The Big Pilot’s Watch Annual Calendar Edition “Le Petit Prince” (Ref. IW502704) is the first and so far the only watch in the history of IWC with a blue movement. The manufacturing process required to make it has taken around 1.5 years to develop and refine. To give the IWC- manufactured 52850 calibre its striking blue colour, the plates and bridges have been coated with various metal oxides. The major challenge of this process was keeping the thickness of the coating consistent and achieving a completely even tone using the chemical vapour deposition technique (CVD). When combined with the blue screws and red gemstones, the blue movement creates the per- fect backdrop for the 18-carat red gold rotor: it depicts the little prince from the story with the same name by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry standing on a planet staring out at the starry night sky.
The proceed collected by Sotheby’s will go to the Antoine de Saint- Exupéry Youth Foundation, a globally active organization that campaigns to support children and young people living in difficult conditions.
