Grande Montre d’Aviateur Calendrier Perpétuel Tourbillon « Le Petit Prince »

Limited to 100 pieces, the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon Le Petit Prince is IWC’s first Le Petit Prince watch in ceramic. Reflecting the recurring blue colour element of these special editions in honour of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s novel, it features a 46.5-millimetre case crafted from blue ceramic, a blue dial and a blue textured rubber strap. These are combined with a case back ring and crown made of 18-carat 5N gold. The gold-plated appliques and hands are filled with Super-LumiNova^® to ensure perfect legibility. 

With a perpetual calendar and a flying minute tourbillon, this Big Pilot’s Watch combines two high complications. The flying minute tourbillon at 12 o’clock consists of 82 parts and weighs only 0.635 grams. Ranking among the most complex mechanisms in fine watchmaking, the tourbillon was initially conceived to counter the effects of gravity on the watch’s oscillating system, thereby increasing its accuracy. To achieve this, the pallet lever and the escape wheel are placed inside a small cage that rotates around its axis once every minute. Originally developed by legendary watchmaker Kurt Klaus during the 1980s, the perpetual calendar displays the calendar information on three subdials. The one at 3 o’clock combines the date with a power reserve indicator, while the one at the 6 o’clock position integrates both the month and the perpetual moon phase display. However, instead of showing the moon, the display depicts the Little Prince on his asteroid. Thanks to a reduction gear train with two intermediate wheels, it will only deviate by one day after 577.5 years. The subdial at 9 o’clock shows the day of the week. This version also features a four-digit year display. The calendar is mechanically programmed to recognise the different months’ lengths and automatically inserts a leap day every four years. As all its displays are synchronised, it can be advanced simply via the crown.

Both complications are powered by the IWC-manufactured 51950 calibre, a highly complex movement consisting of 447 parts. Crafted from solid gold and visible through the open case back, the rotor of the automatic winding system takes the shape of the Little Prince standing on his asteroid. Just like in Antoine de Saint Exupéry’s famous novel, asteroid B612 is covered with wild-growing baobab plants.