Comparing my two "pilot's" watches from Richemont Group

Cartier Santos for me ❤️

What do you like more about it?

its bracelet and bezel with the screws and it is a sports watch that you can wear on any occasion

Agree it does look more elegant. I thought the screws not lining up would bother me as it does on youtube but in person with a viewing distance of 12 inches and above, you can't even notice it. They just appear like tiny polished rivets. 🤗

For actual flying it would have to be the IWC. Its purposeful clarity just makes it a brilliant tool watch (not that it couldn't be better ... a little display showing UTC date and time as a six digit set would make it perfect).

But as a watch to wear in every day, in any other situation, I'd have the Cartier in a heartbeat. It's beautiful and perfectly proportioned.

All i need from the iwc is stronger lume and lumed all indices. It would be my perfect daily watch.

The cartier i would probably deligate as my formal attire piece when attending birthdays, lodge meetings, weddings, and funerals.

Team IWC

Woo woo! High five 🖐

Though both are flieger timepieces, as asserted, imho their overall aesthetics are not apples to apples comparable. If you put the IWC side-by-side to a few more similarly styled flieger watches, and the Cartier to other dress watches, then that'll be a fairer assessment. 😉

The Cartier without a doubt.

The IWC is expensive blandness.

• If I want a toolwatch, I grab my Casio

• If I want a flieger, I go Stowa/Laco

• If I want the movement, I get the B&M Clifton

But there is nothing I can replace the Santos with.

True and wise words. I had to put pilot in quotes hehehe

I originally wanted to spend less and go for the LACO, since they look the same as the iwc but here i am impulsive af.🤣🤪

It is a nice watch, I actually like the green dial version.

I have been on their website many many many times configuring my laco pro hahaha. Alas i never brought myself to the checkout page. Mainly because i was concerned of the hassle my local customs will bring down on me once the watch arrives. I've already had bad experience with them once. Haha

I get that. I was looking at Laco as well. But since I prefer to buy brands that have ADs in my local area, and I want to avoid those taxes, let it go.

Wait, the IWC doesn't have lume on the numerals 😢😥🫠. Ok, then the Oris Big Crown Pilot is the one for me

I think the Big Pilot models do, but not this mark xx or spitfire. It's a design choice but yeh i wish they lumed the numerals

Both are great watches with many more pros than cons. So it comes to personal preferences. I prefer dress watches, so for me, Cartier is the preferred one. It seems to me more of a dress watch than a pilot watch.

Great pair of watches @RyanGochuico - I'm an IWC Pilot lover but totally appreciate the Cartier too.

I don't think there have been comments on position and timekeeping, but generally a watch will run a little faster when laid flat, i.e. with the dial horizontal - sometimes face down / face up can make a bit of difference but I've not noticed that personally - in my experience it can be a second or so faster than crown up or 12 o'clock up even on a well regulated watch.

Obviously -2spd is very good and well within tolerances but I am totally with you on preferring a few seconds fast to one second slow. IWC historically would always regulate 0 - +7spd, NEVER slow, so that you would never be late!

The Santos wins any day of the week. It is in a whole different league

Ryan - first thing. Both are awesome watches. You can’t go wrong with either. But if you’re heart is tugged by one, go for it.

Having said that I have both, the 2 toned santos large and the big pilots 43 in green.

While I love my IWC, but the Cred that the Carrier brings its almost like it belongs to a segment above. It’s unbelievably classy, recognized and the iwc cannot come close to the compliments or brand recognition.

I’m in a place where I didn’t need to choose one, but I do choose which one to wear at which place and the santos definitely wins the prestige battle. My 2 cents.

Good Luck.

Totally. Iwc more rugged cartier more dressy💯

Yeh i need a way to position my cartier at night so it gains seconds. Maybe i'll try it out as an experiment if im not too lazy hahaha.

For me they have their place but i tend toward grabbing the iwc more on my daily routine which is more of shorts and tshirts and not coat and tie. Maybe its the use case scenario coming into play hehe

Congrats on owning both🥳

I own the lower priced versions ss santos and iwc mark xx. I feel i gravitate toward the iwc more because i guess im biased towards dark dial watches and as well as the kind of outfit i wear daily matches the iwc better. Santos looks very classy indeed. I reserve it for parties and formal occasions

💯 Santos

Both watches are very nice but vastly different. Comparing them is really rather pointless. Although considered to be the first pilots watch, let’s get serious, the Santos no longer is. It’s elegant and possesses a design language that’s as unique as a Citreon. The IWC is a tool watch pure and simple. It offers a level of ruggedness and good looks that is massively appealing. I have a RG Santos and love it but It’s not my only watch. I wear when the situation is appropriate. For daily wear in a variety of situations, the IWC makes far more sense.

Yes i was referring to their origins when making the post but i do realize that the santos and the mark xx have since departed from that. Hence the air quotes.

100% agree and accurate assessment 💯

It is just a personal thing for me but I don’t like Roman numerals

Isnt that like all of cartier's catalog? Hahaha.

A valid preference of course 🤗