic column-wheel design ensures precise timekeeping and the measurement of stopwatch times of up to 12 hours. Another function is a date and weekday display. The sporty timepiece is fitted with a green textile strap.


In 1868, the American watchmaker and entrepreneur Florentine Ariosto Jones travelled from Boston to Switzerland and founded the ‘International Watch Company’ in Schaffhausen. His visionary dream was to combine advanced American manufacturing methods with the craftsmanship of Swiss watchmakers to make the best pocket watches of his time. In doing so, he not only laid the foundation for IWC’s unique engineering approach but also established the centralised production of mechanical watches in Switzerland.

Over its 150 year history, IWC Schaffhausen has developed a reputation for creating functional complications, especially chronographs and calendars, which are ingenious, robust, and easy for customers to use. A pioneer in the use of titanium and ceramics, IWC today specialises in highly engineered technical watch cases manufactured from advanced materials, such as titanium- aluminide and Ceratanium®. Preferring the principle of “form follows function” over decoration, the Swiss watch manufacturer’s timeless creations embody their owners’ dreams and ambitions as they journey through life.

IWC sources materials responsibly and takes action to minimise its impact on the environment, creating intrinsically sustainable timepieces that are built to last for generations. The company prides itself in training its own future watchmakers and engineers, as well as offering an excellent working environment for all employees. IWC also partners with organisations that work globally to support children and young people.

Movement	:	IWC-manufactured calibre 69380 Mechanical chronograph movement
Frequency	:	28,800 vph / 4 Hz
Jewels	:	33
Power reserve	:	46 h
Winding	:	Automatic
Functions	:	Chronograph function for hours, minutes and seconds Small hacking seconds Date and day display
Case	:	Ceramic Ceratanium® case back, crown and pushers
Glass	:	Sapphire, convex Antireflective coating on both sides Glass secured against displacement by drop in air pressure
Inner case	:	Soft-iron inner case for protection against magnetic fields
Dial	:	Black
Hands	:	Black
Crown	:	Screw-in
Water-resistant	:	6 bars
Diametert	:	44 mm
Thickness	:	15.7 mm
Bracelet	:	Green textile strap

IWC Schaffhausen manufactured its first Pilot’s Watch more than 80 years ago. Since then, the Swiss watchmaking specialist has accumulated extensive know-how in designing and engineering mission-critical instrument watches that are tailored to the needs of aviators. The TOP GUN watches, which IWC has been making as an of cial licensee of the US Navy since 2007, take their name from the legendary Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN). They represent the tactical and performance side of IWC’s Pilot’s Watches, while at the same time underscoring the company’s role as a pioneer and innovator in the area of advanced case materials.

Nowhere in the eld of aviation are the requirements as rigorous as in Naval Aviation. Spot landings at night on an aircraft carrier are among the most challenging maneuvers of all. During dog ghts, tight turns or in vertical maneuvers with supersonic jets like an F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, maximum acceleration forces are exerted on the pilots and their aircraft. The constant day and night operations on an aircraft carrier likewise take a toll on man and material. This is why TOP GUN watches are engineered from highly robust and resilient materials such as titanium and ceramics to withstand the extreme strain fighter jet pilots can experience in the cockpit.

The high-tech ceramic used in watch cases is characterized by extremely pure raw materials and sophisticated production processes. The source materials are polycrystalline powders, which are mixed with several auxiliary materials to a homogenous mass, shaped and nally sintered at high temperatures in an oven. With a Vickers rating second only to that of diamonds, ceramic ranks among the hardest substances on earth. Because of its lightness, hardness and scratch-resistance, the material is ideally suited for everyday use in the restricted space of a jet cockpit. The matte black color ensures that pilots are not distracted by the watch re ecting sunlight. Titanium and ceramic are also highly resistant to corrosion, making them ideal for long-lasting missions on an aircraft carrier in the humid, salty sea air.

The most recent innovation from Schaffhausen is Ceratanium®. This ground-breaking new material is based on a special titanium alloy. After the components of the case are milled, turned and drilled, they are heated in an oven. During this furnace process, oxygen diffuses into the material, and a phase transition occurs, with the surface then assuming properties which are similar to those of ceramic. Ceratanium® is both light and robust like titanium and also hard and scratch-resistant like ceramic. Unlike more conventional coatings, the surface is inseparably bonded with the material and cannot flake off if the watch is knocked against another object. Thanks to this new material, all components of the watch case can be manufactured in a durable jet-black finish for the first time.

