Fratelli Stories: An IWC Mark XV Pilot’s Watch Fit For A Flyer

We are trying something new here at Fratello — the Fratelli Stories series. This will be all about researching and publishing some of the great stories out there about you, our readers, and your watches. We’re all here on this site because watches are significant to us, and we want to celebrate the unique ways they play a role in your lives. In doing so, we aim to uncover interesting timepieces and share the fascinating backstories of the Fratelli who wear them. As always, if you have any ideas or want to share your story, let us know in the comments at the end. Today’s piece is about a pilot’s connection with his IWC Mark XV watch.

Getting to write about what is, in essence, one’s hobby is a privilege. Though we don’t all like to write or even take photos, I am sure we can agree that we all like to talk about this hobby. This sense of a shared interest, a community, is one of the best things about watch enthusiasm.

Watch stories continue to engage us

So when the opportunity came up to experiment and explore the concept of featuring your stories, I jumped at the chance. What never ceases to fascinate me about watches are the human stories behind them. Yes, I like watches’ designs and aesthetics, but the stories are most important to me. As my colleagues Nacho, Lex, and RJ discussed in a recent podcast on watch marketing, good storytelling is something we can all connect with.

As my colleagues noted, a big challenge for many brands is consistently creating lasting and genuine connections with their customers or potential ones. In today’s article, I am featuring the story of Paolo Maceren and his favorite watch, one that I also own and love, the IWC Mark XV. IWC is a brand intertwined with my family history, so it seems a fitting way to start this series.

An IWC Mark XV pilot’s watch

Paolo Maceren (@piloto.manileno on Instagram) is a pilot for Philippine Airlines. He got into watches as a kid growing up reading Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt novels. “I love books, and back in high school, I was hooked on Clive Cussler’s works with lead character Dirk Pitt wearing an orange Doxa for all his adventures. I wanted one myself to have as an adventure sidekick, so that led to research into watches. Since I couldn’t yet afford something expensive, I initially settled on a Seiko ‘Orange Monster.’ The search for an orange dive watch was what led me into the horology rabbit hole,” he said. 

Shortly after getting into watches, Paolo gravitated towards one watch brand — IWC. “It started when I was a teen,” he told Fratello. “I was always watching that IWC film with Spitfires and John Malkovich outside the local boutique here in Manila. That’s when I knew I wanted one.” Paolo is referring here to an advertisement starring the Hollywood actor, which you can see here.

A trip to London’s Royal Exchange…leads to an IWC purchase

As a brand strongly associated with flight, IWC resonated with Paolo. He had longed to be a pilot for many years. When he successfully got his first role at the airline, he pondered how he could celebrate this significant personal moment. “I was humming and hawing on whether or not I could afford an IWC Pilot’s watch. This was a really big purchase for me,” he said. 

Initially, Paolo had been looking at a Mark XVIII, which was the latest model in the Mark series at the time. As a keen photographer, Paolo would also take images of his various flights around the world. A fateful trip to London would lead to what would be his dream watch. He just didn’t know it yet. 

“On one of our London layovers, before my airline stopped flying there, I happened to pass by the Royal Exchange and saw two Mark XVs in one of the dealer’s displays. I was smitten,” he said. “But I didn’t get it yet… It was still a big purchase for me. I flew back to Manila the next day. But then I started kicking myself for not getting it.” As if fate was set, Paolo’s regret turned into an opportunity one week later. “I got scheduled to fly to London again. I said if it was still on display, I’d be taking it home.” 

A little history of the IWC Mark series

IWC’s Mark series, as we’ve covered on Fratello before, stems from the design spirit of the “Dirty Dozen” tool watches from WWII. This was a series of watches produced by 12 watchmakers and commissioned by the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence in 1945. These watches needed to meet set technical requirements for British forces. The UK’s MoD looked to the Swiss for waterproof, shockproof, and highly accurate timepieces. These were therefore labeled “W.W.W.” for “Wrist Watch Waterproof.”

The design reflected an ethos that would carry over to the IWC Mark 11 pilot’s watch — once again, at the request of the MoD — after WWII in the late 1940s. The Mark 11 embodied the basic principles of a tough tool watch that was the W.W.W. and upped the ante. The Mark 11 got rid of the sub-seconds register and utilized a hand-wound IWC Caliber 89 with central seconds. It also used an antimagnetic Faraday cage around the movement and proved to be immensely capable as a timepiece for military navigators and aviators. Starting in 1949, the Mark 11 saw action in the Royal Air Forces of the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

Military-inspired IWC models

The design of the Mark 11 (which was in production from 1949 to 1953, with a second iteration for the civilian market from 1973 to 1984) went on to influence the “Mark” timepieces that followed, specifically, the Mark XII in 1994 and the Mark XV in 1999. 

Both of these subsequent iterations utilized a similar handset design with the iconic “block” hour hand from the Mark 11. These watches were also classically sized, with the Mark XII being 36mm and the Mark XV being 38mm in diameter. The Mark XII used a Jaeger Le-Coultre movement, while the Mark XV used a heavily modified ETA 2892-A2.

Why the IWC Mark XV?

When Paolo returned to London, he had his chance to fulfill his internal promise. The Mark XV was still in the store window, so it went home with him, and he’s been flying with it ever since. “Helluva souvenir,” he said. As to why he veered towards this particular model, Paolo said he had gravitated towards aesthetically straightforward, durable timepieces. 

“Dive watches and Flieger-type pilot’s watches speak to me because I don’t need to baby them or worry too much about maintenance. Fewer complications, like chronographs, also mean fewer things to fix,” he said. “Plus, I do dive and fly, so I find them extremely useful for what I need from a watch while doing so. And for me, that is accuracy and quick readability.” A dedication to simplicity in design is something quite evident in tool watches like the IWC Mark XV. So bravo to Paolo for choosing this particular watch! It will no doubt serve him well as a highly legible companion for many years to come.

But why did Paolo specifically choose the Mark XV? “Until that point when I found it in a dealer’s display on a random London layover stroll, I didn’t know the XV existed!” Paolo said. “The XV had every trait I wanted from the XVIII, and it came in a smaller case size with truly toolish looks compared to the more stylized XVIII. It was essentially a true modern-day version of the original Mark 11. The patina on the hands was the clincher since I am a vintage watch lover who just needed something modern for work.”

Final thoughts

As part of this story, I asked what drew Paolo to Fratello. “Well, I am a history buff as well as someone who uses watches as tools, so I gravitate towards the stories that feature watches in relation to a bigger picture. The story about how Tudors were used in the Navy during WWII comes to mind. I enjoy these stories, and Fratello regularly delivers. As a lover of vintage, I am also very much addicted to the #TBT section. It has wicked photos of obscure or lesser-known vintage pieces as well as great details about the featured watches. I read that section regularly because it lets me learn a lot more about timepieces that I might not have known existed otherwise.”

So there you have it, Fratelli. There is something to be said for great neo-vintage watches like the IWC Mark XV (or Nacho’s Omega Seamaster 2254). Thanks to Paolo for sharing his story with us. The best part of this hobby truly is the community around it. It is great to see a pilot’s watch being used in its genuine context. The highly legible design of the IWC Mark series has stood the test of time incredibly well. But what do you think, Fratelli? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments section, or you can reach out to me on Instagram.