Big flyer…

In what is the last of several new special edition watches from IWC for 2010, here’s a first look at the new IWC Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar, a “boutique exclusive” watch that will be available this fall.   It is a loud and proud pilot watch, and I like the yellow-orange color scheme on the dial (and the strap).  As for other aspects of the watch, well, as I have said many times I am not a fan of cut-off numerals on watch dials, and this watch has many of them.  Also, I am not at all pleased with IWC’s laziness with the “generic” limited edition numbering on these pieces – each piece will be engraved “ONE of 250″ (rather than “1 of 250″ “2 of 250″ etc.).  I had the same complaint with the IWC Big Blue Pilot Watch and I hope this does not become common practice for all of IWC’s limited editions.  They should know better than to cut corners like this.

So all in all, I guess this watch is not for me, but what about you?  Drop a comment below.

Yellow IWC Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar (Boutique Exclusive)

46mm stainless steel case, black alligator strap w/matching deployment buckle

Limited to 250 globally.  Price: $28,000

Close Up

By the way, if you missed my previous posts on the aforementioned IWC special edition watches for 2010, be sure to check out the Red Gold Portuguese Perpetual Calendar Double Moonphase, the Big Blue Pilot Watch, the IWC Zidane Ingenieur and the IWC Cousteau Aquatimer Chronograph.

First execution in red gold…

IWC goes 2 for 2 this week at First In Watches with yet another awesome Boutique Edition watch (check the “Boutique Only” IWC Blue Big Pilot Watch if you haven’t seen it already).  The watch you see here is the new IWC Portuguese Perpetual Calendar Double Moonphase featuring a beautiful 44.2-millimeter 18-carat red gold case.  This exclusive model also features an  ardoise grey dial, matching applied red gold dial appliqués, and a midnight blue double-moon phase display (Northern and Southern Hemispheres).  More on the watch, below the jump:

Limited to just 30 pieces worldwide, the timepiece runs the IWC Caliber 5000 series movement with a 7-day power reserve.  It delivers perpetual calendar accuracy with a deviation of just one day every 577 years.  At best this model will be available only in IWC boutiques, but I’ve heard it be even harder than this to get a look because it will be exclusively the Hong Kong and Macau IWC boutiques.  Either way, if you’ve got the cash for this watch (price is probably near $50,000 US), you can surely afford the charter to jet overseas for a looksie.

Details, details…

This is the “Boutique-Only” blue-theme IWC Big Pilot watch that regular readers of the IWC Forum have been aware of for several months now.  But since all of you are not regular readers of the IWC Forum, and because I read a somewhat uninformed article about the watch elsewhere, I thought I would shed some light on it here.  Word is that this new IWC Big Pilot blue-theme watch will be a limited edition of 50 for the Beverly Hills and Las Vegas boutiques and delivery is anticipated in December 2010.   The watch will bear a 5004 series reference number which is the same as the standard Big Pilot models — 46.2mm x 15.8mm case size with the IWC Calibre 5111 (automatic with 7-day power reserve).

While you can of course see for yourself that it is a pretty cool looking Big Pilot (it’s all in the cool blue color (dare I call it periwinkle?) and outline design of the numerals), I must say I am quite disappointed to hear that IWC plans to engrave the side of each watch case with “One out of Fifty”.  “One out of Fifty” — seriously?  Say it ain’t so!  I think this is a terrible decision by IWC — as in terribly lazy.  Individually numbered pieces (i.e. 1/50, 2/50…50/50) would be far more appreciated by collectors.  Also, while I am nitpicking, I do not like partial numerals that are cut-off by the subdial (on this or any other watch).  Still, I gotta say that this is one sweet looking watch!

And in case you are wondering (as one of our astute readers was), yes, the Blue Big Pilot comes with all its indices and numerals painted in SuperLuminova — bright blue SumerLuminova, to be precise.

Contest:  Kurt Klaus Signed Catalog…

IWC fans take note — you could win a bound copy of IWC’s catalogue signed by legendary IWC designer Kurt Klaus! This giveaway is courtesy of the Dutch watch aficionados at Ace Jewelers and DeZinVanLuxe.  The giveaway is open to anyone in the world.  How to enter?  It’s easy and I’ll tell you below.  First, a look at the Master in action

Kurt Klaus holds a place of true distinction in modern watchmaking history.  A horologist, designer and inventor, Mr. Klaus has dedicated more than 50 years of his life to designing ingenious horological solutions that bear the famous IWC mark.  It was in April 1985 that Kurt Klaus completed the first three IWC Da Vinci chronograph perpetual calendars.  This was the first chronograph perpetual calendar movement on the market, a spectacular achievement by Klaus.  The Da Vinci was a sensation at the 1985 Baselworld fair, and of course it has gone on to be IWC’s most famous models today!  There is even the special Da Vinci “Kurt Klaus” edition which pays tribute to the man.  Klaus also headed the design team for IWC’s in-house automatic movement, the Calibre 5000, that was introduced in 2000….and the list goes on.  So you see how special Kurt Klaus is to IWC!

