IWC Schaffhausen
My 2021 Watch — The IWC Big Pilot 43
IWC Schaffhausen
My 2021 Watch — The IWC Big Pilot 43
The Big Pilot — a mid-century design originally intended for military aviators — has been a key watch in IWC’s collection since the modern reference 5002 was released in 2002, a 46.2mm testament to purpose and design. The Big Pilot has lived up to its name since that time, and we’ve seen evolution and countless iterations. And while the model has been surprisingly versatile, one thing has remained constant — its size. Constant until earlier this year, that is, when IWC announced the Big Pilot’s Watch 43, a design that honors the aesthetic codes of the Big Pilot, but reframes what constitutes “big” to 43mm.
Somewhere along the way, Kern’s vision of IWC — informed no doubt by the ever-pervasive “big watch trend” that was dominant at the time — saw IWC’s watch collections becoming a touch too over the top for my tastes. New materials, complications and colorways might have been what was required, but it was not what I wanted from IWC.
In recent years, the pendulum has swung away from IWC’s era of excess into more restrained territory, and the Big Pilot 43 perfectly epitomizes this. In fact, the Big Pilot 43 pares the Pilot’s Watch back to the barest of essentials. In addition to 3.2mm of girth, this watch has shed the power reserve indicator, date and any other extraneous details in a fitting tribute to the original military designs. This watch is made for telling the time accurately and quickly. Of course, the famous Big Pilot crown is still on show, and screws down, which is appropriate for a watch with 100 meters of water resistance.
Alongside this, with the quick-change straps and rubber options, IWC is acknowledging that people want a watch that can do it all. And this watch can do it all. There is absolutely no reason why this IWC Pilot needs to stay stuck in the skies.