The rst IWC pilot’s watch made of Ceratanium® features a black dial, black hands and a black rubber strap. The dial and the hands are coated using grey luminescent material, which is why the watch has a distinctive monochrome look during the day but still offers full luminescent functionality at night. The 79420 calibre drives the double chronograph function with a split- seconds mechanism, making it possible to measure two short time intervals simultaneously.

The rst IWC pilot’s watch in a sand-colored ceramic case was inspired by the Mojave Desert, which is home to the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, the largest land area of the US Navy. The color tone also perfectly matches some of the flight suits worn by the TOPGUN adversary pilots. It is the result of a combination of zirconium oxide with other metallic oxides. This chronograph is driven by the IWC-manufactured 69380 calibre.

The case of this chronograph is made of matte black zirconium oxide ceramic. Engineering ceramics with similar properties are also used for capacitors, in aircraft or rocket engines, and for various components of high-performance engines. The IWC-manufactured 69380 calibre ensures the accurate display and measurement of time.

This three-hand watch with a matte black zirconium oxide ceramic case boasts a unique minimalist design. It is powered by the IWC-manufactured 32110 calibre, a robust automatic movement with a high power reserve of 72 hours.

In 2018, IWC added two special pieces to the collection in honour of the US Navy Naval Aviation community. These watches cannot be bought by the public and are only available for TOPGUN graduates.

The Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII embodies all the design elements and technical functionality of a larger pilot’s watch in a compact 40-millimeter case. The case back is made from automotive titanium 5N, which is durable, light, and skin-friendly. It features an individual engraving of the owner’s name and class. The Navy Fighter Weapons School patch can be found at 9 o’clock.

Powered by the IWC-manufactured 89361 calibre movement, this chronograph displays the hours and minutes combined in a totalizer at 12 o’clock. Thanks to the flyback function, a single depression of the titanium pusher at 4 o’clock, while the chronograph is running, will send the minutes and seconds hands back to zero and immediately start a new timing. The iconic patch of the Navy Fighter Weapons School can be found at 9 o’clock.

In 2019, to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the Navy Fighter Weapons School, IWC created a special timepiece in honor of TOPGUN instructors. This watch, too, cannot be bought by the public.

This chronograph was developed with the TOPGUN instructors based in Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada. It features a blue dial and black hands coated with luminescent material. It also features the Navy Fighter Weapons School logo at 9 o’clock, as well as an individual engraving of each owner’s name and class on the case back. This model also features distinct color accents in baby blue, an iconic color worn only by TOPGUN instructors at NAS Fallon.

IWC is now the only watch brand to be of cially licensed to work on watches for the entire US Navy and Marine Corps, including TOPGUN, Blue Angels and the 247 active and 100 inactive squadrons. All IWC squadron watches are available exclusively to current and former members of the respective squadron and feature an individual engraving of the owner’s name and call sign.

This special edition Mark XVIII was created in collaboration with squadron members of the “D-backs”. The black dial with a red date indication also features the “Diamondbacks” patch at 9 o’clock. The number 102 refers to the of cial denomination “Strike Fighter Squadron 102 (VFA-102)”. The squadron’s F/A-18F Super Hornet with its distinguishing diamonds stripes is engraved on the case back.

This chronograph has a case made of black ceramic and is fitted with a black and yellow textile strap. It features the “Maces”’ patch at 9 o’clock and a yellow date indication. Powered by the IWC-manufactured 89361 movement, the chronograph also has a flyback function. On the titanium case back, there is an engraving of the squadron’s F/A-18E Super Hornet, as well as the official denomination “VFA-27”.

Powered by the IWC-manufactured 89361 calibre, this chronograph in black ceramic is designed in the historic color code of the “Checkmates” with blue and red, and features the “Brutus” patch on the dial. The date window displays the odd days in blue and the even days in red. On the titanium case back, there is an engraving of the squadron’s F/A-18F Super Hornet over a chessboard pattern.

