Every material has specific properties and offers certain advantages. The search for a material that meets the functional and aesthetic demands of a watch is a central component in IWC’s approach to engineering.
Twenty-five years ago, when I first noticed IWC’s Pilot’s watches, it was love at first sight. Here was a precious watch –a fine movement—in a practical case with a practical dial. I was enamored with the anti-preciousness of the dial: clear, legible, and with a flat black base with bright Arabic numerals. Mechanical watches have a heritage and pilot’s watches have a special place within that tradition.
Starting in 2005, IWC entered into a partnership with the Saint-Exupéry-d’Agay Estate whereby the heirs of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and IWC would collaborate in various ways. IWC would support the Fondation’s goals of ensuring that the famous Frenchman’s humanist ideas would remain alive.