The IWC Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar

"The best things in life are the things that "cannot" be acquired." I'm sure many of us will not agree to this statement, but I dare say it does hold some truth, especially for our material pursue at the very least. Grass is always greener the other side, say what you have to say that it's just an illusion, we just want to get to the other side!

By (my) definition, a grail watch is a watch that a watch nerd (like myself) would get if he/she has 'enough' money to spare. It does not have to be the most expensive or the most exclusive piece, just 'THE' watch to get if money is no issue. I wrote my previous post as a celebration to getting my grail watch. Fortunately and unfortunately, I do not believe in dreaming of something that is "impossible" to get, as I do want to get myself over to the greener pasture! But why the IWC Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar? It is an association to human (aviation and mechanical) evolution, a piece of watch making history in these evolution, and a personal childhood dream of becoming a fighter pilot. All these delivered with practical complications within an (stretched) arm's reach...

Kurt Klaus, who invented IWC's perpetual calendar in 1985 using only pencil and paper, created a 'storm' in the mechanical watch industry at the peak of the quartz crisis. It was, and still is, a very rare mechanical perpetual calendar that shows 'day/date/month/year/ decade/century and moonphase of the northern and southern hemisphere' with an accuracy of 1 day deviation in 577 years to come.

IWC Caliber 51614, of Ref: 5026

62 jewels 3 Hz movement

Schematic of 51614's Perpetual Calendar
and Hemisphere Moon-phase Module

Not only did his invention triumphed over ALL other perpetual calendar from brands like Patek Phillipe and the likes, which does not display the 4-digit year, his was the only one that allows adjustment by the user via the crown in complete synchrony. While others require users to 'poke' several recessed buttons at the side of the watch case if adjustments are needed because the calendar is not current due to a stopped movement. Kurt Klaus designed a system that operates like any other watch with date display; ALL calendar displays on his perpetual calendar are programmed for 100 years, and can be adjusted via the crown. Not only does this boast usability, it eliminates the risk of scratching the watch case during adjustments, and also made higher water resistance rating possible.

All these were achieved with just 90 additional components on top of the base movement! Whereas is it not unusual to add 200 more parts for others to do less. This probably explains why IWC's perpetual calendar is among the least expensive because of serial production capability, but it is definitely not the least revered. At one point, IWC was producing more perpetual calendar than the rest of the industry combined! Google perpetual calendar, it will start and end with Patek Phillipe (some may urgue Breguet), but not without Kurt Klaus' legendary invention mentioned within, always.

Kurt Klaus presenting his Perpetual Calendar mechanism
in an IWC's 'Guide to Haute Horlogerie' series video

Many called Kurt Klaus 'Einstein' at IWC's Schaffhausen factory, yet he regards Albert Pellaton as his master teacher. Perhaps IWC's greatest technical director, Pellaton taught Klaus that innovation is inherent in IWC's tradition, but the respect for classical principles should not be forgotten. Klaus did exactly that in every of his endeavor at IWC.

Klaus had a (strong) influence in the design of IWC's contemporary movement, Caliber 5000. A 7-days self winding movement with Beryllium balance wheel and Breguet overcoil spring, built upon the renown winding mechanism invented by Albert Pellaton.

Video showing how the Pellaton winding mechanism works

The super-efficient Pellaton winding mechanism ensures that the ultra-long barrel spring is wound to 8.5 days of reserve even with a sedate lifestyle. 1.5 of the 8.5 days will never be used, as the torque will be too low to keep accurate time. Kurt Klaus invented a mechanism to stop the balance wheel at exactly 168 hours of operation, so as to guarantee operating accuracy. The 1.5 days in reserve when the watch is stopped also mean that a twitch on the winding crown will move the watch again! Users do not need to "crank" the crown to wind it sufficiently to wear. The Pellaton winding system will keep the watch wound as soon as it is put on the wrist.

As the oscillating weight is decoupled from the drive train completely, connected only via a heart-shaped cam and 2 jeweled followers, it is extremely shock resistant as well.

The Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar has Kurt Klaus and Albert Pellaton's finest inventions housed within a watch case inspired by the B-Uhr that IWC (the only Switzerland based company) supplied to Luftwaffe during WWII.

Original IWC B-Uhr watch
supplied to German Luftwaffe in WWII

At 55mm in diameter, the original B-Uhr was designed to fit over leather flight suites of pilots back then. Its anti-magnetic case construction shield itself from negative influence of magnetic fields in the cockpit. The center hacking hands and a huge 'union' crown enable easy synchronization over thick gloves. More details of this timeless design can be found in an article written by James Dowling here.

All these explain why it is my grail watch, and I'm fortunate to finally found and own 1, but one that is unadulterated (in my opinion) by marketing moves and connections with Top Gun, Miramar, Le Petite Prince, Antoine de Saint Exupery, etc. Just pure watch making mastery and history, just purely IWC.

IWC Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar Ref: 5026-20
Limited Edition 'One out of 70'

My 'grail' watch!

So much of me talking about Audemars Piguet and Hublot of late; though the Royal Oak Offshore and Big Bang Unico with their respective in-house chronograph movements are indeed enticing, for family and friends who really knows me knows that my 'grail' watch is actually the IWC Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar.

Being a gear head and a watch enthusiast, I am forever intrigued by the three 'grand' complications in mechanical watch making; the tourbillon, the minute repeater and the perpetual calendar. Not only does the BPPC displays the complex gregorian calendar in full glory and synchrony, which itself is extremely rare in the horology world, it is the only one that comes as self winding with 7-days of power reserve. It is a mechanical tour de force, packed with inventions by legendary technologist, Albert Pellaton (for it's highly efficient winding system) and Kurt Klaus (for it's synchronized perpetual calendar). All hundreds of its components are housed within a WW2 B-Uhr inspired 46mm case that fits my fat wrist to a T.

Prohibiting price aside, IWC only makes metal (precious or otherwise) versions of it in very limited editions. So difficult it is to find a brand new one of them, my wife had to resort to custom making a lookalike cake of it for my 40th birthday.

Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar cake from my wife

Me pretending to 'adjust' the watch on my wrist

I've tried on the 'regular' ceramic version of it, but being entirely in matt black and at 48mm, the proportion and size of it just doesn't make the cut like the 'metal' versions!

For more than 2 years of active searching in vane, I thought I'll never ever find one. Never in my wildest dream would I thought I could chance upon an unworn collector's piece 2 weeks ago! A one out of 70 piece, 'Middle East' edition in steel with blue accents. From the pictures below, you can tell the rest is history, I got my grail watch, finally...

IWC Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar
1 out of 70, 'Middle East' edition

Ref: 5026-20

On my wrist

Whenever faced with difficult choices in life, I always say we can't have the cake and eat it. But from now on, I might just say, "If you're lucky, you can eat the cake first and have it, later"

As my first blog entry of 2016, I'll like to wish everyone a happy new year, and may all your hearts' desire come true.

Day/Date/Month/Year/Moonphase transition
from 31st Dec 2015 to 1st Jan 2016