CALLING IT: IWC Schaffhausen has delivered one of the best showings at this year’s Watches and Wonders. The breadth is what stands out. There are material-led experiments, incremental evolutions of core lines, and a few pieces that sit somewhere between engineering exercise and commercial product. Not everything demands attention in the same way, but taken together, it is a confident display of range.

Beyond the four watches here, there were updates to the Ingenieur in steel, new executions within the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph line, and further extensions of the Le Petit Prince series that continue to perform reliably for the brand. These are familiar territories for IWC, handled with small but delightful adjustments that, while some might argue as playing safe, we see as creating timepieces for more discerning eyes. Not everything has to stop time, so to speak.

This makes narrowing a shortlist difficult. Arguably, there was no single headline act; instead, there are several watches that stood out based through material innovation, construction, or a specific use case. Choosing four feels reductive, but it does clarify where IWC is placing its emphasis right now.

Venturer Vertical Drive

Recall how I said not everything has to stop time? That’s because how do you surpass a pilot’s watch designed for space travel – perfect timing given that everyone is still in the grips of Artemis II euphoria.

The Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive (Ref. IW328601) is, as mentioned, IWC’s first watch engineered specifically for human spaceflight. Developed with its partner Vast, it has been tested and certified for use on the Haven-1 commercial space station.

Its defining feature is a crownless architecture. All functions are controlled via a rotating bezel connected to the movement through a clutch system known as the “Vertical Drive”, while a rocker switch allows the wearer to select between winding and time-setting functions. The watch displays two time zones, including a 24-hour reference time suited to orbital conditions. The case is made from white zirconium oxide ceramic, with a Ceratanium bezel and case back, offering resistance to temperature fluctuations, corrosion and mechanical stress.

Running everything is the IWC-manufactured calibre 32722 with a 120-hour power reserve and integrated GMT module.

Portofino Automatic Day & Night 34 Le Petit Prince

While the Petit Prince line had no few new additions, all equally stunning, the arrival of a Portofino version was cause for some real excitement. The Portofino Automatic Day & Night 34 Le Petit Prince (Ref. IW459806) marks the first time the Portofino collection has been used to interpret the Le Petit Prince theme. The watch is housed in a 34 mm stainless steel case with a deep blue dial featuring a sunray finish and gold-plated hands and appliqués.

At six o’clock, a rotating day and night display completes one full rotation every 24 hours, indicating the transition between the two. The Little Prince is depicted standing on the moon within this display, with an additional engraving on the case back. Inside is a calibre 35180 with an automatic winding system and a 50-hour power reserve. It is paired with a hand-coloured blue calfskin strap from Santoni, fitted with a quick-change system and butterfly folding clasp.

IWC Ingenieur Automatic 42 in green ceramic

Green? I’m in. The Ingenieur Automatic 42 (Ref. IW338902) takes a familiar Gérald Genta-derived design and completely translates it into coloured ceramic for the first time. The case, bezel, crown protection and bracelet are all executed in dark olive green ceramic, a material that presents consistent challenges in colour uniformity due to changes during the sintering process.

IWC approaches this with a multi-part case construction, using a thin titanium ring to secure the movement and maintain structural integrity. This avoids the need for a traditional inner container and allows the proportions to remain faithful to the original steel Ingenieur.

The dial follows through in the same green tone, with the brand’s “Grid” pattern, while gold accents appear in the 18-carat 5N gold crown and the bezel screws in “Armor Gold”. Inside is the calibre 82110, featuring a Pellaton winding system with ceramic components and a 60-hour power reserve.

IWC’s Innovations – Ceralume and ProSet

Who knew IWC would be such sci-fi fans? Not that they’ve come out and said they are, but their Innovations along with the Venturer feels positively futuristic.

The Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Ceralume (Ref. IW505801) introduces IWC’s Ceralume® technology into the Pilot’s Watch collection. This luminous ceramic combines ceramic powders with Super-LumiNova pigments, allowing the case, dial and strap to emit a blue glow for more than 24 hours after exposure to light.

Functionally, it integrates IWC’s perpetual calendar, which accounts for varying month lengths and automatically adds a leap day every four years. The moon phase display is accurate to one day in 577.5 years. Power comes from the IWC-manufactured calibre 52616, featuring a Pellaton winding system and a seven-day power reserve. The movement is visible through a sapphire case back and it sits at 46.5 mm in diameter.

The watch is limited to 250 pieces so start enquiring.

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