IWC – PILOT’s Watch Chronograph Edition „The Last Flight“

IWC Schaffhausen – PILOT’s Chronograph Edition "The Last Flight" NEW

IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN PAYS
TRIBUTE TO SAINT-EXUPÉRY’S
LAST FLIGHT

Schaffhausen, 11 August 2014 – 70 years ago, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry took off on a reconnaissance flight over France and never returned. Now, IWC Schaffhausen commemorates the last flight of the celebrated pilot and author with three special limited editions, thereby strengthening its longstandingpartnership with Saint-Exupéry’s descendants. Moreover, all proceeds from the sale of the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “The Last Flight” in platinum at an auction later this year will benefit the charitable Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Youth Foundation.

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A reconnaissance flight over the South of France on 31 July 1944 brought an abrupt end to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s career and passion for flying. After taking off from a military base in Corsica, his Lockheed P-38 Lightning vanished without trace. Saint-Exupéry had already been discharged from the air force because of his age. He was also slightly overweight, and too big for the aircraft’s narrow cockpit. Despite all that, he was a patriot and an author constantly in search of adventure and decided to embark on the reconnaissance flight. Somewhere close to Toulon he was spotted by the German Luftwaffe. Speculation as to where he came down only ended in 1998, when a fisherman found a bracelet belonging to the French national hero in his net while fishing off the shore of Marseille. Pieces of wreckage were later recovered from the sea and identified as parts of Saint-Exupéry’s aircraft.

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The German pilot who all those years ago had unwittingly shot down one of his favourite authors recently met the French aviator’s family for the first time. “Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s passion for flying guided his life and work, and ultimately determined his fate. Since we began our cooperation with his descendants in 2006, IWC has unveiled a series of special limited editions of its Pilot’s Watch that have kept the memory of this extraordinarypilot and aviation pioneer alive to this day,” says IWC CEO Georges Kern. This year, the Schaffhausenbased watch manufacturer marks the 70th anniversary of Saint-Exupéry’s last flight with three special editions featuringsilicon nitride ceramic cases: the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “The Last Flight” is available with a crown and push-buttons in titanium, red gold or platinum,each in a limited series.

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A tradition of commitment
to social causes

In November, Sotheby’s Geneva will auction one of the platinum models. As on many occasions in the past, IWC will donate the entire proceeds to the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Youth Foundation, which champions the great Frenchman’s humanitarian philosophy and is involved in projects aimed at improving literacy among children and young people across the world. On this occasion, the money is destined for the Hospital Pequeno Príncipe in Curitiba. Brazil’s largest children’s hospital is a respected centre specializing in highly complex heart operations, organand bone transplants and cancer treatment, and is able to count on the help of over 500 volunteers. Thanks to IWC’s contribution, the hospital’s recreational area will soon have a library to offer its young patients. Access to good literature should encourage them to take pleasure in reading and culture, and to find a constructive way of spending their free time.

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Helping young people
to help themselves

“Our sense of social responsibility reflects what happens in our own company,” explains Georges Kern. “We want to feel sure that our commitment is conducive to progress and positive development. In the Saint-Exupéry Foundation, we support an organization that has a huge international network and does an incredible amount for disadvantaged children with its local projects. Together, we help them to carve out a future for themselves and to play an active role in society.” As recently as November 2013, a unique timepiece from the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer came under the hammer at Sotheby’s Geneva. The proceeds of CHF 173,000 were used to open two school buildings ncluding a library in Cambodia, which offer an education to 1,200 children. IWC Schaffhausen, well known for its almost 80 years’ experience in the manufacture of Pilot’s Watches, decided to pursue a partnership with Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s descendants due to their many shared values. They both share a passion for flying, technology and engineering, and have a pronounced sense of social responsibility.

