IWC Big Pilot 43

IWC Schaffhausen reveals new 43-millimetre Big Pilot’s watch

With its striking conical crown, strap with four rivets, and open and legible dial, no other model expresses the essence of IWC’s aviator watches like the Big Pilot’s Watch. Its uncompromising functional design, in the style of an easy-to-read cockpit instrument, was inspired by a 1940s military observation watch. The oversized crown is another detail the modern Big Pilot’s Watch shares with its historical ancestor; it originally allowed pilots to operate their watch even when wearing their padded flight gloves. Initially reintroduced in 2002 under the designation ‘Big Pilot’s Watch Ref. 5002’, the design has stayed true to its utilitarian DNA ever since, undergoing only marginal changes.

“The Big Pilot’s Watch perfectly embodies IWC’s extensive heritage and expertise in engineering rugged and reliable instruments tailored to meet the needs of elite aviators. It exemplifies how a purely functional design can transform into a cultural icon. Today, the Big Pilot’s Watch is not only one of the most recognisedwatch designs in the world but also an expression of a certain character and mindset,” explains Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen.

IN-HOUSE 82100 CALIBRE AND SAPPHIRE GLASS BACK

Powering the Big Pilot’s Watch 43 is the IWC- manufactured 82100 calibre. The automatic movement has been engineered with a focus on maximum precisionand reliability. It features the highly efficient automatic winding system developed by Albert Pellaton, which uses the rotor’s smallest movements in either direction to wind the mainspring. Components like the automatic wheel or the pawls that mesh with it are made of virtually wear-free zirconium oxide ceramic. The manufacturing of such small ceramic parts presents a huge engineering challenge. When fully wound, the mainspring stores 60 hours of power. The movement has been elaborately decorated with circular graining and can be observed through a sapphire glass back.