Back to the Forties: IWC Big Pilot’s Watch 43

IWC downsized the case of its Big Pilot’s Watch from 46 to 43 mm, thus making this watch more wearable. But the most important change took place on the dial, where the Schaffhausen-based manufacture omitted both the date display and the circular power-reserve indicator, making this watch more minimalist, more symmetrical and, above all, more similar to the original model from 1940. The changes also downsize the price from $12,900 to $8,400. These savings might well persuade potential buyers to accept the shorter power reserve, which has been reduced from the previous seven days to a still-above-average 60 hours. Manufacture Caliber 82100 with automatic winding provides the power and upholds IWC’s high standards. The movement can even be viewed through a sapphire crystal in the back of the case, while its big sister has a solid steel back. The new pilots’ watch is also available with a blue dial and with a stainless-steel bracelet or a rubber strap.

Power Gauge: Omega De Ville Trésor Power Reserve

Instead of eliminating an additional function in this watch, Omega simply omitted a window in its dial. A date window would have marred the perfect symmetry created by the vertical arrangement of the two subdials. The upper subdial displays the power reserve (with a maximum of 72 hours or more), while the lower subdial shows the passing seconds. These displays are powered by manufacture Caliber 8935, which also opts to make do without automatic winding. However, the essential characteristics of a Master Chronometer caliber remain. The movement keeps time with chronometer-worthy accuracy, and thanks to exclusively antimagnetic components in the movement such as a silicon hairspring, it can withstand magnetic fields of up to an intensity of at least 15,000 gauss. The 40-mm watch in yellow or Sedna gold costs $17,500; the stainless-steel version is priced at $7,600.

Mechanical Minimalist: Hamilton Intra-Matic Chronograph H

Hamilton dispenses with commonly seen additional features to create a coherent retro watch. This 40-mm steel model not only lacks a date display but also an automatic winding mechanism. ETA, which manufactures the movement, achieved this functional reduction by deriving hand-wound Caliber H-51 from automatic Valjoux Caliber 7753. In this way, Hamilton comes as close as possible to replicating its own Chronographs A and B from 1968. The “A” version had dark counters on a light background and the “B” variant used the opposite color scheme. The new Intra-Matic Chronograph H is available in both versions; the “H” means hand-wound. The wristbands also fit well with the overall concept. Buyers can chose between a model with a monochrome, subtly grained leather strap priced at $2,045 that has the sporty elegance of the late 1960s, or one with a steel-mesh Milanese bracelet at $2,095.

Material Miracle: Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic

In 2021, Rado not only spiced up its popular Captain Cook with a ceramic case, but also introduced a new caliber that follows the no-date trend, thus creating attractive symmetry. The R734 automatic caliber is a version of ETA’s Caliber C07 with skeletonized surfaces, decorative finishes, more elaborate adjustment and a new type of Nivachron hairspring made from a titanium alloy that resists magnetism. The movement is an essential part of the design because it is not only visible through the sapphire crystal in the caseback, but also through the tinted sapphire crystal dial. Here, the omission of a date display makes a positive contribution: a date window and a fully visible date ring would have obstructed the view of the partially skeletonized movement. Rado upholds tradition and puts a little anchor at the dial’s 12 o’clock position to show that an automatic movement powers this watch. The freely swinging balance, which is elegantly regulated by two weights, oscillates behind the anchor-shaped symbol. Rado’s 80-hour power reserve and water resistance to a depth of 300 meters add to the usefulness of this newcomer. The practicality is further enhanced by the use of scratch-resistant and hypoallergenic ceramic, a material that Rado pioneered when it first made ceramic usable for watchmaking in the 1980s. The bezel and crown are rose-gold PVD-coated stainless steel, which in combination with black ceramic creates a sporty and elegant two-tone look. This eye-catching version of the 43-mm retro divers’ watch costs $3,700.

