At the recent Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in Geneva, IWC Schaffhausen will be presenting a new Spitfire line in the Pilot’s Watches collection. To celebrate the unique engineering expertise of the designers of the legendary British Fighter aircraft, all Spitfire watches feature IWC-manufactured calibres. The design is inspired by the puristic instrument design of the Mark 11. The iconic navigation watch was produced in Schaffhausen for the Royal Air Force from 1948 and was worn by many of the pilots and navigators serving at that time.
The Spitfire, designed by Reginald J. Mitchell, is one of the watches for the first time. Both have been enhanced most sophisticated developments in the history of aviation. The iconic shape of the legendary British fighter aircraft is the result of a perfectly functional design; its elliptical wings not only make the Spitfire extraordinarily agile and easy to maneuver, they also give it its unique silhouette. The characteristic instrument design of IWC’s Pilot’s Watches was likewise the result of engineering to the specific requirements of military aviation “Just like the Spit re, our watch collection of the same name also perfectly combines form and function. The design is inspired by the puristic instrument design of the iconic Mark 11 navigation watch. This watch demonstrates our engineering expertise, as we have integrated high-quality IWC-manufactured calibres into all Spit re models,” explains Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen.
For the first time, IWC has integrated a chronograph movement from the 69000 calibre family into its pilot’s watches. The 69380 IWC-manufactured calibre powers two Spit re chronographs with a reduced case diameter of 41 millimetres. Two high-quality automatic movements from the 82000 calibre family are also used in the pilot’s with complications:
The new 82760 IWC-manufactured calibre with the patented Timezoner mechanism, the new 82710 IWC-manufactured calibre with a UTC function. The reference with a perpetual calendar is powered by an IWC-manufactured movement from the 52000 calibre family. The IWC 52615 manufacture calibre has a Pellaton winding with ceramic components and two barrels.
Finally, IWC has integrated an IWC-manufactured calibre from the 32000 calibre family for the first time: The 32110 IWC-manufactured calibre powers two Spit re automatic watches. With their robustness and reliability, all IWC-manufactured movements embody the high level of engineering expertise at IWC.
