Simply Abu Dhabi XXXVI

1 0 6 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I L aunched earlier this year and proving to be hugely popular for Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen, which has been producing exemplary timepieces since 1868, is the Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Chronograph ‘Le Petit Prince’ (Ref. IW392202). The perpetual calendar is an important complication for IWC because it was Kurt Klaus, the manufacturer’s legendary design engineer, who pioneered an inventive way to build this complicated mechanism around the base of a Valjoux 7750 calibre, making the perpetual calendar less expensive and open to a wider number of consumers and collectors. The perpetual calendar was developed by Kurt Klaus in the 1980s and it automatically detects the different number of days in the month as well as leap years. The mechanism, which only comprises around 80 parts, will work until 2100 without adjustment. The displays for date, day, month, moon phase and year are perfectly synchronised and can be easily adjusted via the crown if the watch is not worn for a prolonged period. The IWCmanufactured calibre 89630 (first used in the Da Vinci family) also features a chronograph function. The movement comprises an 18-carat gold oscillating weight, column- wheel, vertical clutch, flyback, automatic chronograph with 68 hours of power reserve and a modern 4Hz frequency. Klaus’ perpetual calendar module is located on top and all of this is visible through a sapphire caseback. The moon phase display for the calendar is integrated into the chronograph counter at 12 o'clock. The watch is a substantial size measuring in at 43mm in diameter and almost 16mm thick, but that is in-keeping with IWC’s flair for combining high watchmaking complications that may be more common in dress watches, with sports and tool watches. The watch, which is instantly impressive with its seductive combination of red gold and a rich midnight blue dial, is dedicated to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s “Le Petit Prince” – the most important literary work by the celebrated French writer and aviator. In the Pilot’sWatch Perpetual Calendar Chronograph, IWC has combined a perpetual calendar with a chronograph for the first time in a pilot’s watch. Only 250 of these Limited-Edition timepieces were created. IWC – PILOT’S WATCH PERPETUAL CALENDAR CHRONOGRAPH EDITION ‘LE PETIT PRINCE’