IWC Schaffhausen Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month

IWC Schaffhausen introduces the Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month at Watches and Wonders Geneva. This model features a Ceratanium® case and bracelet, a black ceramic tachymeter bezel, and a hammered-texture black dial. The perpetual calendar displays the date and month digitally with large gold-colored discs. Powered by the IWC-manufactured 89802 calibre, it offers a 68-hour power reserve and is visible through a tinted sapphire case back. This mechanical movement, comprising 474 individual parts, also powers the chronograph function.

In 2023, IWC launched the Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 with a ceramic bezel and tachymeter scale. This year, they expand the collection with their first Performance Chronograph featuring a perpetual calendar.

The Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month (Ref. IW388801) stands out with its all-black design in Ceratanium®. This IWC-developed material combines titanium’s lightness and strength with ceramic-like hardness and scratch resistance. The case, pushers, crown, and bracelet are crafted from this special titanium alloy, with a polished black ceramic bezel. The tachymeter scale on the bezel allows the wearer to calculate average speed over one kilometer, alongside the chronograph.

The dial, with its hammered effect, is a masterful example of IWC’s craftsmanship. Subdials at 3 and 9 o’clock house the date and month discs, with a circular technical structure. Black indices and hands filled with Super-LumiNova® ensure excellent readability.

The perpetual calendar uses golden discs at 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock to display the date and month, inspired by IWC’s Pallweber pocket watches from the 1880s. A complex mechanism drives the display discs, storing energy every night and releasing it at the end of each month or year. The calendar recognizes varying month lengths and adds a leap day every four years.

Powered by the IWC-manufactured 89802 calibre, this mechanical movement drives the chronograph function, with the totalized hours and minutes displayed at 12 o’clock. The watch features a highly efficient double-pawl winding system, providing a 68-hour power reserve. The movement can be admired through the tinted sapphire case back, with blackened bridges and a skeletonized rotor.