For Philippine Airlines pilot Paolo Maceren, the IWC Mark XV became more than a watch to wear on the job: it was the answer to a long-running fascination, a career milestone and one missed chance in London that brought him back a week later. His story, told by Henry Black in Fratello, turns on the qualities Maceren wanted most: a clear, practical watch with a tool-like design.
How a London layover led to Maceren’s Mark XV
Maceren’s interest in watches began while he was reading Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt novels. Pitt wore an orange Doxa, and Maceren’s first watch purchase was a Seiko “Orange Monster”—a watch he could afford at the time. As a teenager, he also remembered IWC advertising featuring Spitfires and John Malkovich.
After becoming an airline pilot, Maceren considered an IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII. On a London layover, he saw two Mark XV watches in a dealer’s display at the Royal Exchange. He left without buying either. A week later, he returned to London; one remained, and he bought it. Fratello reports that he has flown with the watch since. These details are Maceren’s recollections as recounted in the feature, not independently verified travel or sales records.
Why the Mark XV suited the way he wears a watch
Maceren says he prefers straightforward, durable watches and wants to spend less time worrying about maintenance. Describing his choice as a pilot who also dives, he told Fratello: “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. 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.”
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- Pristine condition - No visible signs of wear. Like new condition.
- Wrist Size (in): 7.75, Case Height (mm): 14.00, Case Width (mm): 51.00
- Comes with Box, Papers
- This item is pre-owned and may show light signs of wear. Please refer to the condition and photos.
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His comparison with the Mark XVIII is a personal account of fit and design, not a comprehensive technical assessment of the two watches. Maceren felt the XV offered the qualities he wanted in a smaller case and with a more tool-like appearance. The patina on the hands also helped decide it: he liked vintage watches but needed a modern watch for work. As he put it, “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.”
Where the Mark XV fits in IWC’s Mark line
IWC’s history of the Mark XVIII places the Mark XV’s introduction in 1999, under reference IW325301. The Mark XVI followed in 2006. The brand’s timeline also lists the Mark XII in 1994 and the Mark XVII in 2012; those dates describe the milestones IWC identifies, not a complete production-period guide for every Mark XV variant.
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The line’s design lineage reaches back to the Mark 11, developed at the request of the British Ministry of Defence. Fratello describes that watch as having central seconds, a hand-wound IWC Caliber 89 and an antimagnetic Faraday cage, and says it served military navigators and aviators. IWC characterizes the broader Mark design language as plain dials and stark white Arabic numerals intended to support legibility and accurate timekeeping.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Mark XV size and movement details
Fratello gives the Mark XV a 38 mm case and describes its movement as heavily modified and based on the ETA 2892-A2. For comparison, the same feature gives the Mark XII a 36 mm case and a Jaeger-LeCoultre movement. Watch-Wiki lists the Mark XV caliber as IWC 37524, based on ETA 2892/A2, and also gives a 38 mm case; that is a secondary reference, so the exact movement and specifications should be checked against an individual watch’s reference. Watch-Wiki’s Mark XV entry provides that secondary specification listing.
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Those figures offer context for the model, but they do not establish the exact variant of Maceren’s watch. His preference for the XV over the XVIII rests on his stated impressions of case size, appearance and the aged look of the hands—not a documented side-by-side specification comparison or test.
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