IWC Pilot is as much an icon as the Portuguese for the brand but the Reference 3713 Doppelchronograph is a true winner. Of late, I have been revisiting older IWC creations - they speak to me. And like I have said many times before, they don't make it like they used to.
Made between 1996 through to 2005, the version I have here is probably an early year model with a Tritium dial and this comes with an original IWC bracelet too. A little more about Tritium dial later on.
Don't be confused with the "normal" Chronograph (see below). Missing the one pusher at the 10 o'clock but still a looker. This one below is called the Fliegerchronograph reference 3706.
The Dopplechronograph, otherwise known as the chronograph rattrapante is also known as the double chronograph. Not only does it measure an event, the Doppelchronograph measures two elapsed events. Accoridng to several sources, the base movement is the reliable ETA 7750 and the module that operates the rattrapante was designed by Richard Habring.
As you can see above, the chronograph hands are stacked one on top of the other - to measure the split seconds. What does rattrapante mean? Well, rattrapante roughly translates from French to mean “catch up”.
What does the Split Second (rattrapante) do? Well, when the user depresseses the chrono actuator at the 2 o'clock position, both hands moves in tandem. Depressing the pusher at 2 o'clock again stops the chronograph function and when we push the actuator at 4 o'clock, the hands reset to the original (60) position.
Where the magic happens is when we push the button at the 10 o'clock position while the chronograph is still operating. Let's assume there are two runners racing on a track, Runner A and Runner B. Going back to the start - we push the actuator at 2 o'clock to start the chronograph function when both runners start their run. Let's say that Runner A crosses the finish line first, we depress the button at 10 o'clock to stop the timing for the first runner. When we depress the actuator at the 10, one hand stops (timing the first person to cross the line) and another continues to operate thereby recording Runner B until Runner B completes his run. At that point, pushing the actuator again at 2 o'clock stops the second chronograph hand and there, you get to measure 2 events separately.
And you can imagine that any chronograph with such a complication does not come cheap. Not many manufacturers make the double split chronograph. Since leaving IWC, Richard Habring has started his own line of timepieces which includes the Felix Doppelchronograph that has the split second function.
The movement IWC reference for the 3713 is the 29 jewels, Caliber 79230 beating at 3 hertz (21,600 vph). This is the second version of the split second chronograph, the first being Reference 3711. Both uses the base ETA 7750 movement. Power reserve for this movement is about 44 hours. The display of the Doppelchronograph comes with Day and Date at the 3 o'clock position (see above).
Located at the 6 o'clock position are the words T SWISS MADE T - with the T denoting the dial was treated with Tritium (see above). Before Superluminova was used as an agent to provide luminosity, Radium and Tritium were used. Not only were they radioactive (although not harmful to users), their luminosity strength decreases with age, patina setting in eventually giving it a dark beige colour with little to no lume.
Not only are the hands treated with Tritium, the quarter markers are also treated with Tritium. As you can see from the watch dial, the markers have already started to patina - all turning beige. While I am not that worried about the luminosity of the hands and markers, I do kind of like the vintage look and feel of the patina.
In the world of Double Splits, a few brands are normally associated with that - A. Lange & Sohn, Patek Philippe, Habring just to name a few. The good folks at Lange has gone one further creating the first Triple Split. Talk about over engineering! What a feat though.
One parting question I have for all of you - how often do you use your chronograph function? Really...
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