IWC Schaffhausen “The Little Prince” 70th Anniversary Editions – IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition “Le Petit Prince” (Ref. IW502802) & IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVII Edition “Le Petit Prince” (Ref. IW326506)

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“The Little Prince” by illustrious author and pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is a profound tale about the little boy with the wheaten hair is one of the bestselling books in world literature and has been translated into more than 270 languages. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was also a passionate designer and he obtained his first aeronautical patent in 1936, the very year IWC unveiled its first Special Pilot’s Watch.

IWC Schaffhausen celebrates the 70th birthday of “The Little Prince” with the launch of two limited special editions: the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition “Le Petit Prince” (Ref. IW502802) in red gold, limited to 270 watches, and the Pilot’s Watch Mark XVII Edition “Le Petit Prince” (Ref. IW326506) in stainless steel, limited to 1,000 watches.

With these, the Swiss watch manufacturer pays tribute to one of the best-selling books in literary history, written by legendary writer, pilot and adventurer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Since 2006, the Schaffhausen luxury watch manufacturer has maintained a cordial partnership with Saint-Exupéry’s heirs and their charitable organization, the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Youth Foundation.

IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition “Le Petit Prince” (Ref. IW502802)

The Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition “Le Petit Prince” fuses elegance and mechanical craftsmanship of the highest order. The new special edition is packed with technical highlights; including the impressive IWC manufactured 51613 calibres with Pellaton automatic winding, and 7-day power reserve.

IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition “Le Petit Prince” (Ref. IW502802)

The latter’s display in the counter at “3 o’clock” is a constant reminder of the movement’s high efficiency. It generates enough energy to fuel a wealth of watchmaking complications, such as the perpetual calendar with its four-digit year display as well as displays for the date, day and month.

All the displays are easily adjusted via the crown and advance automatically. The perpetual calendar will not require intervention by a watchmaker until 2100, a year that breaks with the conventional 4-year cycle and will not be a leap year. The midnight blue dial contrasts the characteristically bold cockpit design with the more understated displays of the perpetual calendar. The Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition “Le Petit Prince” is the first of IWC’s Big Pilot’s Watches to feature the classic moon phase display.

IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition “Le Petit Prince” (Ref. IW502802)

Here, the moon is further ornamented by the little prince, who gazes at the star-studded night sky from his own tiny planet. The figure is derived from the famous original drawing by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry that decorates the front cover of his best-known work.

IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition “Le Petit Prince” (Ref. IW502802)

The 18-carat gold medallion on the rotor also features the little prince and can be admired on the reverse side of the watch through the sapphire-glass back. The original title of the first edition, namely “LE PETIT PRINCE”, can be found engraved on the winding rotor. The special edition in red gold is limited to 270 watches.

IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition “Le Petit Prince” (Ref. IW502802)

Also included with the watch is a high-class edition featuring two rarities produced exclusively for IWC: first, a reproduction of the original first edition in English entitled “The Little Prince”; and, second, a reprint of the original handwritten manuscript in French, “Le Petit Prince”.

Technical details

Model: IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition “Le Petit Prince” (Ref. IW502802)

Features
Mechanical movement
Pellaton automatic winding system
7-day power reserve when fully wound
Power reserve display
Perpetual calendar with displays for the date, day, month, year in four digits  and perpetual moon phase
Single moon
Small hacking seconds
Glucydur ® beryllium alloy  balance
Breguet spring
Rotor with 18-carat gold medallion featuring an engraving of the little  prince
Screw-in crown
Limited to 270 watches

Movement
Calibre   51613
Frequency: 21,600 A/h / 3 Hz
Jewels: 62
Power reserve: 7 days (168 h)
Winding: automatic

Case, dial & strap
Case and folding clasp in 18-carat red gold, midnight blue dial, gold-plated hands and indices, coated with Super-LumiNova ®, brown calfskin strap with quilted stitching
Glass: sapphire, convex, antireflective coating on both sides
Water-resistant: 6 bar
Diameter: 46 mm
Case height: 16 mm

IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVII Edition “Le Petit Prince” (Ref. IW326506)

In both form and function, the Pilot’s Watch Mark XVII Edition “Le Petit Prince” closely follows the classic Pilot’s Watches from IWC Schaffhausen. In terms of precision, reliability and authentic cockpit-style design, it embodies their fundamental values. Like cockpit instrumentation, the midnight blue dial is reduced to essentials, and legibility is a top priority.

IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVII Edition “Le Petit Prince” (Ref. IW326506)

Additionally with this model, IWC’s designers have modified the date window to make it look more like a board instrument, with its vertically arranged numerals giving the impression of an altimeter. The current date is indicated by a triangle. Another elegant detail that subtly references the little prince is the counterpoise in the form of a small star at the rear end of the second’s hand.

IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVII Edition “Le Petit Prince” (Ref. IW326506)

It is a gentle reminder that the boy was the prince of a minuscule star before he started to explore the earth. The watch, which is water resistant to 6 bar, is powered by an automatic 30110-calibre movement and has a 42-hour power reserve. In terms of precision and robustness – like all its predecessors – the Mark XVII meets the full schedule of specifications for professional Pilot’s Watches from Schaffhausen.

With its soft iron inner case for protection against magnetic fields and a front glass secured against sudden drops in pressure, the Mark XVII takes up a tradition established by its historical forebear, the legendary Mark 11 of the 1940s.

IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVII Edition “Le Petit Prince” (Ref. IW326506)

The case back is decorated with an engraving that shows the little prince with his fluttering scarf standing on a tiny asteroid.  The Pilot’s Watch Mark XVII Edition “Le Petit Prince” in stainless steel is limited to 1,000 watches.

Technical details

Model: IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVII Edition “Le Petit Prince” (Ref. IW326506)

Features
Mechanical movement
Self-winding
Date display
Central hacking seconds
Soft-iron inner case for protection against magnetic fields
Screw-in crown
Glass secured against displacement by drop in air pressure
Engraving of the little prince on the case back
Limited to 1,000 watches

Movement
Calibre   30110
Frequency: 28,800 A/h / 4 Hz
Jewels: 21
Power reserve: 42 h
Winding: automatic

Case, dial & strap
Stainless-steel case, midnight blue dial, rhodium-plated hands and indices, coated with Super-LumiNova ®, brown calfskin strap with quilted stitching,  stainless-steel pin buckle
Glass: sapphire, convex, antireflective coating on both sides
Water-resistant: 6 bar
Diameter: 41 mm
Case height: 11 mm

Part of the proceeds from sales of the special editions Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition “Le Petit Prince” and the Pilot’s Watch Mark XVII Edition “Le Petit Prince” will go to the Antoine de SaintExupéry Foundation to support its worldwide commitment against illiteracy.

Since the start of its cooperation with Antoine de Saint Exupéry’s heirs, IWC has used its Pilot’s Watch special editions to commemorate the immortal French author and pilot. In the initial years of the partnership, limited-edition Pilot’s Watches with unusual engravings were dedicated to his literary works with strong ties to the pioneering age of aviation.

The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph launched in 2006, for example, was a tribute to the novel “Night Flight”. This was followed in 2007 by the Pilot’s Watch Automatic, which paid homage to his gripping work “Southern Mail”, and in 2008 by the Pilot’s Watch UTC, to mark his poetic novel “Wind, Sand and Stars”. In 2009 and 2010, IWC launched the Big Pilot’s Watch Edition Antoine de Saint Exupéry in honour of his outstanding life’s work.

The special edition selected for 2011 was the rarely manufactured Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar. In 2012, the year of IWC’s Pilot’s Watches, the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition Antoine de Saint Exupéry was a reminder of how the aviator, poet and humanist discovered his great passion.