IWC Celebrates 80th Anniversary of Saint Exupéry's Transatlantic Flight in New Watch

In addition to hosting an exhibition in New York, Swiss luxury watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen is celebrating the 80th anniversary of French writer, poet, and pioneering aviator Antoine de Saint Exupéry‘s transatlantic flight with a special edition Pilot’s Watch Timezoner Chronograph Edition “80 Years Flight to New York.”

Reimagined in a shade of sepia-brown resembling Saint Exupéry’s pilot suit, the ceramic bezel sits elegantly atop a 46mm stainless steel case, its Timezoner design allowing its wearer to simply push down on the ring and rotate it to adjust the watch’s time zone. As a tribute to the legendary journey, both “Paris” and “New York” on the bezel are painted in red, matching with one of the hands while providing a welcome contrast to the also sepia-brown dial. Two subdials grace the watch face at the 12 and six o’clock positions, whilst a date indicator can be found at 3 o’clock. On the caseback, you’ll find an engraving of the Latécoère 521 which Saint Exupéry piloted for that very flight 80 years ago.

Internally, the limited edition timepiece is powered by an IWC in-house automatic movement — the 89760 calibre — intricately composed of 323 components, capable of holding a power reserve of 68 hours. Protected by an antireflective-coated sapphire crystal, the timepiece is water resistant up to six bar, and is fully capable of withstanding a significant drop in air pressure.

As a limited edition model, only 80 units will be made in honor of the 80th anniversary, and the proceeds of the very first one sold will be fully donated to the Saint Exupéry Foundation, which supports various educational programs for youth all around the globe. For those interested, the IWC Schaffhausen Pilot’s Watch Timezoner Chronograph Edition “80 Years Flight to New York” is now available at the brand’s boutiques and select retailers for $13,100 USD. Head over to its site to learn more now.

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