It is undeniable that the IWC Big Pilot’s have become really famous since almost every Sunday Mercedes wins a Formula 1 race. It is difficult not to recognize them when Hamilton and Bottas, who as soon as they get out of the cars quickly put them on their wrists, gesticulate during interviews.
Testimonials aside from the Schaffhausen-based manufacture which has a long tradition of pilot’s watches in 2021 is pushing them so much that they think of building one that behind its rude and enormous appearance encloses a movement with a gem of Haute Horlogerie.
His name is fake IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Constant-Force Tourbillon Edition “IWC Racing” and inside a 46.2 mm case houses a tourbillon with a superfine constant force mechanism whose concept was born in the mists of time.
What is Constant Force?
In a mechanical watch, all the power comes from the winding barrel. Whether there is one – or more to increase its autonomy, for various reasons ranging from the elasticity of the spring, which in its development is never uniform from start to finish, or for the ineffectiveness of the gears that transmit the energy, the force that reaches the escapement is never the same and this is a problem for running precision.
Basically, a constant force escapement is an escapement in which the impulse is given to the balance wheel via an intermediate spring. At the end of the impulse, the spring starts a mechanism that puts everything back in position for the next impulse. In this way, there is no risk of “power failures”.
However, each has their own way of gaining constant strength. Let’s take a look at how IWC has implemented it.
IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Constant-Force Tourbillon Edition “IWC Racing”
First of all, it must be said that the 94800 caliber that animates this Big Pilot’s is nothing new for IWC. It is the same mounted in 2013 by the Ingenieur Constant-Force Tourbillon 2013 which is a re-adaptation of the caliber 94900 that moved the 2011 Portuguese Sidérale Scafusia, the first IWC watch with a constant force tourbillon.
Limited to 15 pieces, this timepiece combines IWC’s constant force tourbillon device with a matte black Ceratanium case and the simple yet recognizable design of the Big Pilot’s Watch.
Constant Force IWC
The IWC constant force mechanism disconnects the escapement from the direct flow of energy arriving from the barrels via the time train and transmits consistently uniform pulses of energy to the escape wheel.
IWC claims that the presence of the tourbillon compensates for the negative influences of gravity on the oscillating system, but this is only partly true because any tourbillon will never be able to correct the errors generated in the different postures that a watch can assume.
It is fair to acknowledge Abraham-Louis Breguet who invented the tourbillon well over two hundred years ago the ingenious ability to compensate for running errors when at the time the watch placed in the waistcoat was in an almost vertical position. Everything else is just speculation.
However, the constant force undoubtedly has the merit of always getting regular energy to the tourbillon and therefore also the amplitude of the escapement impulses are isochronous, which is no small feat.
Clock
Although some may prefer the steel Big Pilot’s, closer to genuine aviator’s replica watches, this is the first Big Pilot in Ceratanium, a proprietary, scratch-resistant alloy that is light and robust like titanium and scratch-resistant like ceramic.
The constant force tourbillon at 9 o’clock is undoubtedly the element that draws attention to the dial of this IWC Big Pilot’s, which however also features a dual indication of the moon phases for the northern and southern hemispheres.
The white numbers and yellow touches echo those of a dashboard, while the power reserve indication at 4 o’clock is reminiscent of a speedometer. The structure with slits on the outer ring of the dial is inspired by the air intakes of a Formula 1 engine.
The black rubber strap of what is currently the most complicated driver’s watch in the world also features a detail borrowed from the world of racing. The internal insert is in Alcantara, a synthetic microfiber often used for the seats and steering wheel covers of racing cars.
Price
IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Constant-Force Tourbillon Edition “IWC Racing” costs 220,000 CHF, but remember that it will be produced in only 15 numbered pieces.