The IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph Top Gun in the 44.5mm case size is one of the most counterfeited pilot watches on the secondary market. This guide explains how to inspect one and find the tells that separate a genuine watch from a fake. It does not cover where to buy replicas.
What the genuine watch is
The 44.5mm Top Gun chronograph uses a black ceramic case with a titanium caseback, a sapphire crystal, and an in-house automatic chronograph movement with a column wheel. The dial carries a running seconds subdial, a minute counter, an hour counter, and a day and date window. Retail sits in the high four figures, and used examples trade close to that. Any listing far below market deserves a hard look.
Before you inspect
- Know the exact reference number you are viewing and look up its published specifications.
- Ask the seller for photos of the dial, caseback, crown side, and movement before you meet.
- Bring a 10x loupe and a small scale.
- Plan to have a watchmaker or authorized service center open the case before money changes hands.
Inspection steps
- Confirm the reference number on the caseback matches the reference the seller advertised, then confirm the serial number repeats on the movement.
- Weigh the watch. Genuine ceramic over titanium is light for its size, while many fakes use a steel case with a black coating and feel noticeably heavier.
- Run a fingernail along the case edges. Genuine ceramic is sharp, crisp, and cool to the touch, with no soft rounding or visible paint edges.
- Turn the watch over and read the caseback engraving. Genuine laser engraving is shallow, even, and clean at the letter edges.
- Study the dial printing under the loupe. Check letter spacing, the thickness of the strokes, and whether the text sits flat on the dial.
- Look at the day and date window. Genuine date wheels are centered, with consistent font weight and no gap at the window edge.
- Press each chronograph pusher. A genuine column wheel movement starts, stops, and resets with a firm click and the chronograph seconds hand snaps back to zero in one motion.
- View the movement through the sapphire caseback. Look for Geneva stripes, a signed oscillating weight, blued screws, and a column wheel. Fakes often show a plain rotor, rough finishing, or a movement that does not match the reference.
- Charge the lume with a phone light, then check it in a dark room. Genuine lume glows evenly across every marker and fades at the same rate.
- Inspect the strap and buckle for stitching density, keeper shape, and engraving depth.
- Ask for the warranty card, booklet, and box, and confirm the serial on the card matches the case.
Red flags in a listing
Stock photos instead of real images, a price well under market, a seller who refuses an in-person inspection, or a box that arrives without matching paperwork all point the same direction. Walk away from any deal that requires payment before authentication.