A Week On The Wrist The IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX Is The One We Wanted From The Start

In case you missed the release (don't worry, a lot of us did), Danny introduced the watch here, then Tony went hands-on with it here. Now, I'm completing the trilogy with a good ol' A Week On The Wrist video. I'll cut to the chase and say this is a great watch that I think a lot of people will gravitate toward because of its everyday wearability, military heritage, and approachable price point ($5,250 on a leather strap and $6,150 on a metal bracelet), at least in the realm of luxury watches.

IWC's Mark series first came on the scene not long after WWII with the Mark 11 which was issued to the British Ministry of Defense as a pilot's watch. A handful of iterations were released since then with the most recent Mark XX replacing the now discontinued Mark XVIII (Yes, we're oddly missing the XIX here, but I'll save my comments on that for the video).

At first glance, you might not notice much of a difference between the XVIII and XX, but there are quite a few subtle revisions that make the XX superior to its predecessor in almost every way. Danny's discerning eye elaborated on these changes during his introduction so I won't rehash every update.

The bottom line for me is that I enjoyed the Mark XVIII aesthetic with its classic stainless steel case, but I had a handful of complaints that held me back from really considering it for myself and even recommending it to others. At 40mm in diameter, it wore a bit larger than the spec sheet would suggest, for my 7.25 inch wrist at least, due to fairly long lug distance, and the lack of an in-house movement at that price point doesn't really make it a competitor when it comes to value. Look, I'm not an outsourced movement hater, but there were too many other options within that same price range with in-house movements. The Mark XX fixed my two complaints and then some.

The lug distance decreased by a few millimeters improving wearability and the movement was upgraded to the "in-house" (Why the quotes? All will be explained in the video) caliber 32111 with a whopping five-day power reserve which you won't see too often at this price point. We also received a better-proportioned dial as well as an increase in water resistance from 60 meters to 100 meters, making it a much more worry-free wearing experience during aquatic activities (except diving, of course).

Yes. The Mark XX is technically considered a pilot's watch, but for me, these small changes make this watch a real contender if you're considering an everyday watch that can handle city life just as well as your weekend camp getaway.

If you want a more in-depth look at the IWC Mark XX then check out my accompanying video. I took it near its natural habitat, an airport, and I brought it to one of the world's best burger chains, In-N-Out. Yea. I said it. You think you have a better option? I'll see you in the comments.

And if you're wondering, I never plan to shoot myself eating for these videos, but I get so hungry during these shoots I figure why not? I could go back to pretending to take pictures of things, but I'd much rather stuff my face.