IWC Top Gun Chronograph 41.9 Review

It's been a week since I've gotten my hands on one of my grails after multiple visits to the IWC AD trying on several Pilot models I settled on the TG Chronograph 41. This is my first Pilot's watch; previously I had shied away from it due to previous models being too big on my 17cm wrist.

Weight and Thickness

With that being said, the first thing I noticed about the ceramic 41.9 was actually the weight. It's surprisingly heavy given the ceramic case and the titanium caseback and pushers. In fact it felt only slightly lighter than the stainless steel Chrono 41. Coming from a Tudor Pelagos 39 as my daily, the weight was noticeable.

On the other hand what surprisingly didn't bother me was the thickness of 15.5mm. That being said I’m used to slab-sided case profiles like the 41mm Tudor Black Bays and compared to the Black Bays this feels less slab-sided. Maybe the matte black finish helps in this department because the stainless steel model looked thicker despite it being 14.5mm.

Strap and Easx-change System

The rubber strap is heavy duty and should helps counter the top-heaviness of the watch - assuming you can get the right fit. Personally I found that the spacing of the holes to be too far apart that I couldn’t get the right fit.

As for the Easx-change system, it’s a neat little feature, like a more refined Garmin Fenix/Epix strap changing system. However I did notice that the metal material on the underside of the strap comes into contact with the caseback which can lead to scratches.

Cost-wise I’m not keen on commiting to a £270-per-strap-excl-buckle ecosystem. Third party straps it is; I’ve opted for a loopless Artem sailcloth strap.

Movement and Accuracy

I’m not well versed in mechanical chronographs but in the first few hours I saw the watch gain +10 seconds, although I do believe this to be a break-in. Over the past week it seems to have stabilised to +3 seconds after a week of wear. I also noticed when laid flat for a day it loses anywhere between 2-4 seconds.

As for the chronograph, the action on the pushers feel good with an audible click but again, I don’t have enough experience with other mechanical chronographs to make a comparison.

One thing to note about IWC movements which I recently learned: it sometimes rattles, where according to forums is due to their Pellaton winding system. It’s not loud by any means but it does make it feel less refined.

Design and Feel

Lastly the design; the whole matte black look is seriously cool. I love the contrast against the white hands, markers and indices and that small red seconds hand is icing on the cake. All of these colours blend well to make a stealthy yet very legible watch.