Well I've been wearing it almost 3 weeks and thought I'd do a bit or a write up ... plenty of good reviews of this watch on line so I wont trawl through all that again ...
I don't really need another watch; I have a small collection that I considered complete and wasn't really looking to buy another.
First here is a photo:
I have a small collection but basically wear 4 watches; the rest are retained for sentimental reasons.
Explorer and BB58(black) are worn in rotation for 95% of the time. I have a Seiko quartz beater for cycling and DIY and a PRS-48 Navigator which I use when I don't want to be seen wearing an "expensive" watch ...
That collection has served me well but I have always had an interest/like of the IWC Mark Series and thought I had that covered with the PRS-48.
When they brought out the Mark XX I thought it was a nice watch with upgraded WR and took a trip to the IWC store in London to try it on as I thought it may be a bit big for me ... also tried on the Pilot 36.
I had wondered about the sword hands deviation from the clipped baton hour hand from the earlier Mark models and that it was a bit of a mixer of the Mark XI and Flieger German Pilot watches but with the larger dial the sword hands fill the space better and make the watch more legible. The Mark Series is an evolution and I think the sword hands are part of that evolution. I can't deny I'd rather see a Spitfire on the case back than the Ju 52 but I don't look at case backs.
Despite the watch being 40mm and a lug-lug measurement of 49mm it fits like a glove. I have concluded that watches and wrists are like bike saddles and backsides and it takes time to find the perfect pairing.
Even though the dimensions are bigger than the BB58 it just sits so nicely on the wrist and is more comfortable and less proud. The lugs curve round the write so it sits very well. It wears smaller than the BB58 but on paper looks bigger. Appearance wise there is more dial than the BB58 so looks perhaps bigger slightly visually.
Anyway ... after the trip to London I'd shown the photos I took in store to the wife and she was quite liking the Mark XX and so when TopCat30093 (Tony) put his on SC it seemed like a good offer and so I twisted the wife's arm and so the deal was done.
It was a long drive to collect the watch and so we combined it with a weekend away and were rewarded with a nice meet with Tony & his partner and had a great stay in a nice hotel with good food to add to the weekend.
I have been wearing it for almost 3 weeks now and I'm really impressed.
The bracelet and straps use and EasX-CHANGE system which is excellent and makes traditional spring bars look a bit agricultural. However, annoyingly I am between holes on the IWC strap so I'm back to old world spring bars with a leather strap.
The bracelet is a work of art with the quick change and the push button micro clasp and the easy way to can add and remove links. If you are not familiar with how it works see this youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI3LDtouRZo
Also the buckle is really nice with an easy system to move it between straps as the tang just pulls off and then the pin just slides out as shown here: at 1:23
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-toh1eYskdY
The thought that has gone into the bracelet, straps and buckle is far beyond what I have seen on my other watches.
Wearing the watch has been a real joy and having a watch that isn't recognisable as an expensive watch (to most) is good. I wouldn't bother switching down to the PRS-48 now and I think for most people they would not see the Mark XX in the same way as the would recognise the Explorer or BB58, as they are recognisable as luxury watches.
The time keeping is superb at a near constant +0.7s per day.
Overall I am really pleased with the Mark XX; it represents a bit of a change from the "tool" watches on bracelets which have been my standard fare for the last 25 years ... it is still a luxury/expensive watch but I think less obviously so and I think I am enjoying that aspect of it. Looks like the BB58 will be on SC in due course as I don't need so many watches.
Also; the long heritage of the Mark Series and the iconic design makes this a great watch; plus at a functional level it is very legible (although I do need my reading glasses for the date).
Conclusion is I like it and it is now my daily watch and the Explorer will be used less I suspect ...