So here’s how to try and win your very own Kurt Klaus-signed IWC catalogue — it’s fast and easy!

1) Click over to this page on DeZinVanLuxe (scroll down for the English translation). You will see 3 YouTube movies that Team Ace Jewelers filmed when Klaus came to visit their boutique.  They are actually very interesting if you have 20 minutes and 57 seconds to watch all 3!!

2) You can ignore the instructions at the bottom of DZVL’s post.  Instead, send an email to the two addresses noted.  In your subject line state “IWC Contest” and in the body state the answer to the question:  What total length of the 3 YouTube movies ? (hint, hint above!)

Shipping now…

Did you know that watch brand IWC hosts  its own discussion forum?  The “IWC  Collectors Forum” was actually founded in 2001 and has since provided IWC devotees with their own “special” place to discuss and share anything and everything IWC.  IWC even hired a moderator — Mr. Michael Friedberg — to oversee discussion on the dedicated forum.  Technically it is “Members Only” — but registration is free and open to anyone. The great thing is that what started out as a small, single-brand forum almost a decade ago has actually turned into a fairly active forum for IWC enthusiasts!   It has attracted such a loyal following that in 2010 IWC decided to develop a special “Collectors Forum Watch”.  Yes, that’s right — a limited edition, specially marked watch just to celebrate its loyal forum patrons.   Editor: An astute IWC fan (thanks!) pointed that this year’s watch is not the first Collector’s Forum that IWC has created.    This year mark’s the second edition of the Collector’s Forum Watch.  The first?  An IWC Collectors Forum Ingeniuer, circa 2005.

The IWC Da Vinci Chronograph Special Edition Collectors’ Forum, aka Ref. 3764

The stainless steel watch features certain details that make it unique and mark its dedication to the IWC forum — most notably that there is a visible engraving on the rotor reading “Collectors’ Forum 2010, One out of 100″ (but not individually numbered).  The movement is the IWC caliber 89360.

The watch also comes with a stainless steel bracelet (in addition to the original alligator leather strap in black):

IWC starting accepting orders for the watch in January.  I am not sure if all 100 have sold or not.  Price is 15,200 CHF (including 7.6% VAT).  Originally announced to be available starting in June 2010, some collectors have now received theirs.  Although I have read that some perceive this watch to be a bit silly or pointless, I would prefer we all give a big round of applause to IWC for paying special attention to its most loyal, most dedicated patrons.  That’s how you build brand loyalty!

Jacques Cousteau Limited Edition launch on the horizon…

June 12 Update:  Official pics are in!

Although I have seen no official information from IWC, word is that the brand IWC is releasing a special limited edition Aquatimer watch — a tribute to Jacques Cousteau, the famous ocean explorer.  I guess these pictures that came my way would make this more than just a rumor. Indications are that the new Aquatimer Cousteau Edition will be a “boutique only” launch, though I did confirm that pre-orders are now being taken from at least one dealer in Europe (let me know if you are interested), with expected delivery in the fourth quarter of 2010.  Price seems to be about $7,000 (5500 EUR).

IWC Aquatimer Chronograph Cousteau Edition 2010

44mm diameter case (15mm thick), water resistant to 120 meters, IWC Caliber 79320 automatic movement, day, date and chronograph functions

close-up of dial

Looking at the big picture, this all makes perfect sense — you see, June 11, 2010 will be the 100th anniversary of Jacques-Yves Cousteau’s birth (he actually passed away in 1997 at the age of 87).  This likely explains the “1910 – 2010″ engraving on the caseback (pictured below).

Specially engraved caseback – “A Tribute to J. Y. Cousteau 1910 – 2010″

More on the world’s most famous ocean explorer at http://www.cousteau.org/ or his Wikipedia page.

Three-time FIFA World Player of the Year Zinédine Zidane gets his second commemorative piece from IWC.  The first IWC Ingenieur for the now retired soccer superstar was issued in 2008 and limited to 1000 pieces.  This new 2010 IWC Zidane Big Ingenieur “refresh” is done with a dark brown dial / brown strap, and this time limited to 500 pieces.  According to IWC, Zidane was personally involved in the colour scheme and individualization of the Big Ingenieur dedicated to him.  Unfortunately it is difficult to fully perceive the brown hues of this watch from the media photos, but overall the IWC Ingenieur watch is a particular favorite watch of mine and it doesn’t look like you can go wrong with this one.