This special edition of the Mark XVIII marks the first IWC military watch created in collaboration with a squadron from the US Marine Corps. Featuring the squadron’s “Bats” patch on the dial at 9 o’clock, it also has a yellow date display. The squadron’s F/A-18D Legacy jet is engraved on the case back. The official denomination VMFA – AW refers to “all-weather” strike fighter squadron.

This special edition Pilot’s Watch Chronograph is powered by the IWC-manufactured 89361 calibre and has a case made of black ceramic. It features the yellow and white “Eagles” patch at 9 o’clock. Additional accents of yellow are added by the small second hand and the date indication. The squadron’s F/A-18E Super Hornet is engraved on the case back.


All models are equipped with proven IWC technology for aviator watches. The movement is enclosed in an inner cage made of a highly conductive soft iron alloy. It consists of the bottom plate, the movement holder ring, and the dial. Similar to a Faraday cage, it conducts magnetism around the movement and ensures that it does not reach the components inside. IWC had developed this innovative feature back in 1948 for the Mark 11, a navigation watch commissioned by the British Royal Air Force. The soft iron inner cage effectively protects the movement from magnetic fields with a strength of up to 80,000 amperes per hour. Another feature is the specially secured front glass. It cannot detach from its place even if there is a sudden drop in cabin pressure in the cockpit.

In response to their performance during the Vietnam War, the US Navy leadership decided to develop a new tactical doctrine for air combat. The Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) program was established on 3^rd March 1969 at the former Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California. Every second month, four F-4 Phantom crews were trained there in air-to-air tactics. After completing the course, they returned to their units to pass on what they had learned. This concept proved so useful that it remains in place to this day. In 1996 the TOPGUN program was integrated into the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC) at Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada, which was later renamed to Naval Aviation War fighting Development Center (NAWDC).

Nowadays, TOPGUN conducts about three to four classes of twelve weeks’ duration per year. The course is designed to train experienced pilots and ight crews. It encompasses all aspects of strike-fighter aircraft tactics and techniques. Air-to-air combat (dogfight) training, which pits the students against skilled TOPGUN instructors, is a key element. Rather than only perfecting the ying skills of individuals, the emphasis of the course lies in teaching each participant how to become a better instructor. Even though TOPGUN trains only a select few, their knowledge and expertise will trickle down to every tactical fighter pilot and air crew in the US Navy and Marine Corps.

Since TOPGUN was established in 1969, over one thousand participants have successfully graduated from the program. They are part of an exclusive circle and arguably rank among the best strike-fighter pilots in the world. For them, TOPGUN is much more than just military training; it is also training that they can apply to their everyday life. Striving to pursue excellence, accepting failure and learning from it, are just some of the lessons that graduates take with them when they leave the Nevada desert.

What is the significance of TOPGUN in the Naval Aviation community?
Going to the Navy Fighter Weapons School is every young ghter pilot’s dream. When you are a junior pilot in your squadron, you want to be the guy that is chosen to go to TOPGUN. Graduating from this prestigious program will not only give you a tremendous tactical and technical skillset as a ghter pilot, but it will also establish your reputation as a Top Tier Aviator, which will bene t your career. When you wear that TOPGUN patch on your shoulder, everybody will immediately know who you are, where you stand compared to the others, and what you have accomplished.

What is it like to attend the TOPGUN course?
It’s very challenging and an incredible amount of work. During the three months of the course, you focus exclusively on improving your ying and tactical skills. You are not distracted by anything else. You literally eat, sleep, breathe, and dream TOPGUN. When you graduate, you are the best you have ever been, at the peak of your capabilities and con dence. It is probably similar to the moment when a runner nishes a marathon. You feel a great sense of pride and satisfaction with what you accomplished, but you are also exhausted and ready to go back home or to your squadron.

What elements does the course contain?
The rst part of TOPGUN consists of a lot of theoretical training and classwork. You acquire extensive knowledge about your weapon systems and tactics, but also about your adversary’s weapon systems and tactics. During the next stage, you take everything you learned in the classroom to the air and practice all the tactics and maneuvers. Of course, it’s a lot harder in the air at supersonic speeds than sitting in the classroom. We have been instructing this way for a long time, and the process is well proven. It ultimately delivers an elite aviator that is at the top of their game, and then they go back to their squadron to teach everybody else.

