THE NEW BIG PILOTS

IWC introduces a new generation of their iconic timepiece

IWC Schaffhausen has been making luxury watches in the northern Swiss town by the shores of the Rhine River for more than 150 years. Known for the beauty and precision of its

watches, IWC is also highly regarded for their pilot’s watches. These

watches, also known as “tool” watches, were developed with se-

rious functionality to serve a very real need. IWC’s expertise in pro-

viding a tool to help aviators fly safely and accurately goes back to

World War II, when the company made military watches for the Brit-

ish Royal Air Force. The original pilots watch, the 5002, was specifi-

cally tailored to meet the functional requirements and specific needs

of professional pilots. It sported a chronograph dial styled after the

look of a cockpit’s instrument panel, with a generously sized, easy

to view, and massively-sized 46.2 millimeter case.

Over the years IWC has remodeled their iconic pilot watch in re-

sponse to new technologies and tastes, and this year three new

takes on the classic beauty were designed to appeal to today’s

watch lovers. The pilot watches launched this year feature sapphire

glass case backs to allow the wearer to see the watch’s intricate

movement, and they come in slightly smaller sizes to increase wear-

ability and ergonomics. And last, they’re now available with dazzling

sky-blue dials, ready to take flight. Here are the latest models:

The IWC Big Pilot 43

Inspired by a 1940s military observation watch, the latest take on

the Big Pilot sports an iconic oversized conical crown while a

smaller, 43mm ergonomic stainless steel case. It excels both in

function and fashion, featuring the IWC-manufactured 82100 cali-

bre. This marks the first time there is a fully in-house movement in-

side a Big Pilot. Another plus: the IWC developed Pellaton winding, visible through the sapphire crystal case back. Developed by Albert

Pellaton, it is a highly efficient automatic winding system which uses

the smallest movements in either direction of the rotor—a semi-cir-

cular disc that rotates with each movement of the arm--to wind the

mainspring. There’s also an EasX-Change strap system which al-

lows the wearer to change straps, in rubber or calfskin and/or a

stainless steel bracelet with a click. It comes with a blue dial or

black; either one offering a clean, clear, and classic design for sport

or every day.

The IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41

The latest take on the beloved chronograph downsized the stain-

less steel case to 41mm and offers the EasX-Change strap system.

It’s upgraded the water resistance from 6 bars to 10, or 100 meters,

which makes it suitable for swimming and snorkeling. It also sports

an in-house 69385 calibre, visible through the sapphire glass back.

The movement is focused on providing reliability and precision. The

dial comes in blue or green.

The IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar

IWC excels with its perpetual calendars, and the latest version

achieves a new level of technical engineering. It is so advanced it will

not need any manual correction until year 2100. The four-digit year

display—instead of the standard two—can show the year until 2499.

This is one of the easiest perpetual calendars to adjust—rather than

play with multiple buttons, all the displays are mechanically synchro-

nized together, making the adjustment with a single crown ex-

tremely easy. The watch had previously been available in platinum,

but this year, for the first time, it comes in more approachable stain-

less steel, ready to fly off the shelves and right onto the wrist.

Clockwise from top left: The IWC Big Pilot 43, The IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41, The IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar