IWC may well have launched this year’s most practical watch – one with a fully luminated dial. The IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic Black Aces has been developed by the brand in dialogue with professional pilots, and has a dial made entirely of Super-LumiNova, which emits a bright light for more than 23 hours, taking night visibility to the next level.

IWC has been developing highly specialised watches for pilots for many years. It equips graduates from the US Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Program (or Top Gun) with specialist exclusive timepieces, as seen on the wrists of actors in last year’s blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick. The new watch has been created in conjunction with Strike Fighter Squadron 41, known as the Black Aces. Established in 1950 at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, by 2010 it had clocked up 2,500 combat hours over 400 missions. Suffice to say this squadron knows what kind of timepiece a pilot needs.

This revolutionary dial is a result of a complex manufacturing process. First, high-grade Super- LumiNova pigments are mixed with a binding agent, cast into a mould, and then hardened in a specially developed curing process to give the material a ceramic-like durability. The resulting solid disc is then fixed onto the soft-iron dial before being imprinted with black indices and numerals and the “Black Aces” patch, which resembles the classic ace of spades. It is then put through dark chamber tests, to ensure the longevity of the luminescence.

Unlike fluorescence, which ceases to glow the moment the source of radiation is removed, luminescent material continues to glow. Its electrons absorb energy from the radiation source, then gradually release that energy, which we perceive as slow-emitting light. When the light has gone out, the electrons are back in their original state, in this case, over 23 hours later.

The rest of the watch’s design is that of a no-frills tool watch. The case is matt black zirconium oxide ceramic, a light, scratch-resistant material first used by IWC back in 1986 for the Da Vinci Ref. 3755. Beneath the engraved caseback is the IWC 32100, a movement with a soft- iron inner case and silicon escapement to further improve its resistance to magnetic fields. The strap is a simple textile, to suit the watch’s functional aesthetic. This isn’t a professionals- only piece; it’s available exclusively on IWC’s website. So any maverick can get their hands on one.