Why is the concept of “teaching the teachers” so powerful?
It allows the Navy Fighter Weapons School to always stay at the pinnacle of knowledge with respect to the current tactics, strategy and threat analysis. Each TOPGUN course will be different because the tactics and strategy are continuously evolving. The second advantage is the multiplier effect. Even though TOPGUN trains only a select few, their expertise will trickle down to every tactical fighter pilot and aircrew in the US Navy and Marine Corps.

After graduating, you were recruited into the prestigious TOPGUN Adversary squadron. What is this all about?
In a typical TOPGUN dog ght, you basically have three players: the student, the instructor, and the adversary. The adversary pilots are professionally trained to be the “bad guys”. They not only simulate the enemy’s aircraft capabilities, but also the adversary pilot’s mindset and tactics. As an adversary pilot, your objective is to present scenarios that help the student to improve. For me, seeing them learn and get better every day is an incredibly rewarding part of the job.

What is it like to fly a fighter jet like the F/A-18 Hornet?
Flying a ghter jet is unlike anything else I have experienced in my life. I have heard analogies of a wild roller coaster ride or super challenging race car track, but those don’t even come close to it. It is an incredibly physical, analytical, competitive, passionate, and exhilarating experience. The most amazing aspect is that it scores a ten out of ten in each of these categories, simultaneously. When you get out of the cockpit after a dog ght, you not only feel physically tired and emotionally spent but also invigorated, and you can’t help but smile. I can’t compare it to anything else I experienced, which is why I feel incredibly lucky to have been part of Naval Aviation.

What about flying at supersonic speed?
Flying at supersonic speed at low altitudes is particularly thrilling and challenging as everything is happening so incredibly fast. Your brain has to be one mile in front of the jet. If you get what we call “behind the jet”, it can be dangerous, because things are happening extremely quickly and your muscle memory is just reacting to them.

What are the physical aspects of piloting a fighter jet?
When ying very tight turns or vertical maneuvers during dog ghts, for example, a pilot experiences high gravitational forces. The blood gets pushed out of the head and down to your legs. This affects both your vision and your mental capabilities. In the worst case, you black out and become unconscious. We call this G-LOC (G-force induced loss of consciousness). To keep it from happening, we use G-restraining maneuvers in combination with G-suits. This involves tensing up the lower part of your body and abdomen to keep the blood from owing down to your legs. Trying to withstand extended G-forces can also cause physical pain, mainly a sore neck, spine or back. If you pull 9 G’s, then your head will weigh over 100 pounds (45 kg), so you can imagine what that feels like.

Were you ever afraid in the cockpit?
The right amount of fear will keep you sharp, attentive, and respectful of the potential dangers, especially during challenging times of flight. A young pilot typically has more fear. When you become more experienced, you channel that fear into being more focused in difficult moments. However, one has to be careful not to become overconfident at this point. Then, as you become even more senior, you start to be more cautious again. Instead of just jumping into the middle of a multi-plane dogfight, the most experienced pilots might hesitate because they know they only see 90 per cent of what’s going on around them. As the saying goes, there are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots.

Do you recall any particularly dangerous situations?
I have own tactically for more than 25 years, and there are many situations I can look back on and say that it was a very close call. I remember once I was ying an F-14 Tomcat. I had lost one of my engines and needed to come aboard the carrier at night. Of course, as luck would have it, the weather was terrible. Black night, pitching deck, over 1,000 miles from land, yes I remember that one. Those situations are a testimony to the incredible training we receive. Although my mind was “behind the aircraft” and I was reactively flying the jet, my training took over, and muscle memory ew the approach to a safe landing.

Any other critical event?
There were some situations in combat or during simulated dog ghting that were very close calls as well. I remember one near mid-air in a dog ght where the other pilot didn’t see me and at the last second pulled up right in front of me. It was the closest pass I had ever had. I could even hear his engines before I felt a huge thump when I went through his jet wash. At that point, we stopped the dog ght and landed. Then we talked about how and why that had happened so that we would never do that again. That fact that we succeed 99.9 per cent of the time in these critical situations is a real credit to Naval Aviation and how they train fighter pilots.

