If I’m wrong just tell me to shut up

 

I believe they also supplied watches to the RAF.

 

Did they? If they did ok understandable.

 

Love them, I have a 1980’s UTC and a petit prince . The chrono May be coming soon although I ha e an old Bell&Ross that looks like it

 

Doing some light digging, I think you'll find a vast majority of major swiss watch maker supplied the German Military with watches during ww2 - including longines, iwc, JLC, Zenith, and many more. Practically every single german watch brand in existence today, if it was around during ww2, also supplied watches to the german military at that point.

Obviously other major suppliers of other goods like mercedes, VW, hugo boss, etc. also were big big suppliers to the german military during ww2.

I agree with you that it's very important to be sensitive to the atrocities committed during WW2, however maybe it's unrealistic to police every single connection - which is just my personal opinion with the spitfire plane. Should references to Fanta be considered distasteful because the Nazi's created it and profited from it, therefore it's sales technically used to fund the Nazi war effort?

 

If Fanta come out with a allied soldier on the label then yes I think so. Same with BMW, Siemens etc

It was just a point of view.

 

I assume you mean with a wehrmacht solider on the label, and yeah fair enough!

I also think it really depends what side of history we end up on now. I assume you're probably from a western country given most of us on this english-speaking forum are, and therefore more pro-Allies-in-WW2. I don't want to turn this thread into a political ww2 debate, but I do think it's also important to look at it from both sides.

The Allied airforces (i.e. led by the RAF) in ww2 killed over 400,000 german civilians in bombings, mostly purposely targeting civilians that today many argue had little strategic military value. This number is close to 10x more than civilians that died in the UK from german luftwaffe bombings.

I agree with the overall view of Allies = good and Nazi Germany = bad, but also I don't see anyone referring to any of the many many many RAF tribute watches as insensitive - maybe to be consistent we should be? Just my 2c!

 

Ok off topic I’m happy to concede to bring the focus back on the watch. It is a handsome IWC.

I have liked aviation watches for quite some time. I do like the German UHR look but I do also like the new air king. Diverse much? Yep.

 

haha fair fair. you don't need to concede, just 2 points of view!

I tried these on recently also (see below) and loved them - but shame they got rid of the red 'spitfire' text on the chrono. not sure why! in the press photos it was still there in earlier samples of the model...

 

that chronograph in particular is so so so cool

 

The thing is, the spitfire was and remains historically an incredible machine with an incredible legacy. Ethics aside the pilots of the German forces where outstanding pilots and there is no question that the German scientists and engineers where a fundamental part of the advancement of aviation and rocket science. To take a stand against it half a century later because of the side of the war they where in is just wrong.

Remember some of those Nazi scientists where responsible for the American space program. If you’re going to be fair then neglect the speedy history as well as the same guy that took us to the moon was Designing misiles for Hitler a few decades earlier

same for Nuclear scientists and same for so many things.

Engineering can be celebrated outside of ideology

 

Oh, and IWC was founded by an American.... and America had parades for German visitors during The Nazi regime, and the White House toured Indian reservations and had a say on the design of the Best solution , if not physically yes ideologically. And Eugenics has its strongest base in America, and I still use cotton shirts even though the cotton industry was driven success by slavery in America. And the Vatican aided the Nazi party, and the Vatican also aided refugees ( confusing but... hey)

I guess my point is, all earth is shaky if you dig deep enough.

 

Oh, one more thing, who was the official timekeeper at the Berlin Olympic Games?

 

So back to my previous question it was does anyone find this wrong and if I’m reading too much into it tell me to shut up. You have gone to the extreme here mate. It was a passing comment on a watch forum, not taking a stand 40+ years on.

I have tried to get back on track from what the OP was talking about as you can see above but you seem now fixated on the digressed topic.

 

sorry, maybe just reading too fast so it stuck to me and then I just went off on it. Don't read too much into it.

 

I wasn’t but I don’t mind discussing as long as the OP approves, it’s his thread.

 

Any updates from Spitfire owners here? Was able to try it on along with the Mark XVIII Heritage Ti recently and liked it much better in the metal --liked the Heritage Titanium with the blued hands also, though the AD wasn't able to confirm which grade IWC uses, and it did feel a little light on the wrist compared to its steely brethren.

 

This is deffs the pick of the bunch, so unique, so cool!

 

Very happy with my Spitfire. I did own the XVIII Heritage Titanium. Liked it very much although it always felt a little big on my wrist. The Spitfire, while only a millimetre smaller sits better on my wrist and it also has the new movement which the Heritage doesn't have. Also able to adjust time by leaving it overnight in different positions. Lying flat it gains a second, in the upright position it loses a second. Very rarely adjust the time with crown.

 

Let’s see a pic - I really like the watch. Is it 50mm lug to lug? Maybe a little wide for me. 47/48 would be perfect.