The Elegance of the Thirties: Longines Heritage Classic

Longines is a pioneer of the retro trend in watches. As early as the 1980s, this Swiss brand brought back pilots’ watches from the 1920s and ’30s with great success. And today Longines continues to maintain its Heritage collection with tasteful expertise. But Longines’ designers didn’t always have the courage to eliminate a date display, which had long been regarded as a necessity for a watch to be saleable. But lately, Longines has been more consistent in its retro design, as shown by this newcomer and several other models inspired by Longines’ models from the 1930s, a decade when watches didn’t have date displays. And to be honest, a dial would never look as handsome as it does here if it had a window at 3 o’clock or in the subdial for the seconds at 6. The 38.5-mm steel case houses high-performance automatic Caliber A31.501 with silicon hairspring and three-day power reserve, which is supplied exclusively by Longines’ sister company ETA. In exchange for a purchase price of $2,150, the Heritage Classic stylishly carries its wearer back to the 1930s.

Expedition Participants: Rolex Explorer

The Explorer has always done without a date display and, therefore, also Rolex’s Cyclops magnifying lens. But the classic model looks different in 2021 because Rolex has downsized its case from 39 mm to 36 mm, which was common until a few years ago, and has equipped it with a latest-generation manufacture movement. Automatic Caliber 3230 delivers 70 hours of power instead of the previous 48. The Chronergy escapement teams up with an optimized blue Parachrom hairspring to provide increased protection against magnetic fields. The steel version of the new Explorer costs $6,450, while the two-tone version in stainless steel and yellow gold is available for $10,800. The Explorer lettering has been repositioned from the 6 to the 12 o’clock position on the black dial. The case size corresponds to the dimensions of the first Explorer from 1953, which was launched in the same year as the first successful ascent of Mount Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. Rolex supplied the watches worn by the climbers who participated in that historic expedition.

A version of this article appears in the WatchTime 2022 Special Design Issue, on sale now.

1. Rolex Oyster (1926)

Rolex Oyster, Ref. 679, (1926)

In 1926, watches constructed especially for use by divers appear. They have insulated crowns (the crown is the chief point of entry for water into a watch case). It was also the year that Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf introduces the Oyster case, which has a screwed crown, screwed caseback, and securely sealing crystal. It is the world’s first truly water-resistant case. One year later, Wilsdorf asks Mercedes Gleitze, a stenographer vying to become the first British woman to swim the English Channel, to wear an Oyster on one of her attempts. She doesn’t make it all the way, but the Rolex she wears around her neck keeps on ticking.

2. Panerai prototypes (1936)

Panerai watch, PAMPR004 (1936)°

The Italian Navy commissions Panerai to develop the first prototypes of a watch that will evolve into the model now known as the “Radiomir.” The watches, water resistant to 30 meters, go into production two years later. The early Radiomir watches have movements and proprietary cases – cushion shaped and 47 mm in diameter − made by Rolex. They are named for the radium that makes their dials legible even in murky water.

3. Blancpain Fifty Fathoms (1953)

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, initial model (1953)

Blancpain presents its first dive watch, the Fifty Fathoms. The watch is water resistant to 100 meters. (Fifty fathoms is equal to 300 feet, or about 91 meters. It is the maximum depth divers can go at the time with the equipment then available.) The watch is the result of a request by Captain Bob Maloubier, who was a secret agent for the British during WWII and then became leader of the French military’s combat diving corps. He asked Blancpain to make a watch with a black dial, large Arabic numerals, clear indications and a rotating bezel. “We wanted in effect that each of the markers be as clear as a guiding star for a shepherd,” Maloubier later recalled.

4. Panerai crown protection (1956)

Panerai crown protection (1956)

Panerai receives a patent for a curved, crown-protecting bridge. Now a hallmark of the company’s Luminor collection, the bridge contains a locking cam lever that pushes the crown against the case so that it fits tightly against the crown’s seals.

