Big, Compact and Authentic

Schaffhausen-based watch manufacturer IWC launched the Big Pilot’s Watch (52-calibre T.S.C.) in 1940. It was the birth of the observer’s watches from Schaffhausen. The Swiss company is now reviving this tradition: with the Big Pilot’s Heritage Watch 55  and the Big Pilot’s Heritage Watch 48, it is launching two fabulous new models that are unmistakably inspired by the original observer’s watch.

With a case diameter of 55 millimetres, the Big Pilot’s Heritage Watch 55 follows on directly from the Big Pilot’s Watch of 1940. This enormous eye-catcher, available in a limited edition of just 100 watches, is aimed primarily at collectors and lovers of authentic pilot’s watches.

With a slightly smaller but still imposing case diameter of 48 millimetres, the Big Pilot’s Heritage Watch 48, which is limited to 1,000 pieces, is a practical alternative for everyday use.

But it is not only the watches’ size so much as their unmistakable visual features that will make the hearts of watch connoisseurs race. From the dial design and colour of the luminescent numerals to the shape of the propeller-like hands, cone-shaped crown and historic leather straps, it is as if the Heritage watches were taking us on a journey back in time to the pioneering days of aviation. Except that now we have state-of-the-art IWC watch technology.