Style Edit: IWC Schaffhausen celebrates its Pilot’s Watch’s 90th anniversary with cosmic new designs
New pieces soar with Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn, and the adventurous spirit of Le Petit Prince
The Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive takes IWC’s 90 years of aviation watch excellence to the extreme, especially after the manufacturer’s participation in the Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn space flight missions in 2021 and 2024, respectively. To usher in a new era of space exploration, the Venturer Vertical Drive is the first piece from the brand designed and engineered from the ground up.
The white zirconium oxide ceramic and Ceratanium piece was designed in partnership with space station developer Vast, and was qualified for flight aboard the first-ever commercial space station, the Haven-1. Accounting for the large gloves worn by astronauts, the Venturer Vertical Drive features the ability to track two time zones and a patent-pending rotating bezel operated by a rocker switch on the side of the case.
But what about the rest of us here on Earth? IWC is also unveiling eight new references as a tribute to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s spacefaring children’s classic, Le Petit Prince. This new collection includes new editions of the Pilot’s Watch Mark XX Le Petit Prince in 18k 5N gold and stainless steel, as well as Pilot’s Watch Chronograph editions in 43mm and 41mm, both in stainless steel, and a Pilot’s Watch Automatic version in steel and 36mm.
Notably, IWC adds a Le Petit Prince edition for the first time to its Portofino collection of dress watches. The Portofino Automatic Day & Night 34 Le Petit Prince comes in steel with a sunray-finished blue dial and gold-plated hands. A day-night indication comes courtesy of the Calibre 35180 movement, where the Little Prince can be seen standing on the moon during the night-time.
The Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar ProSet Le Petit Prince references take things a step further. The piece comes in either 43mm white zirconium oxide ceramic or 42mm stainless steel cases, both featuring the Perpetual Calendar ProSet innovation, which enhances the moon phase display, reducing deviation to just one day every 1,040 years. For those who want this feature in different colours, the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar ProSet also comes with a dark olive green dial and gold accents.