5. Breitling’s first dive watch (1957)

Breitling Superocean (1957)

Breitling launches its first dive watch, the Superocean. The watch is water resistant to 200 meters, thanks in part to its monocoque (i.e., one-piece) case and its especially sturdy crystal. The watch’s bezel can be locked in place so that it won’t be knocked off position during a dive. A chronograph version of the watch comes out in 1959.

6. First Rolex Sea-Dweller (1967)

First Rolex Sea-Dweller (1967)

Rolex introduces the Sea-Dweller, a deeper-diving version of the Submariner. Its distinguishing feature is its helium valve, through which helium that has entered the watch case during time spent in a diving chamber can be released. The watch is produced at the request of the French company COMEX (Compagnie Maritime d’Expertise), which specializes in deep-diving equipment and services, chiefly for offshore oil and gas extraction. The watch is water-resistant to 610 meters.

7. First dive computer (1983)

The first dive computer is introduced. In the 1990s, the use of dive computers becomes widespread, and dive watches are relegated chiefly to the role of back-up equipment.

8. ISO invents dive watch standard (1996)

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) issues standard 6425, defining the features that a watch must have in order for it to be designated a “dive” watch. They include requirements for water resistance (the watch must be 25 percent more water-resistant than claimed on the dial), legibility under water, resistance to thermal shocks and ability to measure elapsed time. Standard 6425 supplants the standard issued in 1984 and is still in effect today.

9. CX Swiss Military 20,000 Feet (2009)

CX Swiss Military 20,000 Feet (2009)

CX Swiss Military unveils the 20,000 Feet, which breaks the Rolex Deepsea’s record for water resistance (20,000 feet is equal to about 6,100 meters) and enters the Guinness Book of Records. (CX Swiss Military had held the deepness record from 2005 until the Deepsea appeared in 2008.) The watch is a chronograph with a 28.5-mm-thick case and a domed back. According to CX Swiss Military, it is actually water-resistant to 7,500 meters, thus providing the 25-percent margin of safety required to meet ISO 6425.

10. IWC Aquatimer collection (2014)

IWC Aquatimer Deep Two (2014)

IWC updates its Aquatimer collection, fitting it with an outer, bidirectional bezel and an inner, unidirectional one. The most impermeable of the new Aquatimer models, the Aquatimer Automatic 2000, is water resistant to 2,000 meters.

Discover the complete history of the dive watch in our download — available in the WatchTime Shop — which includes even more highlights and firsts, like the Rolex Sea-Dweller 4000 and the first Omega Seamaster!

Merken

Merken

Merken

Released as a tribute to an almost twenty years long partnership with Mercedes-AMG, the special edition comes in two 46.5mm versions clad in unusual cases, one crafted from 18-carat Armor Gold, the other with a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) case that highlight the Swiss tradition manufacture’s prowess in engineering.

Both versions of the Big Pilot’s Watch AMG G 63 are powered by the IWC-manufactured 52010 caliber. Parts of the winding system that are subject to particularly high stress are manufactured from virtually wear-free zirconium oxide ceramic. Developed by IWC’s former Technical Director Albert Pellaton during the 1940s, the ingenious self-winding mechanism uses even the smallest movements of the rotor in both directions to build up a power reserve of seven days in two barrels. The movements are visible through tinted sapphire glass back, which feature a Mercedes-Benz star and are reminiscent of the spare wheel cover on the backside of the G-Class. 

In addition to the Big Pilot’s characteristic power reserve display at 3 o’clock, both new editions feature a small second counter at 9 o’clock. The opposing subdials with external white rings imitate the typical headlights on the front side of the G-Class. The black dials are embossed with a relief-like technical structure inspired by the air intakes of Mercedes-AMG performance cars. Unlike the classic Big Pilot’s Watch, which has printed numerals and indices, these special editions feature appliques that have been PVD-coated in black and filled with luminous material.