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A wa tch to commemorate
the final flight

Since the very first one, all IWC special editions in honour of the legendary Antoine de Saint-Exupéry have featured the same tobacco colour as the flying suit he used to wear. While this elegant colour was restricted to the dial in earliermodels, the new Pilot’s Watches in “The Last Flight” Chronograph Edition are much more consistent, with a brown ceramic case made from silicon nitride, a brown dial and a calfskin strap in the same colour. The titanium pushbuttons, crown and case back provide a pleasing contrast on the 1,700 pieces in the limited edition (Ref. IW388004), a further 170 watches (Ref. IW388006) have eye-catching red gold highlights and 17 timepieces (Ref. IW388005) feature a crown, buttons and case back in platinum. The rugged case, made of high-performance ceramic silicon nitride, has several outstanding properties such as enormousheat resistance, unusual hardness, corrosion resistance and very low wear and tear.

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The sense of quality emanated by this model is underscored by the elaborate sun-pattern finish on the dial. The sapphire glass has an antireflective coating on both sides and is secured against drops in air pressure, while the case is water-resistant to 6 bar. Developed and manufactured by IWC entirely in Schaffhausen, the 89361 calibre is a technical masterpiece. Stop times up to 12 hours are clearly displayed on an analogue hour and minute counter on a subdial. The back of the watch is engraved with a special image which commemorates the 70th anniversary of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s last flight. The timepiece itself is packaged in a leather case embossed with the same motif as the exquisite engraving on the case back, and is accompanied by a r otor-shaped letteropener in stainless steel. The two models, with crown and push-buttons in precious metals, also come with a print by French artist Manolo Chrétien on duraluminium in a brown leather frame.

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Technical Specifications

 Model: PILOT’s  Chronograph "The Last Flight" Limited Edition

Features
* Mechanical chronograph movement
* Self-winding
* Date display
* Stopwatch function with hours, minutes and seconds
* Hour and minute counters, combined in a totalizer at 12 o’clock
* Flyback function
* Small hacking seconds 
* Screw-in crown
* Special engraving on case back in memory of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s last flight.
Movement
IWC-manufactured calibre 89361
Frequency 28,800 A/h / 4 Hz
Jewels 38
Power reserve 68 h
Winding automatic
Watch
Materials brown silicon nitride ceramic case, brown dial, brown calfskin strap with quilted stitching, pin buckle

• Ref. IW388004: black counters, push-buttons, crown and case back in

titanium, hands and appliqués rhodium-plated with Super-LumiNova®*
coating, limited to 1,700 watches

• Ref. IW388006: red-gold-plated counters, push-buttons, crown and

case back in 18-carat red gold, hands and appliqués gold-plated with
Super-LumiNova®* coating, limited to 170 watches

• Ref. IW388005: rhodium-plated counters, push-buttons, crown and

case back in platinum, hands and appliqués rhodium-plated with
Super-LumiNova®* coating, limited to 17 watches
Glass
Sapphire, convex, antireflective coating on both sides, withstands drops in air pressure
Water-resistant 6 bar
Diameter 46 mm
Case height 16.5 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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Audemars Piguet – Royal Oak Offshore Self-Winding Tourbillon Chronograph

AUDEMARS PIGUET – Royal Oak Offshore Self-Winding Tourbillon Chronograph NEW

It was in 1993 that Audemars Piguet established a whole new category of sports watch with the ground-breaking Royal Oak Offshore. A natural evolution of the original, octagonal Royal Oak which took the watch world by storm in 1972, the supersized 'Offshore' was large, bold, rugged and highly functional.

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The thinking behind the design of its 42mm diameter case was to create a luxury sports watch which was virtually indestructible. A soft iron inner cage made it ultra-resistant to magnetism; a rubber coated crown and pushpieces combined with a visible gasket beneath the screwed-down bezel made the watch exceptionally waterproof - and the sheer volume of metal in the case provided the selfwinding movement with an unparalleled degree of protection.
It was not long before the Royal Oak Offshore attracted a cult following among horological aficionados, leading to its current status as one of the all-time greats of modern watch making which has been interpreted in numerous different configurations yet which has always retained its essential, original character.
One of the most dramatic and unexpected of those interpretations appeared in 2010 in the form of the first Royal Oak Offshore Tourbillon Chronograph featuring a hand-wound movement and a case incorporating forged carbon and ceramic.

