The IWC IW500916 is one of the versions of the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch IW500912, the brand’s classic pilot’s watch with in-house movement. It has a double-riveted strap by Santoni, a conical screw-in crown, and a dial with the blue colour hallmarking Petit Prince models. The case size has been reduced from 48 to 46 mm, and it is 16 mm thick, in steel, water resistance 6 bar. It’s a fine watch, one of the closest, in this year’s pilot’s watch collection by IWC, to the Type A B-Uhr, blending some of the classic features (conical crown, dial markings, leather strap with double rivets) with some contemporary elements such as the dark blue sunburst dial, the power reserve indicator, the chic orange lining to the strap, and the double folding clasp.
The watch is powered by the in-house 51111 calibre, running at 21,600 vibrations per hour, 3 Hertz. The space available makes it possible to have a comparatively large mainspring, so that power reserve is over 7 days, automatically limited to 168 hours (exactly 7 days) so that the watch runs with optimum precision during the segment of power with sufficient torque. The crown provides the stop-second function, to make it easier to set the watch to the second. The movement is protected against magnetic fields by a soft iron inner case.
Price of the IW500916
The Big Pilot’s Watch Edition Le Petit Prince IW500916 costs €13,700 incl. tax, £9,950 incl. VAT. Available from April 2016.