Big Pilot’s Watch AMG G 63 in Armor Gold: gold with increased resilience

The Big Pilot’s Watch AMG G 63 (Ref. IW501201) boasts a case and crown made of 18-carat Armor Gold, a black dial and a black rubber strap with microfiber inlay. The black and gold color code is inspired by the exterior paintwork and interior finishing of the recently launched Mercedes-AMG G 63 “Grand Edition”. Armor Gold is an innovative alloy that elevates the hardness values of gold to a whole new level and makes this comparatively soft, precious metal much more resistant to external influences. Thanks to an improved microstructure, this special alloy is significantly harder and more wear-resistant than conventional 5N gold. The combination of sand-blasted surfaces and polished edges lends this Big Pilot’s Watch a classy, contemporary character.

Pricing for the Ref. IW501201 is marked at $33,400.

Big Pilot’s Watch AMG G 63 in a CMC case: lightweight yet strong

The Big Pilot’s Watch AMG G 63 (Ref. IW506201) is the first IWC timepiece to feature a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) case, engineered in close collaboration with the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Unlike conventional carbon fiber-reinforced polymers, the fibers of this composite material are embedded in a matrix of ceramic rather than polymer. Therefore, CMC components are extremely damage-tolerant. Because they are also insensitive to thermal shocks, they are the material of choice for applications with extremely high requirements in terms of lightness, strength, and temperature resistance – from aerospace to the manufacturing of brake discs for sports and luxury cars.

The starting point for manufacturing a CMC watch case is a conventional carbon-fiber reinforced polymer. In a heat treatment called pyrolysis, lasting several days, the polymer matrix is converted to carbon, leaving behind a dense weave of fibers embedded in a porous carbon matrix. Subsequently, silicon crystals are placed on top of the component, and everything is heated in an oven. During this so-called siliconization, silicon is pulled into the cavities and chemically reacts with the carbon, forming a new matrix made of silicon carbide ceramic. After finishing with diamond tools, the CMC cases exhibit a matte black color and a unique structure determined by the fibers, making each piece truly unique.

Pricing for the Ref. IW506201 is marked at $42,400.

To learn more, visit IWC Schaffhausen, here.

Magnetism has been the mechanical timekeeping’s nemesis through the years. It is to the mechanical watch what Prof. Moriarty is to Sherlock Holmes.  Though the watch industry has responded to this threat with many innovations through the years, we’ve always been asked this question by readers and budding watch enthusiasts: just how real is the threat of magnetic fields in our daily lives?

The industry has used everything from soft-iron shields to silicon escapements in their fight.

Before we set out to answer that questions, let’s examine what happens to a mechanical watch when it is exposed to a magnetic field. The simple truth is that certain parts of the escapement like the balance wheel and hairspring, become magnetized upon such exposure. For example, the concentric circles of the hairspring may bunch together, thus leading to friction. This could ultimately affect the escapement’s amplitude and accuracy. In most cases, once the magnetic field is removed, the watch might start running as normal again but in the case of a particularly strong magnetic field, it may stop working altogether.

In 1915, Vacheron Constantin created an anti-magnetic pocketwatch and in 1930, Tissot produced its first amagnetic watches. In both cases, palladium was used in the construction of the escapement.

Pilots’ Watches like the IWC Mark XI used an anti-magnetic soft-iron cage.

During World II, the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) was supplied with Pilots’ watches that had movements encased in a soft iron case, known as a Faraday cage, to withstand the effects of magnetism at high altitudes. Longines supplied the Czech Air Force in the Thirties with watches that had ‘antimagnetique’ markings on the dial.

In 1949, Jaeger-LeCoultre and IWC produced the Mk11 pilots watch for Britain’s RAF pilots. These watches were made to the strictest conditions set by the Ministry of Defence and required that the movement be enclosed in a soft iron case. IWC famously produced the Mk11 from 1949 to the early Eighties.  

The Fifties was the “tool watch era,” in which a clutch of watches celebrated man’s spirit of adventure and exploration. These included Universal Genève’s Polerouter (initially called the Polarouter) made for the pilots and crew of SAS (Scandinavian Air Services) Airlines flights, who flew over the North Pole in an attempt to reduce flying times between Europe and New America.