Now, four years later, Audemars Piguet is proud to present an entirely new Royal Oak Offshore
Tourbillon Chronograph driven by the very latest, selfwinding Calibre 2897 which has been
especially developed to power it.
As mighty as the watch itself, the Calibre 2897 mechanism comprises 335 parts and can be
seen in all its glory through a sapphire crystal caseback. A true, micro mechanical work of art,
the movement is rich in components which have been bevelled, polished, chamfered and
decorated entirely by hand to create a shimmering play of light and shade.

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From an engineering perspective, too, the Calibre 2897 stands out: the automatic winding
system is driven by a peripheral oscillating weight made from satin-brushed, 950 platinum. The
calibre can be seen through a special aperture at the one o’clock position as well as through
the oscillating weight visible from the dial side.
Exceptional accuracy is ensured, meanwhile, through both the tourbillon mechanism and the
use of the column wheel system, which is widely regarded as being the most reliable and
precise of all chronograph configurations.
To protect this sublimely beautiful powerhouse, Audemars Piguet's designers have created a
very special version of the Royal Oak Offshore case based on modern, black coloured
materials: forged carbon for the middle,ceramic for the bezel, titanium and ceramic for the push
pieces and rubber for the strap.
The Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Tourbillon Chronograph: an exceptional blend of traditional
watch making savoir faire and high tech thinking.

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A MOVEMENT DESIGNED, DEVELOPED AND CREATED ENTIRELY IN-HOUSE

The Calibre 2897 movement was created entirely in-house by Audemars Piguet using the very
latest in horological technology combined with the classic watch making skills for which the
company has been renowned since its founding almost 140 years ago.
Everything from the rounded cut of the bridges to the S-shaped coupling yoke (traditional to the
watch making of the Vallée de Joux), the curves of the minute-counter bridge and the
characteristic toothing of the column wheel display a mechanical artistry that almost belies the
fact that the finished article is a precision mechanism capable of slicing time in to fragments of a
second.

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Audemars Piguet is one of the few remaining high-end watch makers to still use such a high
level of decoration, which includes classic finishes such as mirror polishing, hand chamfering,
circular graining and hand-drawing.
All of these are executed manually in a series of meticulous operations that account for as much as 30 per cent of the value of the finished timepiece.
The process takes many hundreds of hours before the master watch maker can perform an initial trial assembly in order to give first life to the newly created Calibre 2897 movement - after which everything is dismantled, meticulously cleaned and made ready for final assembly before being mounted in the 44mm Royal Oak Offshore case.

THE PERIPHERAL OSCILLATING WEIGHT - AN ELEGANT SOLUTION

The automatic winding mechanism of the new Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Tourbillon Chronograph is driven by a peripheral oscillating weight made from 950 platinum and mounted on ball bearings, a design which shifts the mass of the rotor to the outer edge of the movement where it improves winding speed and, therefore, efficiency.
The size of the 180 degree oscillating weight has been specifically optimized, and the centre of the case recessed in order to allow the weight to rotate a full 360 degrees. Its position on the edge of the movement means the overall thickness of the watch is not increased, making for both a slimmer overall profile and allowing the exceptional chronograph mechanism to be clearly viewed through the sapphire crystal case back.

THE TOURBILLON - THE MOST ENTRANCING OF ALL HOROLOGICAL DEVICES

The tourbillon has long been considered the apotheosis of the watch maker's art and, although it was invented as long ago as the late 18th century, few makers today have the capability to create their own. One of the select few to have mastered the art is Audemars Piguet which has debuted more than 16 tourbillon-equipped movements and, in 1986, became the first maker to offer an ultra-thin, selfwinding tourbillon wrist watch.
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Designed to counter the effect of gravity on timekeeping, the tourbillon houses the escapement (the regulating organ of the watch) within a tiny, revolving carriage that spins on its axis once every minute, thus preventing the hairspring from remaining static and thus enhancing accuracy.
The tourbillon contained within the Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Tourbillon Chronograph brings this historic device right in to the 21st century by way of a blackened, titanium bridge. It takes a master watch maker almost three days to assemble the tourbillon carriage, which comprises 85 parts yet weighs a mere 0.45 grammes.


