Westime : Limited Timepieces : HD3

A COCKPIT ON THE WRIST
WATCHES FROM THE NEW PILOT'S WATCH CLASSIC COLLECTION

In the early years of aviation and up until the middle of the twentieth century, the watch was simply an aid to navigation for the pilot – nothing more than an instrument on his wrist. On-board instruments are characterized by their simplicity and excellent legibility. Perfect examples of this are the cockpit of the legendary Ju 52 and the Classic collection of pilot’s watches from IWC Schaffhausen.

It is a legend of civil aviation. The Junkers Ju 52 is regarded today as the aircraft that smoothed the way for safe air travel. The Ju 52 came to the attention of the public for the first time in July 1932, about one year after its introduction, through its success in the face of the competition on circular flights over the Alps. The aircraft again caused a sensation five years later, when Lufthansa Director Carl August Freiherr von Gablenz landed in Peking in a Ju 52 on 24 August 1937 and in so doing opened up the air route to Asia. Word got around about the quality, safety and reliability of this aircraft, so that aviation companies all over the world soon put the three-engined machine into service as a passenger and cargo plane. The high level of demand made the Ju 52 the first aircraft in the world to be manufactured in large-scale production.

WATCHES WITH CULT STATUS
SOMETHING SPECIAL FROM THE PILOT'S WATCH CLASSIC COLLECTION

IWC Schaffhausen has been producing professional timepieces for pilots and passengers since the mid-1930s. This provides the foundation for the authentic, modern pilot’s watches, which serve as a reliable companion for the time-traveller wherever his journey takes him. The customer can choose between the Classic collection of five watches in the traditional instrument look or the more elegant models from the Spitfire collection.

IWC Schaffhausen introduced its first special watch for pilots in 1936. It was designed to survive in the cockpits of the aircraft of the time. The optimally legible, black dial with its highcontrast luminous hands, large luminous figures and rotating glass bezel with an inlaid arrow for short interval timing is regarded to this day as exemplary in terms of its functionality. This special watch for pilots was followed in 1940 by the Big Pilot’s Watch, built to military specifications with an original pocket watch movement and a large centre seconds – a certified observer’s and navigator’s watch for military pilots. The most famous IWC pilot’s watch, the Mark 11 with the hand-wound 89 calibre movement, was used by civilian and military pilots alike from 1948 onwards. Its advantage over other pilot’s watches: It had an additional inner case made of soft iron to screen the movement against magnetic fields.

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