These watches, which had to withstand the strong magnetic fields present around the North pole, were initially issued only to SAS crew and were designed by a young Gérald Genta, who would go on to design classics like the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus.

Universal Genève Polerouter

In 1955, IWC launched the Ingenieur (Ref: 666A), the brand’s first automatic, anti-magnetic watch. The handiwork of IWC’s technical director Albert Pellaton, the watch was supposed to be the civilian, automatic version of the famous Mk11.

It was also famous for featuring the first bidirectional rotor in an automatic movement. Early advertisements of the Ingenier (“Engineer” in French) claimed that the watch could withstand a magnetism up to 1,000 Oersted (1,000 Gauss). This was at a time when most mechanical watches could withstand magnetic fields up to 100 Gauss only.

ISO 764 standard states that, to be considered antimagnetic, a watch must resist a magnetic field of 4,800 A/m (60 Gauss) and its accuracy must stay within +/- 30 seconds per day.

In 1956 Rolex introduced the Milgauss (Ref: 6541), a watch capable of withstanding a magnetix flux density of 1,000 Gauss and was supplied to scientists at CERN and technicians at power plants. The Milgauss would go on to become the most famous anti-magnetic watch of our times.

Omega launched the Railmaster (ref CK2914), capable of withstanding magnetic fields, and produced these watches until 1963 before they were discontinued. Omega did revive the Railmaster a few years ago, but it’s the early models that are collectible now.

In 1958, Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced the Geophysic chronometer to commemorate the International Geophysical Year. The Geophysic was created for engineers and scientists and was capable of withstanding the magnetic fields of the North Pole. (More details here.)

The legendary Rolex Milgauss

Patek Philippe came to the tool watch party in 1958 as well, with its first anti-magnetic wristwatch, the Amagnetic (Ref. 3417 in stainless steel). It was produced for two years and featured a soft-iron cage and, in some cases, beryllium components to additionally thwart magnetics.

Most modern watches use non-ferrous metals in the escapement, so unless they are subject to very high magnetic fields, they should be able to withstand with any magnetic fields they encounter on a regular day. 

In 1989, IWC introduced a rare iteration (Ref. 3508) which was tested to withstand magnetic fields up to a strength of 500,000 A/m (6,250 Gauss), the most anti-magnetic watch of its time.

Ulysee Nardin made a significant leap in 2001 when it launched the Freak, the first production wristwatch to use a silicon escape wheel, it was the first time silicon parts were used in a wristwatch. Designed by Ludwig Oechslin, the Freak heralded the use of silicon in watch movements.

The Ulysse Nardin Freak was the first watch to use silicon parts.

Boutique watchmaker Christophe Claret created a stir in the horological world with the introduction of the X-TREM-1, a timepiece that used magnetic fields to display time, in 2012. The watch featured two spherical balls enclosed in clear sapphire tubes attached to the caseband of the watch to display the time. The bi-retrograde display of the watch was unique and revolutionary. You can read about the new Christophe Claret X-Trem-1 – Sting HD here. 

In 2013, Breguet delivered the first Classique Chronométrie 7727, a high-beat wristwatch with magnets (yes, magnets) holding the balance. These magnets do no harm to the movement because its in-line Swiss lever escapement and double balance springs are made of silicon.

This Breguet watch uses magnetic pivots in its movement. With the introduction of silicon in the moving parts of a watch’s movement, the battle against magnetism received a big boost, and in 2013, Omega took the next step, introducing the Master Co-Axial movement (Calibre 8508) that was capable of withstanding up to 15,000 Gauss. That’s a long way from when watches withstood a 1,000 Gauss in the late Fifties.

The use of silicon and anti-magnetic materials in the movement ensured that the movement did not need a soft-iron cage, so the watches could benefit from having see-through sapphire crystal casebacks. Omega hopes to roll out this technology across all its movements by 2020.

