IWC Adds a Fully Lumed Dial to their Pilot Collection with the Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 Black Aces

Sometimes I get tagged with the label of curmudgeon for my somewhat finicky and at times nonsensical taste in watches (and movies, and other things – I like what I like). But at the end of the day, I really just want watches to be fun, and for everyone to chill just a little bit when it comes to the hottest of takes on Instagram, YouTube, and elsewhere. If there’s one feature on a watch that captures a more nonchalant attitude toward watches in general, I think it has to be the fully lumed dial, right? Is there anything else that appeals so strongly to that proverbial inner child, the one who is still fascinated with things that glow in the dark? Lumed dials have been having a bit of a moment as of late, and now IWC is getting in on the action, with their first pilot’s watch with a fully lumed dial treatment, the Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 Black Aces.

The Black Aces is the latest in an ongoing series of watches that IWC has made in partnership with US Navy squadrons as part of their Professional Pilot’s Watches Program. This new watch takes inspiration from a previous watch that IWC created for members of Strike Fighter Squadron 41, also known as the Black Aces. This squadron has roots that date back to 1950, and is based at Naval Air Station Lemoore in California, and their Black Aces patch can be seen on the dial at the 6:00 position of the new pilot’s watch.

IWC refers to this as a “Lumicast” dial, and it comes together after a complex process that involves mixing Super-LumiNova pigments with a binding agent, and then casting the mixture in a circular mold. IWC explains that the dial is then hardened in a curing process, after which the material has a durability that’s akin to ceramic. When IWC tested the dial’s luminosity, they found that it held its bright green glow for nearly 24 hours. 

The case is black ceramic, making for a fun contrast with the dial, which appears white in normal lighting conditions when the lume isn’t fully charged, but will project a pale green even in a well lit room as the lume begins to activate. The 41mm size is a hair larger than the Mark XX, IWC’s signature pilot’s watch, but maintains the familiar pilot shape, which is to say it’s unfussy and simple (even as it’s made from a tech-forward, contemporary material). The watch runs on IWC’s 32100 caliber, which provides 72 hours of power reserve. 

The Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 Black Aces on the one hand feels like a completely natural addition to the IWC Pilot lineup. The brand has always done a great job with ceramic cases, and a fun ceramic option with a lumed dial makes a ton of sense. It will be interesting to gauge the reaction, however, to that Black Aces logo at the 6:00 position. Branding of any kind on a watch can be tricky, as you always run the risk of alienating customers who don’t identify with the specific entity being highlighted. A more subdued option (putting the logo on the caseback, for example) might have drawn potential customers who don’t have any particular interest in the Black Aces. That said, now that they’ve done it once, it stands to reason IWC can do it again, and it seems within the realm of possibility that this won’t be the only fully lumed dial we see from the brand. 

The Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 Black Aces is available exclusively through IWC’s website. The retail price is $6,800. IWC