Today I can already show you two of the new Pilot´s Watches that will be presented at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie 2016 (SIHH), starting Monday, 18th January. Have a look!
Let´s ask Georges Kern, the CEO of IWC Schaffhausen what´s going on …
Georges, please tell me, what will we see at the SIHH 2016?
“Alexander, in 2016, we’re widening our range to include smaller Pilot’s Watches in the entry-level segment, without neglecting our traditional heritage, with our stylish Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII and elegant Pilot’s Watch Automatic 36, we’re addressing women and men with slimmer wrists who have a penchant for elegance and understatement. At the same time, we’re producing the sizeable and authentic Big Pilot’s Heritage Watch, an observer’s watch that’s strongly reminiscent of the Big Pilot’s Watch of 1940. And this year, IWC is launching yet another world-first that ts in particularly well with the subject of flying: the Pilot’s Watch Timezoner Chronograph is the first timepiece where a new time zone, including the date, can be set merely by turning the bezel. And finally, as every year, we have the exclusive ‘Antoine de Saint Exupéry’ and ‘Le Petit Prince’ collections. Their appeal lies in their original design ideas, such as the special annual calendar.”
Today I can unveil the Big Pilot’s Heritage Watch. They are observer’s watch that are strongly reminiscent of the Big Pilot’s Watch of 1940. They are clearly inspired by the historic observer’s watch, and not only because of their enormous case diameters of 55 and 48 millimetres.
The IWC Schaffhausen Big Pilot’s Heritage Watch 55 (Ref. IW510401) and the IWC Schaffhausen Big Pilot’s Heritage Watch 48 (Ref. IW510301). are true to the original, starting from the design of the dial and the colour of the luminescent numerals to the shape of the propeller-like hands and the riveted calfskin straps. The IWC-manufactured calibres, include features such as a sliding clutch to protect hand-wound movements from overwinding, titanium cases and the soft-iron inner case as protection against magnetic fields. Integrating protection against magnetic fields in the Big Pilot’s Heritage Watch 48 with its see-through back visibly combines the IWC tradition and manufacturing expertise.
The Big Pilot’s Watch was supplied to the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) in 1940 in an edition of 1,000 pieces. The “big device” constructed according to the criteria for an observer’s watch is the biggest wristwatch ever built by IWC, with a case diameter of 55 mm, a height of 16.5 mm and a weight of 183 g. For 75 years, the historic Big Pilot’s Watch (52-calibre T.S.C.) was the largest wristwatch ever made at IWC in Schaffhausen.
In 2016, IWC Schaffhausen unveils its successor: with an amazing 55-millimetre case diameter, the Big Pilot’s Heritage Watch 55 eclipses a record that was set back in 1940.
The case back has been kept decidedly simple: the numbering from 01/100 to 100/100 is an unmistakable sign of this great watch’s exclusiveness. The Big Pilot’s Heritage Watch 55 is limited to 100 pieces and available exclusively from selected IWC boutiques all over the world.
FEATURES
Mechanical movement – Small hacking seconds at “6 o’clock” – Glucydur®* beryllium alloy balance – Breguet spring – Soft-iron inner case for protection against magnetic elds – Screw-in crown with friction clutch – Glass secured against displacement by drop in air pressure – Limited edition of 100 watches
IWC-manufactured calibre 98300
Frequency … 18.000 A/h / 2,5 Hz
Jewels … 18
Power reserve … 46 hours
Winding … manual
Materials … Titanium case, black dial, brown calfskin strap, titanium pin buckle
Glass … Sapphire glass, convex, antire ective coating on both sides
Water-resistant … 6 bar
Diameter … 55 mm
Height … 13.5 mm
Like its big brother, the Big Pilot’s Heritage Watch 48 looks very much like the historic original, but makes a few more concessions to modern ideas of aesthetics and comfort.
The 8-days-running-time-indication can be seen through the case back opening. Despite the aperture, this Pilot’s Watch also has a soft-iron inner case that guides magnetic fields safely around the movement.
FEATURES
Mechanical movement – Date display – Small hacking seconds at “6 o’clock” – Glucydur®* beryllium alloy balance – Breguet spring – Soft-iron inner case for protection against magnetic elds – Window with sapphire glass for power reserve display – Screw-in crown with friction clutch – Glass secured against displacement by drop in air pressure – Limited edition of 1,000 watches
IWC-manufactured calibre 59215
Frequency … 28,800 A/h / 4 Hz
Jewels … 30
Power reserve … 8 days (192 h)
Winding … manual
Materials … Titanium case, black dial, brown calfskin strap, titanium pin buckle
Glass … Sapphire glass, convex, antire ective coating on both sides
Water-resistant … 6 bar
Diameter … 48 mm
Height … 14,5 mm
More to come about the new IWC PILOT’S WATCHES … You will be able to discover them January, 18th here on the blog …
I found that on one hand IWC Schaffhausen Big Pilot’s Heritage Watch 55 Ref. IW510401 is using 2.5 Hz as its frequency, yet on the other hand IWC Schaffhausen Big Pilot’s Heritage Watch 48 Ref. IW510301 is using more common 4 Hz as its frequency and I do not understand the reason of this difference.
Can you tell us the reason of this difference?