The IWC Big Pilot’s Racing Works Limited Edition Watch
Friday - 01 March 2024
The watch is big. The watch is bold. But it also comes crafted in lightweight titanium to slash some heftiness out of its beefy 46.2mm diameter. Meet the new blue IWC Big Pilot’s Racing Works watch.
With a 46.2mm diameter, the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch is not small by any stretch of the imagination. It sits well on a broad wrist, but what about those with slender arms? Well, IWC Schaffhausen remedied this a few years ago with the downsized version of the Big Pilot’s watch. It went by the name of the Big Pilot 43 and featured a smaller case size, a new movement, and a simplified dial. Interchangeable straps also offered more variation when it came to transforming the watch into something sportier, more casual or more sophisticated.
How the Big Pilot’s Watch Came to Be
The story of the original Big Pilot’s watch dates back to the 1930s and 1940s, when many brands had to participate in the war efforts to survive. One of those brands was IWC Schaffhausen. It created legible wristwatches for pilots and crew members in Germany’s Air Force during the Second World War. The earliest of these examples were classed as observation watches and were powered by precise pocket watch movements. The brand collaborated with Jaeger-LeCoultre to produce watches for the British Ministry of Defence too (Mod). With functionality at the core of these designs, they soon became some of the world’s best all-time classics.
IWC actually ceased the manufacture of these watches after WWII, but their designs were relaunched later down the line, in the 1990s. They nodded to the distinctive elements of the “B-Uhr”. Today, models like the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch are as popular as ever. But, as mentioned, they are big, both in design and size. As well as the Big Pilot 43, there is one other way to overcome the heftiness of this instrument watch. The IWC Big Pilot’s Racing Works watch, thanks to its lightweight construction.
The latest model to join the Big Pilot’s collection is the blue dial titanium variant of the Racing Works watch. It shares the same dimension as its gold and steel counterpart but offers the added advantage of a lightweight construction. The onion-shaped crown at 3 o’clock is also made of titanium, instantly cutting out the weight of the watch.
The whole emphasis on the Racing Works part of its title points to IWC Schaffhausen’s relationship with motorsport. In 2004, the brand entered a partnership with Mercedes AMG and became its official engineering partner to the Petronas F1 team nine years later. In 2018, the watchmaker established its own racing team, IWC Racing.
It’s Different
We’d already mentioned that the Big Pilot’s Racing Works watch is lighter in weight compared to other regular collection models, but one other way it stands out is with its dial. The surface of the display is executed in a sunray brushed effect which entices the light to play upon its surfaces in a very beautiful way. The blue tones of this dial enable the grey-coloured Arabic numeral hour markers to pop, as well as the feuille hands that glide across its surface.
Although IWC is more than acquainted with the use of titanium watches, seldom is it often used in the Big Pilot’s family. It remains a rare feature for the range, promising to tickle the fancy of many a hardcore IWC fan. It is the use of the titanium material that makes this limited edition Big Pilot’s Racing Works watch so special. It still measures a 46.2mm diameter like its stablemates, along with a case height of 15.4mm, but it also boasts a matte blasted surface that gives the instrument a more modern feel.
It’s Cool
The Big Pilot’s Racing Works watch is cool. Other elements of the design include the familiar convex anti-reflective and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass front, secured against displacement by drops in air pressure. It also features a screw-in crown and a caseback crafted from titanium that conceals an in-house movement behind its surface, along with a soft iron cage.
One new feature of the IWC Big Pilot’s Racing Works Limited Edition watch, however, is its 100-meter water resistance, an upgrade from the usual 60-meter water-resistant rating of the standard Big Pilot watches.
The layout of the dial is classic for the Big Pilot’s Watch. Although time is presented on an unusual blue sunray brushed dial, it presents the same BP layout. Central hours, minutes and seconds are joined by a legible power reserve display located at 3 o’clock, not to mention a date window at 6 o’clock.
It’s Stylish
The leather strap attached to this Big Pilot’s Racing Works watch by IWC Schaffhausen is crafted in a dark blue hue to contrast with the lighter shades of the display. I like how IWC has done this tastefully. Its carbon textured pattern applied to the surface of the leather band could easily be mistaken for a fabric strap, it’s so cleverly done. The strap secures to the wrist with a folding clasp that has been crafted from titanium and engraved with the brand’s signature logo.
Of course, one appealing factor of any Big Pilot’s Watch by IWC Schaffhausen is its engine. Inside the new Limited Edition, IWC Big Pilot’s Racing Works Watch is the automatic, in-house developed Calibre 52110. It comprises 31 jewels, performs at 28,800 vibrations per hour, and delivers a power reserve of 7 days once fully wound. The movement also incorporates a Pellaton winding system. The engine is protected by a soft iron cage and features two barrels to hold its impressive power reserve.
The new IWC Big Pilot’s Racing Works watch is limited to just 500 pieces and has been made exclusive to specialist IWC boutiques including us here at Jura Watches and C W Sellors. If you’d like to learn more about the watch, you can visit the product within our online IWC collections or call and speak to a member of our sales team on 01335 453453. Alternatively, you can email us a question at help@jurawatches.co.uk.
