News · IWC Schaffhausen

IWC pairs an olive Pilot’s Watch Chronograph with two straps

Reference IW378008 was announced alongside the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, with a 43 mm case, calibre 69385 and an Australian list price.

Hen & Mills Editorial · 3 min read · 7 October 2026

• IWC has announced Pilot’s Watch Chronograph IW378008 in connection with its 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship timing partnership.
• The 43 mm steel chronograph combines an olive dial, white luminous printing, gold-plated hands and interchangeable bracelet and rubber strap.
• IWC lists the watch at AU$15,300 including VAT and supplies both attachments; it has not stated a production limit.

A sports partnership can be an excuse to attach a logo to an existing watch, so the interesting question is what actually changes on the wrist. IWC's announcement for the 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship names a new Pilot's Watch Chronograph reference worn at the event, with an olive-green dial and two interchangeable attachments. The tournament connection supplies the occasion, but the object can be understood on its own. Announced on 1 October, it is the IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph IW378008.

Olive dial, white markings, gold hands

The 43 mm stainless-steel case frames an olive-green dial whose Arabic numerals and hour indices are printed in white Super-LumiNova. IWC uses gold-plated hands filled with the same luminous material, so the centre of the display has a different warmth from the stark white around it. The day and date sit together at three o'clock. That combination matters on a pilot-style chronograph, where the counters already occupy much of the dial: the calendar stays in a familiar corner instead of taking over the composition.

This is not a small watch. IWC quotes a 14.8 mm case height, which puts the chronograph visibly above the wrist, and a 21 mm strap width, which narrows the pool of ordinary aftermarket options. The screwed-in crown, sapphire display back and 10 bar water-resistance rating make the construction more versatile than the tournament setting might imply. The rating is a practical protection against water during everyday use; the case size is still the thing to consider first if a shirt cuff is part of the plan.

Two ways to wear one chronograph

IWC supplies both a five-link stainless-steel bracelet and an olive-green rubber strap. Each uses the brand's EasX-CHANGE system, allowing a swap without tools. That is a substantive part of this reference rather than a theoretical strap option, because the buyer gets both attachments in the same package. The bracelet makes the watch feel more like a steel sports chronograph, while the rubber holds the green theme together. I would probably begin with rubber; it gives the dial its own frame and avoids adding another expanse of polished metal.

The press release ties the watch to IWC's sixth consecutive year as official timing partner of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. The 2026 tournament ran from 1 to 4 October across the Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns. That context is worth a sentence, but it is not a specification of the watch, nor does it make the chronograph a special numbered tournament edition. IWC does not give a production limit for IW378008 on the exact product page.

Calibre 69385 behind sapphire

Turn the watch over and the IWC-manufactured 69385 automatic chronograph is visible through the sapphire back. The maker specifies 46 hours of power reserve, 28,800 vibrations per hour and 33 jewels. Those are familiar figures for a modern automatic chronograph, but the transparent back gives them a role beyond a table: the movement is part of what a buyer sees when changing from bracelet to strap or setting the watch down. The day-date and chronograph functions give the dial its density; the movement is the mechanical answer to it.

There is an obvious price objection. A green dial is not, by itself, a reason to spend over fifteen thousand Australian dollars on a steel chronograph, and IWC already has other green Pilot's Watch Chronograph references. What distinguishes this one in the company's current range is the exact olive-and-gold treatment, reference IW378008, and the supplied bracelet-plus-rubber arrangement. It is more useful to judge that complete package than to pretend green is new territory for the collection.

IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph IW378008 pricing and availability

IWC announced reference IW378008 on 1 October 2026 and lists it on its Australian product page at AU$15,300, including VAT. The product page offers an appointment or enquiry rather than a confirmed online checkout, and it does not state a limited production number. Both the five-link bracelet and olive-green rubber strap are included. The maker also lists CHF 8,300 on its Swiss regional page; the Australian figure is the relevant local list price.

The tournament story will pass, as tournament stories do. The more durable point is IWC's decision to package two genuinely different wearing options with one dial treatment. A chronograph this size will always have its audience and its detractors, but the owner can change its character without buying a second watch or reaching for a spring-bar tool. For me, that is the detail that earns more attention than the golf connection.