 THE CHRONOGRAPH - A CONSTANTLY PERFECTED MECHANISM

Audemars Piguet is therefore a master of the chronograph - as seen in the fact that the firm's oldest piece in its heritage collection is an 1881 'foudroyante' version.
Over the centuries, it has consistently introduced solutions to the problems of chronograph design, making one of the smallest chronograph calibre in the form of a 22.5 mm model from 1886 and producing its first chronograph wrist watch as early as the 1920’s.
This long experience manifests itself in the instantly visible column wheel of the Calibre 2897 movement, which marks it out as being one of the finest mechanisms of its type and serves to perfectly co-ordinate the start, stop and re-set phases.
Observers of the complication in action will notice the perfect smoothness with which the chronograph hand takes off when timing begins - a result of the specially-developed coupling yoke principle which has been designed to eliminate the characteristic jerkiness of less efficient mechanisms.
Audemars Piguet's engineers have further refined the system by adding a shock-resisting hook. Meticulous hand assembly and adjustment of the chronograph components further enhance its smooth functionality by providing the pushpieces with an exceptional degree of 'feel'.

THE INIMITABLE DESIGN OF THE ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE COLLECTION

Few watches are as instantly recognisable as the Royal Oak Offshore - or as synonymous with a sporting, rugged lifestyle. On this version, connoisseurs of the Royal Oak Offshore will find the model's eight, trademark polished steel hexagonal screws nestling within the recesses of a black ceramic bezel, which has contrasting satin brushed and polished surfaces to provide exceptional definition of its clean-cut angles.
The powerful case middle is constructed from forged carbon - a material that was first brought to watch making from the aerospace industry by Audemars Piguet in the original Royal Oak Offshore back in 2007.
The pushpieces, meanwhile, are made from ceramic and titanium and set within separate, titanium guards which are secured to the main body of the case by four visible screws.
The dial of the Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Tourbillon Chronograph will also be familiar to aficionados of the range, being decorated with the established 'Mega Tapisserie' motif - and left open at the six o'clock position to provide a clear view of the tourbillon.
The Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Tourbillon Chronograph to be launched at the Watches & Wonders fair in Hong Kong, will be produced in a numbered series of 50 pieces.

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Technical Specifications

Royal Oak Offshore Self-Winding Tourbillon Chronograph Limited Edition of 50

Réference: 26550AU.OO.A002CA.01

MOVEMENT
Selfwinding Calibre 2897
with tourbillon and column-wheel chronograph
Total diameter 35mm (15½ lignes)
Total thickness 8.32 mm
Number of jewels 34
Number of parts 335
Minimal guaranteed power reserve > 65 h
Frequency of balance wheel 3 Hz (21,600 vibrations / hour)
Variable-inertia balance with screws and balance-spring with Phillips terminal curve
Finishing: all parts finely hand decorated; bridges and mainplate rhodiumed, circular-grained, beadblasted and hand-drawn with file strokes; polished angles, bevelled screw rims and slots
Peripheral oscillating weight in circular satin-brushed 950 platinum
CASE
Forged carbon case, glareproofed sapphire crystal caseback with Royal Oak Offshore engraving, black ceramic bezel, crown and pushpieces, titanium pushpiece guards.
Diameter : 44 mm
Thickness : 14 mm
DIAL
Black dial with “Méga Tapisserie” pattern, black counters, gold applied hour-markers and gold Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating. Sapphire inner ring.
STRAP
Black rubber with titanium pin buckle
FUNCTIONS
Hours and minutes
Small seconds at 9 o’clock
Chronograph with central sweep-seconds hand, 30-minute counter (at 3 o’clock)
Limited Edition of 50

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