IWC INTRODUCES NEW PILOTS’ WATCH COLLECTION
Last October 8th, IWC Schaffhausen, in partnership with Lucerne, celebrated the arrival of its new Pilots’ Watches in the country with a very special and well-curated aviationthemed cocktail event. Some 60 VIP guests and members of the press attended the exclusive unveiling of the new IWC Pilots’ Watches collection at The Back Room, an award-winning speakeasy concealed on the ground floor of Shangri-la at the Fort in Manila. The Back Room relives the dapper-style gentlemen’s clubs back in the 1920’s, with its hardwood and marble interiors and art deco vibe made the event reminiscent of the golden age of single seat and single pilot fighter planes of a bygone era.
DJ sets were sounds played by Filipino multi-hyphenate Rei Ka, and the event had a line-up of four artisanal cocktails inspired by the past and present icons from the company’s story in aviation. Highlights on the menu include the “R.J. Mitchell,” a tribute to the late designer of the Supermarine Spitfire; and the “Spitfire MJ271,” which honors the original call sign of the plane which took off in August for the Longest Flight expedition.
First unveiled at the 2019 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in Geneva, the collection on display had two sub-lines : the Spitfire, which exemplifies the engineering expertise of IWC with 100% in-house manufacture movements; and the Top Gun line, with watches machined from innovative high-tech materials such as Ceratanium.
IWC’S story in aviation started in 1936 in Schaffhausen, with the “Special Watch for Pilots,” which was developed by two pilots who knew the exact requirements of a timepiece for the aircraft cockpit. Some 12 years later, IWC’S engineers unveiled the Mark 11, considered by watch historians and collectors as a purist, game-changing navigational timepiece that continues to inspire the instrument-look and functionality of the company’s Pilot’s Watches until today.
“For over 80 years, IWC has brought the dream of flying to life with its prestigious Pilot’s Watches, which are highly precise and robust time-keeping instruments engineered specially for the cockpit,” says Mr. Stanislas Rambaud, Managing Director for IWC South East Asia. “The landing of our new Pilot’s Watches in the Philippines continues that adventurous tradition and, at the same time, strengthens our longstanding partnership with Lucerne,” he adds.
In an intimate interview with Rambaud, he said that IWC has a number of new innovations that we can expect to be unveiled during the event. “Innovation has always been part of our DNA and we have opened a new manufacturing center recently, and it is really a state-ofthe-art facility which basically allows us to ramp up production of manufacturer movements. And, also to basically work on the future developments of movements for the brand for the next few decades. This year, basically, you will see a new range of Spitfire watches, which features 100% manufacturer movements. With a new design as well, inspired from the Mark 11, you will see also a new line of Top Gun watches. We're focusing on the innovative materials, so we are using our own patented material for one of the model which is made of Ceratanium alloy,” he added.