Big Ingenieur
Edition Zinédine Zidane
Ref. IW500508

Other design details of note on this watch are the red numerals “10″ (Zidane’s jersey number), “27″ and “45″.  27 and 45 stand for the minutes of play in which Zidane scored two of the more memorable goals of his career.  At the World Cup Final in 1998, which France won 3:0 against Brazil at the Stade de France in Paris, Zidane made sure of the half-time lead with two mighty headers in the 27th and 45th minutes and thus settled the final score:

World Cup Final 1998, France v. Brazil

Zidane’s 2 Headers

45.5mm case diameter (15mm thick), water resistance 120 meters, iwc caliber 51113

note “10″ medallion (Zidane’s jersey numer) engraved on the rotor

For me, the colors of this version are a bit more wearable than the the blue dial / blue strap combo used for the 2008 edition, but feel free to let me know what you think.  Also, for a closer look, a wrist shot of this watch, taken in Geneva at SIHH 2010 this past January, can be seen here (top right photo on page).   Price is approximately $15,000 US.

Well watch fans this is it!  Just a quick note to tell you that all the action for the next few days will be over on Pereptuelle.com’s Official SIHH 2010 Forum.  The best thing for you to do is check in and check back often because these pages are being updated CONSTANTLY over the next few days.

Quick tips:

1) in any given thread, the newest watches posted will always be at the top.

2) EVEN BETTER – If you sign up / register with Perpetuelle.com, the threads are actually marked so that you can see which brands have new watches since you last viewed/checked in.  Makes it much easier to browse the forum!

Quick word – Don’t be surprised if you see just an image or two – we have so many watches and specs to post but sometimes the image is worth a thousand words!!  But don’t worry for all you detail-oriented  guys – we’ll be back around to fill in the specs or other interesting details as soon as we can!

For now, here’s just a few that caught my eye:

IWC Da Vinci Ceramic

Jaeger-leCoultre Extreme Labs

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Grand Prix

Editor’s Note: The following is a guest post by watch enthusiast Eric James.  Eric is the IWC Moderator for Perpetuelle.com’s World Watch Forum.

I purchased this watch from an authorized dealer (AD) on 21 December 2009 while visiting my Uncle Jim in a different state than in which I live.

What does one think when he purchases his “grail” watch which, at retail, costs as much or more than most mid-sized cars? I thought many things, such as, “Am I crazy?”; “How will I explain this to the wife?”; “Absolutely no watch purchases in 2010 and sell the others that I have.” It made me feel better to have my Uncle there to help me make my decision. He has a saying “The Quality Remains Long After the Price is Forgotten.” I didn’t feel any hesitation when considering if I would buy the watch when the AD made me an offer that was hard to refuse, so I went for it. With all of the indications on the watch, I don’t really need any other except maybe a work-out watch for the gym.

The IWC reference 5022.13 Portuguese Perpetual Calendar (PPC) is 18 carat rose gold with a brown alligator leather strap and a rose gold deployment clasp. It has indications for the time, day, date, month, power reserve, moon phase, small seconds and the 4-digit year. The watch is self-winding with a 7-day power reserve (168 hours). The front sapphire crystal has anti-reflective coating on both sides and the rotor can be seen through the sapphire crystal case back and is quite large. The watch is water resistant to 3 bar, which means according to IWC’s website, that I can be on the surface of a swimming pool wearing the watch (which I would never do).

The watch has a 42.3mm diameter and 15.6mm height. It is quite tall, similar to the Ingenieur, but not as heavy. It weighs in at 145 grams. Inside is the IWC calibre 51613 with Pellaton automatic winding system, 62 jewels and the movement beats at 21,600 beats per hour.

Seeing the movement through the caseback is quite interesting. With the rotor in a certain position, one can see, among other things, the balance wheel rotating, the balance spring, the bi-directional winding “hooks” and the escape wheel in its perpetual motion.

The dial is well organized. The sub-dial at the 3 contains the date on the outer ring. Only the odd day numbers are printed whereas the even day numbers are dots. The inner dial contains the 7-day power reserve reading on a double track similar to a railroad. There is a small red warning indicator should the owner allow the power reserve to fall to 1 day or less. Since the small hands for these two indications are the same rose gold, although different lengths, the wearer could mistake the date indicator for the power reserve. A nice, lengthy look at the face will tell the correct date (and it is well worth the extra time).

The sub-dial at 9 contains the day indicator on the outer ring. Each day is indicated by its three letter abbreviation and each is separated by a dot, so there is no mistake when determining the day. The inner ring contains the small seconds function. The seconds hand rotates around a ring with a marker at each second with Arabic numerals at the tens and larger ticks at the fives. I am glad IWC included a seconds hand as I cannot see myself wearing a watch without some type of indicator showing that it is working. Furthermore, I think the small seconds is traditional and a perfect fit for this timepiece.

