IWC Big Pilot's Watch 46mm IW500901

The Big Pilot’s Watch from 1940 has significantly influenced the appearance of the current classic pilot’s watches. Even now, over 70 years on, the latest model adds another chapter to the success story of this extraordinary watch. Its IWC-manufactured 51111-calibre movement – the largest automatic movement ever made by IWC – unites some of watchmaking’s greatest achievements. Within no time at all, the spring-mounted rotor and Pellaton pawl-winding system build up a power reserve of over 7 days, before the movement is mechanically brought to a halt by a complex train in the power reserve after exactly 168 hours. Stopping the movement before the tension in the spring is exhausted eliminates the danger of diminishing torque in the mainspring, ensuring the same level of accuracy the whole time the watch is running. The power reserve display at “3 o’clock” provides a reliable indication of the time remaining until the movement comes to a stop. The Big Pilot’s Watch has a date display at “6 o’clock” and the central seconds essential in any watch used for flying. The 46-millimetre case encloses a soft-iron inner cage that protects the movement against magnetic fields. The current stainless-steel version is rounded off with an alligator leather strap. The design of the folding clasp, which was introduced in 2012, is more striking and commensurate with the massive diameter of the case.