No press release, fanfare, or announcement. Honestly, it was kind of refreshing β in a world where brands often seem to shout from the mountaintop about every little tweak made, it felt almost anachronistic for a brand to just throw a new watch on its website, waiting for us to pick up on it.
Well, pick up on it we did, and pretty quickly. For such a simple watch, the IWC Mark Series has always invited as many opinions as there are people, and that's fair enough for what's one of the most classic, accessible model lines around.
Soon after the discontinuation of the Mark XI, IWC continued the model line with the Mark XII, then the Mark XV, and so on they skipped 13 and 14 since they're considered unlucky in parts of the world, so we'll go easy on them for skipping 19 this time around. Most of the changes are subtle, but together, they make for a watch that's mechanically superior and looks and wears more refined.
But is that enough? Since we introduced the IWC Mark XX back in July, the brand has filled out the collection to include a total of six variants: three dial colors β matte black, sunburst blue, and sunburst green β with or without a bracelet. I went hands-on with the black and green on a bracelet, alongside the Mark XVIII and my own Mark XII , and we were able to capture photos of the blue dial on a strap the photos you see in this article. Let's start with the aesthetics of the new Mark XX.
While the Mark XVIII was on the brink of being too big as an everyday watch for me , this tweak pushes the Mark XX firmly into "yep, I could wear this every day without really thinking about it" territory. Instead, I've saved all those β let's call them suggestions β for the end. If you've watched The Wire , think of it as my personal Hamsterdam : Confining all illicit, Vintage Obsessive activities onto one corner so it doesn't disturb the rest of the neighborhood this hands-on review.
