BY DHANANJAY PATHAK
IWC recently announced a new addition to its Pilots watch family and it’s called the IWC Pilots Watch Timezoner Chronograph Edition “80 Years Flight to New York”. This new watch is a part of the brands Antoine De Saint Exupéry collection and pays a tribute to Saint Exupéry’s transatlantic journey from Biscarrosse to New York in the Latécoère 521, 80 years ago.
One detail that is synonymous with all Saint Exupery watches is the brown color of the dial which is reminiscent of Saint-Exupéry’s flight suit and this new limited edition Timezoner Chronograph is no exception. The tobacco color looks rich and deep and has been presented with several different finishes to give the dial an added visual character. The main dial has a nice sunburst finish and features a primary index of bold Arabic numerals that have been printed in white to offer maximum contrast. On the inside is a 24-hour circular scale which can be used to track a second time-zone using the red arrow tipped hand. At 6 is a nicely recessed running seconds register which has a matt finish to it and at 12 is a stepped register which keeps track of the chronograph hours on the inside along with the chronograph minutes using the circular-grained section on top. The twin register layout is a thoughtful detail as it keeps the dial well balanced and helps with legibility. On the outer periphery is a sloped minute chapter ring and the time can read using the sharp and well-proportioned sword-shaped handset.
The case on this watch is made from stainless steel and measures 46mm in diameter with a height of around 16.8mm. Going by the dimensions this is undoubtedly a large watch and would sit better and more comfortably on larger wrists. But coming to think of it this watch is perfectly sized, as back in the time pilot’s watches were always meant to be oversized making them easy to read from a distance without being distractive. Sitting on top of the case is a ceramic bezel which has 24 cities deeply engraved on it with Paris and New York painted in red to highlight the journey this watch pays tribute to. But this no ordinary bezel and has a nifty little trick up its sleeve. The bezel has been internally linked to the movement and all one needs to do to set second-time zone is press and twist it. Driving this watch is IWC’s in-house caliber 89760. This is an automatic chronograph movement with a flyback function that operates at a frequency of 4hz and offers a power reserve of around 68 hours.
The IWC Pilots Watch Timezoner Chronograph Edition “80 Years Flight to New York” is a power-packed handsome watch that honors a great aviator. The watch would be limited to 80 pieces and would retail for EUR 14,100.
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