Are there TOPGUN concepts that apply to other areas of life?
There are numerous life lessons to be learned in the Navy Fighter Weapons School. Of course, there is the pursuit of excellence, which is probably the most fundamental concept. Work hard, be prepared, strive for greatness, debrief and improve. There is also a culture of responsibility. If you tell your commander “I’ve got it”, then you are fully responsible for that task. No need to talk about it again, get it done. TOPGUN also has a reputation for its culture of debrie ng your ight, which can be painstakingly long and detailed. You need to be completely honest with yourself and pinpoint the areas that you can improve upon. All great pilots make mistakes, but the best pilots recognize them and x them. I believe these concepts are very applicable to most other jobs or situations in life.

Are fighter jet pilots lone wolves or team players?
In Naval Aviation, we don’t emphasize individual victories. We think of things as a team victory. You strive to do the best you can as an individual, but you always succeed or fail as a team. Think of landing on a carrier. You couldn’t do it alone as a pilot, you need thousands of people literally on the ship to do their job as well. It’s similar to changing a tire in a Formula 1 car. It doesn’t matter how good of a driver you are if everybody else doesn’t do their job as well.

How important is trust?
Trust is a vital aspect of being part of this incredible aviation team. For example, you need complete and total trust and faith in your wingman. You both are reliant on each other for your mission’s success and ultimately each other’s lives. Trust is something one must earn over time. It’s not assigned, ordered or associated with rank or experience. It is essential, and yet it can be lost if you don’t work on it and earn it daily.

How do you value precision and attention to detail?
Landing on an aircraft carrier at night, especially in bad weather and rough seas, is one of the most challenging tasks in aviation. The amount of precision this takes is staggering. From the moment you start training as a Navy Pilot, your instructors will hammer this into your head; be precise, pay attention to every small detail. For any mission, we strive to be over-prepared. There’s a simple reason for that; if you are over-prepared, you are in a better position to handle something that does not go right.

What is the function of time in the jet cockpit?
On a ghter jet mission, I am not sure there is anything more critical than time. Everything is connected to timing. When we begin a brief, the rst thing we do is synchronize our watches. Every task from take-off, to rendezvousing, to time on target (TOT) is coordinated with down-to-the-second accuracy. In a modern ghter jet, of course, we have advanced avionics systems and embedded, GPS-synchronized clocks on our instrument panels. But we do use our wristwatches to coordinate our movements before we get in the jet, to double- check the avionics to make sure the system is working correctly, and last but not least to make sure we look cool. Every fighter pilot needs an eyecatching watch.

Have you ever had a perfect ight in your career?
With the entire concept of the pursuit of excellence, there is always something you can improve. No matter what you think of your ight, after you do an extensive and honest debrief, you will always nd something that you could have done better. Throughout the 25 years of my career, I have had many successful ights, but never a perfect one.

*Disclaimer: CAPT Jim DiMatteo, USN (Ret) statements and opinions are his own and are not on behalf of the United States Navy or its components.


After graduating from the University of California Berkeley (CAL) in 1986, Jim DiMatteo joined the US Navy where he began an unprecedented Naval Aviation career. He retired as a Captain and has amassed over 5,000 hours in ve different ghter aircraft (F/A-18, F-16, F-14, F-5, A-4) in over 25 years of service, the only one in Naval Aviation history with this accomplishment. After graduating from the Navy Fighter Weapons School and ying in combat, he was recruited into the prestigious TOPGUN Adversary squadron. He accumulated more TOPGUN Adversary ight time than anyone in the history of the US Navy and Marine Corps, ultimately being named the Commanding Of cer of the Adversary squadrons on each coast, VFC-111 and VFC-13. After command of his squadrons, CAPT DiMatteo was asked to join the headquarters of Naval Aviation in San Diego, California, and worked for the Commander, Naval Air Forces (CNAF) overseeing the TOPGUN Adversary program. Jim DiMatteo has amassed an extensive number of awards and accolades, including US Navy F-14 Fighter Pilot of the Year for the RAG, the US Navy Adversary Pilot of the Year, the Top Hook (for the best landing grades on an aircraft carrier) and the esteemed International Britannia Award from the United Kingdom. In 2018, he received his highest honor yet by being inducted into the Aviation Hall of Fame for his Lifetime Achievements in Aviation.