In 2017, Zenith unveiled the Defy Lab, which used a new oscillator to replace the traditional sprung balance first used in 1657 by Christiaan Huygens. The result is an incredibly precise (to within 0.3 seconds) mechanical timepiece. The movement is impervious to temperature gradients, gravity and magnetic fields — all bugbears in the current balance-and-spring assemblies that are subject to deformation and/or dilatation, thereby leading to diminished precision.

The new oscillator used on the Zenith Defy Lab

A version of this article first appeared on WatchTime Middle East.

ZENITH EL PRIMERO CHRONOMASTER TOUR AUTO EDITION

As the official timekeeper for the Tour Auto Optic 2000, one of France’s most important car rallies for old timers and young timers alike, Zenith released a special model in a limited edition of 500 pieces that will delight aficionados of historical cars. (Steel, 42 mm, manufacture Caliber El Primero 4061, automatic, $9,600; for more on the watch, click here.)

Zenith: El Primero ChronoMaster Tour Auto Edition

ERWIN SATTLER CHRONOGRAPH II CLASSICA SECUNDA

This Munich-based manufacture is mainly a clockmaker. Like those larger timekeepers, each Sattler watch has an elegant, tidy face with a classical subdial arrangement and a railway minutes circle. Blued poire hands and a serially numbered silver dial fastened with four screws also recall this maker’s domestic clocks. (Steel, 44 mm, ETA 7750, automatic, 6,900 €)

TUTIMA SAXON ONE CHRONOGRAPH

Tutima, based in Glashütte, Germany, has modified the automatic movement that powers its chronograph, which boasts the brand’s characteristic cushion-shaped case. Now this caliber animates the elapsed-minutes counter from the dial’s center and also supports a 24-hour display. The dial follows the arrangement dictated by Lemania Caliber 5001, whose production was discontinued in the 1990s. (Steel, 43 mm, modified ETA 7750, automatic, $6,500; for a review of this watch, click here.)

l-r: Erwin Sattler Chronograph II Classica Secunda, Tutima Saxon One Chronograph

ROLEX EXPLORER II

Rolex launched the Explorer II in 1971 as a watch for adventurers and mountain climbers. Since then, this model has remained nearly unchanged and has become a design icon. Rolex’s own automatic movement is regarded as one of the most robust and precise calibers. When its wearer flies to a vacation destination, he can adjust the hour hand in hourly increments to show the time in the new zone. (Steel, 42 mm, manufacture Caliber 3187, automatic, $8,100)

IWC INGENIEUR CHRONOGRAPH EDITION “RUDOLF CARACCIOLA”

IWC dedicated this chronograph to the legendary race car driver Rudolf Caracciola, who first piloted a Mercedes to victory in 1926 and went on to win many other races. Released in a limited edition of 750 timepieces, this watch references automotive history with its dashboard-inspired look and saddle-stitched leather strap. IWC’s new automatic caliber is its high performance engine. (Steel, 42 mm, manufacture Caliber 69370, automatic, $7,150)

l-r: Rolex Explorer II, IWC Ingenieur Chronograph Edition “Rudolf Caracciola”

UNION GLASHÜTTE BELISAR CHRONOGRAPH

With an ivory-colored dial and counters hosting radially arranged numerals and needle-like hands, this watch recalls the instruments on the dashboards of vintage cars. The tachymeter scale is an automotive reference, too. The mushroom-shaped push-pieces, the conical crown and the shrunken leather strap similarly allude to classic watches. (Steel, 44 mm, ETA 7750, automatic, 2,350 €)

GLASHÜTTE ORIGINAL SEVENTIES PANORAMA DATE

The Seventies Panorama Date is patterned after a model from the 1970s. Its forebear was manufactured in East Germany by VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe, which evolved into the Glashütte Original brand. The square case with rounded corners and the blue dial with sunburst pattern give this watch its distinctive character. (Steel, 40 mm by 40 mm, manufacture Caliber 39-47, automatic, $10,100)

l-r: Union Glashütte Belisar Chronograph, Glashütte Original Seventies Panorama Date

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