IWC – PILOT’s Chronograph Edition "JU-Air" NEW
IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN AND JU-AIR: JOINTLY CONQUERING
THE SKIES FOR 20 YEARS
Schaffhausen, 1 July 2014 – For years now, IWC Schaffhausen and the Swiss airline JU-AIR have cultivated a partnership based on a mutual admiration of the Junkers JU-52 aircraft. Of just eight airworthy vintage JU-52s worldwide, one has carried the IWC logo for two decades and, in the year 2000, started out on a circumnavigation of the globe to publicize a new IWC Pilot’s Watch. Time, then, to acknowledge JU-AIR’s outstanding work. In honour of the airline established to keep the vintage aircraft aloft, the IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “JU-Air”, strictly limited to 500 watches, is ready to take off.
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“In 1994, three of JU-AIR’s JU-52 aircraft flew to Venegono in Italy for the presentation of the latest watch collection from IWC Schaffhausen,” says IWC CEO Georges Kern, recalling the start of the company’s long-standing partnership with the Swiss airline. “We’ve helped subsidize JU-AIR ever since and are proud of the fact that the IWC logo has been so prominent on one of the JU-52 planes for the past 20 years.” An infectious passion for flying, IWC’s Pilot’s Watch tradition – which is almost as old as the historic corrugated sheet metal aircraft itself – together with a flair for classic design and mechanical engineering: these are the ties that bind JU-AIR and IWC Schaffhausen. The Swiss watch manufacturer, which established a tradition for designing and producing Pilot’s Watches in 1936, has now sponsored JU-AIR for exactly 20 years, making this the ideal time to give permission for take-off to the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “JU-Air” (Ref. IW387809) in stainless steel, which is limited to 500 watches.
IN THE COLOURS OF THE SILVER BIRD
The stainless-steel tribute to the JU-AIR has the cockpit instrument look of a classic Pilot’s Watch. The dial of the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “JU-Air” is rhodiumplated, with appliqués and both hands picked out in white luminescent material. The result is excellent legibility even under the most demanding conditions. The central chronograph hand shows recorded times in seconds, while the hand on the subdial at “12 o’clock” shows the number of elapsed minutes. The watch has a flyback function, so whenever the reset push-button is pushed, the stopwatch hand returns to zero and immediately starts another timing sequence. The small red seconds hand at “6 o’clock” indicates that the watch is running normally. It can be stopped as needed to synchronize the watch.
Click on the mouse wheel to see the large size .. BIG FOTO
Click on the mouse wheel to see the large size .. BIG FOTO
THE IWC-JU ON ITS JOURNEY ROUND THE WORLD
In the year 2000, a JU-AIR JU-52 took off in the name of IWC Schaffhausen to circle the globe and created a sensation. HB-HOS set out on its ambitious mission with an image of an oversized Pilot’s Watch decorating its wings. For IWC, it was a spectacular way of launching the new Pilot’s Watch Mark XV in Asian markets. Flying at 180 kilometres per hour, the JU-52 put in stopovers in Athens, Alexandria and Muscat on the way to Pakistan, and landed in Mumbai, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. After promotional events in Manila, Hong Kong and Taipei, it reached Sendai airport in Japan. The venture drew the attention of journalists, film crews, watch lovers and aircraft enthusiasts worldwide, and was a major TV event in Asia. It suffered a terminal setback, however, when the Russian authorities refused the aircraft permission to fly in the country’s airspace and forced it to turn round. Despite this, the sensation created in the East exceeded even the most optimistic predictions and turned the IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XV into status symbol.
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JU-AIR SECURES THE CONTINUED EXISTENCE OF THE JU-52
Wherever the sonorous drone of the three large nine-cylinderradial engines announces the presence of a JU-52, people simply stand and stare. Unveiled in 1939 and now very rare, the silver-coloured aircraft had an enormous following by the time the Swiss Air Force purchased them for pilot training and for transporting passengers and relief supplies.When the veteran aircraft were retired in 1981, Swiss airline JU-AIR, which had been founded specifically for the purpose of saving the JU-52 with its characteristic corrugated steel fuselage, launched a nationwide fund-raising campaign. It generated an unbelievable wave of goodwill and, on a single day alone, raised over 600,000 Swiss francs. Today, just eight airworthy JU-52s remain. The largest fleet, comprising four machines, is maintained and flown by JU-AIR,based in Dübendorf near Zurich, Switzerland. To this day, the JU-52 has remained synonymous with reliability, safety and quality workmanship, leaving its mark on civil aviation like few other aircraft. Privately owned and assisted by a team of enthusiastic volunteers, the company ensures that the legendary aircraft remain in service, and offers sightseeing flights that help to keep the legend up in the skies.
IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN
With a clear focus on technology and development, the Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen has been producing timepieces of lasting value since 1868. The company has gained an international reputation based on a passion for innovative solutions and technical ingenuity. One of the world’s leading brands in the luxury watch segment, IWC crafts masterpieces of haute horlogerie at their finest, combining supreme precision with exclusive design. As an ecologically and socially responsible company, IWC is committed to sustainable production, supports institutions around the globe in their work with children and young people, and maintains partnerships with organizations dedicated to climate and environmental protection.
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Technical Specifications
Model: PILOT’s Chronograph "JU-Air" Limited Edition
Reference: IW387809
FEATURES
Mechanical chronograph movement
Self-winding
Date display
Stopwatch function with minutes and seconds
Flyback function
Small hacking seconds
Screw-in crown
Secured against displacement
by drop in air pressure
Engraving of a JU-52 aircraft on the case back
Limited Edition to 500 watches
MOVEMENT
IWC-manufactured Calibre: 89365
Frequency: 28,800 A/h / 4 Hz
Jewels: 29
Power reserve: 44 h
Winding: automatic
WATCH
Materials: Stainless-steel case, rhodium-plated
Hands and appliqués coated with Super-LumiNova®*
Black alligator leather strap with folding clasp in stainless steel
Glass: sapphire, convex, antireflective coating on both sides
Water-resistant: 6 bar
Diameter: 43 mm
Case height: 15,5 mm
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IWC Schaffhausen
Uwe Liebminger
Department Manager Public Relations
Mobile +41 (0)79 957 72 52
E-mail uwe.liebminger@iwc.com
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