Been looking at Pilot watches from IWC of course as well as many other manufacturers. I noticed that the triangle from just about everyone except IWC has it pointed down vs. up.
Please help educate me as to any history or reason for the difference if there is one. I recognize that it is in the 12:00 position to identify the correct time reading position during darkness, but is there more story behind the triangle and dots ?
Thanks for any feedback on this.
Andy
I am taking a guess here. Since IWC fashion their pilot's watches to aircraft instruments, take a look at "aircraft attitude indicators".
You will see two white trianlges, one is pointed up, the other down. Pointed at each other (well, normally, they should). Up is the bank angle pointer and down is skypointer.
Their exact reason why they chose up and not down, I dont't know.
Here are some pictures: search.yahoo.com/tablet/s?p=aircraft+attitude+indicator&fr=ipad
Great question about the triangle and dots. I guess IWC carried on the design from B-UHR.
Just to throw in some non relevant info - since 1957 SPEEDMASTER has this .|. Which looks a little rude. Perhaps that's what endeared it to the NASA engineers?
Andy,
This is based on history, and the original specifications for military watches. All these "military" watches today are homages to the great vintage and issued military watches.
Take for example the most important predecessor here --the original Mark 11. Look at the triangle there:
This design was intended to allow easy reference to the 12 position at night, so the time could be correctly and quickly understood.
I like this triangle.
Thanks for this interesting topic! I just switched back to my 5002 so I had the triangle at hand to check :-)
Michael, thanks for the wonderful picture of all these vintage pieces!!!
Alan, your blue dial version is a winner, great picture!!!
Kind regards,
Clemens
Interesting to look at. I see two watches with no triangle, instead there is a 12. Are these two the rarest of the bunch? Maybe also the most valuable of them? By coincidence I am wearing my Vintage Collection Pilot's watch, inspired by IWC's first Pilot's watch. That doesn't have a triangle either.
I just think it is a super looking watch. Do you notice the marker on the 1? It signifies 13 today, Friday 13.
Kind regards,
Paul
I see two watches with no triangle, instead there is a 12. Are these two the rarest of the bunch? Maybe also the most valuable of them?"
The two Mark 11s without the triangle and with a 12 in that image have fake dials.
The first version of the Mark 11 did not have the triangle. The triangle replaced the 12 later, along with other modifications, for better readability, in the poor lighting conditions of the cockpits of the early jet age.
This one was used by the BOAC in from 1952 to the late 1970s for celestial navigation, and the dial was never improved.
The RAF Mark 11 would have had the "broad arrow" below the logo.
Alan, that is an insanely good picture of the new PT beauty.
Enjoyed seeing the collage of MARKS. Thank you Michael.
So based on history and military spec's, the triangle pointed up. It appears that the original MARK did not utilize the dots. The pic here shows the dots in play at the 12 with no triangle. Was the first sole purpose of dots then used as a indicator for correct time reading in darkness ?
Since all manufacturers that I've looked at so far ( with the exception of IWC ) point the triangle down, does this mean that IWC has a patent or exclusivity to the upright design similar to an exclusive right of Zenith to use the word PILOT on a dial ?
Finally, going back to the dots ( and I just love the raised Platinum dots on Alan's BP ) were they then just incorporated as modern design without any other significance as was when they might have been used as a 12:00 position indicater without the triangle ?
BTW, the triangle/dot combination is what attracted me to getting a Pilot model as my first IWC.
Thanks,
Andy
This is the dial that replaced the "white 12" dial and where the triangle first appeared. The luminosity is still achieved by Radium based paint.
And this is the last version of the RAF Mark 11. Essentially the same, but luminosity was achieved through Tritium.
There are triangles of differnt shapes too. ;-)
duplicate
I am not sure of the significance of the dots on both sides of the triangle on the 5002 dial, the triangle and the dots being a bit more centralised than on the 5004/5009 or on my 3878 Spitfire Chrono. There, the dots serve as minute markers for 59 and 1. Quite cute.
Kind regards,
Paul
To the best of my knowledge, the Ref 431 B-Uhr was the first pilot watch to have in its dial design the triangle/double dot combination at 12. It is fair to assume the Luftwaffe designers intended the dial to be easily readable in black-out during night missions, and found this feature met the objectives.
I don't think there is any significance to IWC using the double dot on its modern pilot watches, other than emulating the pilot watches of a past, when watches were essential for accurate navigation.