The sub-dial at the 6 shows the month. Each month is denoted by its 3-letter abbreviation. December is at the top and I am looking forward to seeing this indication change over the course of 2010.

The sub-dial at the 12 shows the moonphase, which according to IWC, will be accurate for 577 years. Outstanding! And, since I started wearing this watch 8 days prior to the start of 2010, I know there will be a rare full moon when 31 Dec 2009 rolls into 1 Jan 2010.

One last indication is the 4-digit year between the 7 and the 8. What is spectacular about this is that it won’t have to be changed until the year 2100. I suppose that some time after the beginning of 2100, the owner of this watch will send it back to IWC to have the 20 in changed to 21. More mysteriously, the box includes the replacement year indicators for the years 2200 through 2400 (a dial containing the numbers 22, 23 and 24). The proud owner will have to send the watch back to IWC to have the dial updated around the year 2200. This portends that the watch will have to go back IWC twice in a 100 year period, approximately. I am amazed that IWC considers it will still exist as a company in the next 4 centuries, but it is a nice touch.

So, back to the watch, the information the wearer needs most often can be read left to right and the information changing less often is read top to bottom.

This is my first (and will probably be my only) perpetual calendar. I find this is the quintessential timepiece. Why? Well, one can only wind the watch in the forward direction to the next day – you can never go back! (winding it backward will damage the movement and necessitate sending it back to the factory.) There are no pushers on the case like other perpetuals to get the indications correct. To set the correct time and other indications, the owner must be careful not to move past the current date, or the watch must be hacked to allow present time to catch up to the watch’s indication.

What makes this watch special, in a way, is that it can only show the current date, day, month, moonphase and year at the current second – just like time itself. Traveling across time zones is a different challenge (something I have considered recently). I used to live in Japan and travelled between Japan on the U.S. often. Now, if flying to Japan (12 or 13 hours ahead of the U.S. east coast and 19 hours ahead of Hawaii), setting the time on this IWC is as easy as moving the hands forward. However, on the return trip, one must be careful not to move the hands back until they reach 2 p.m. or later of the same day. As you can see from the red warning instructions included in the box, one must not move the hands backward earlier than 2 a.m. when the calendar function is completing its cycle. If I experience this problem, I’m sure I will either stop the watch and wait for time to “catch-up” or wait until 3 or 4 p.m. of the current day before moving the hands back to the correct time.

SIHH 2010 IWC Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph and IWC Portuguese Tourbillon Mystere Retrograde

Thanks to some nicely timed leaks to select media (earliest appear on Dec 13, 2009), it is safe to say that the scoop is officially out on 2 new models that IWC will be releasing at the upcoming Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH).  While I am yet to get my hands on “official” IWC images, I figured I would go ahead and run with what is out there.  First, though, hat tip to Alon over at Watch Freaks for bringing the “print media” online! with his nice scan from the latest print copy of EuropaStar earlier today.

IWC Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph stainless stell case (left) and IWC Portuguese Tourbillon Mystere Retrograde (platinum case)

Photo:  Page scan from Europastar magazine via watchfreaks.

According to the Europastar magazine article, the Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph comes in three variants:  steel with silver dial (pictured below), steel with black dial (pictured above) and red gold with slate-colored, sun-pattern dial.  All three versions are 45.4mm case size and with a black rubber strap.

As for the IWC Portuguese Tourbillon Mystere Retrograde (pictured above-right), a watch that has been in the IWC collection for many years, the upgrade for 2010 is the retrograde date display and extended power reserve (7 days).  It will be limited to 500 pieces in 18k red gold and silver dial and 250 pieces in platinum with ruthenium black dial.

Here’s a look at a different variation of the new Yacht Club, from a Tokyo print magazine:

IWC Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph (stainless steel case/silver dial)

Source:  Page scan from Tokyo Begin magazine via TZ-UK on 12/13/09.  Later noted on James List 12/22/09.

If you are not familiar with the “original” IWC Yacht Club, learn more from my friends at Hodinkee who wrote about this watch back in June 2009 – and I’ve included a photo from the Hodinkee article below as well:

An early version of the IWC Yacht Club, circa 1970s

Quite a “renovation job” they’ve given the new version, eh?

Like last year’s substantial overhaul of the IWC Aquatimer collection, I must say that at first glance the IWC Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph does not “Wow” me.  The Portuguese Tourbillon Mystere Retrograde, however, does look appealing.

Can’t wait to see what else is in the bag!