-Specifications

-Description

IWC reference 3705 "Black Flieger" is arguably IWC's rarest Pilot's Watch Chronograph (Flieger Chronograph).

Officially known as the Flieger Chronograph Keramik (Pilot's Watch Chronograph Ceramic on the official website), it was launched in 1994.

You may be familiar with the standard stainless steel Ref 3706, which was launched in the same year.

The reason for its rarity is that it was IWC's first pilot chronograph watch using black ceramic (zirconium oxide ceramic) as the case material.

This material was extremely hard, extremely resistant to cracking and corrosion, but was rarely used in watches because it was difficult to process.

This watch, known as "Black Flieger" was sold from 1994 to 1998 and, according to IWC, was produced in a limited 1,000 pieces.

Although it wasn't very popular when it first went on sale, it was a very interesting existence, and after a quarter of a century, it started to gain popularity on blogs and other media.

There is a history that it gained cult popularity by being supported not only by IWC fans but also by fans of vintage and neo-vintage watches.

As a result, the Tribute to 3705 was created in 2021 as a tribute to the 3705.

The fact that a tribute model was created even though it is not that old, clearly shows that it is a watch with a special position within IWC.

This original reference 3705 has a case size of 39mm. It is 2mm smaller than the Tribute, and has a size that is not overstated.

Ceramic is lighter than stainless steel, so it's fairly light for a watch of this size.The caseback, pushers and crown are made of stainless steel.

The dial is a matte black dial. A traditional pilot chronograph dial with date and day display.

Both the dial and hands have tritium luminescence, which has a very good variation. The hands and dial sometimes have been replaced with luminova when the watch was serviced by IWC, but this example has been kept in its original condition.

The movement is Cal.7902, which was adjusted and modified by IWC based on the self-winding Valjoux 7750.

This watch comes with a guarantee card from the time of original sale. It is marked as having been sold in 1997 by an authorized dealer in Japan.

In addition, the sticker from the time of purchase is still attached to the caseback. It is marked by Cosa Liebermann SA, the authorized importer at that time, and is a very rare gem.

The watch also comes with a genuine IWC leather strap, a genuine stainless steel buckle, and a booklet with operating instructions.