You can now buy the same IWC watch that Lewis Hamilton wears in Formula One
Last year, IWC Schaffhausen showcased its latest collection, the “Colors of Top Gun”, the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Top Gun Lake Tahoe in White Ceramic Ref. number IW503008, which marked the latest addition to the Big Pilot’s range. Drawing inspiration from the white uniforms and the picturesque winterscape found around Lake Tahoe, this ceramic color has been given the distinction by IWC and Pantone as the “IWC Lake Tahoe”. Located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, Lake Tahoe is a regular fixture in the flight path of the Top Gun flight school, now located at the Naval Air Station in Fallon, Nevada. Seven-time Formula One champion and IWC ambassador Lewis Hamilton was seen wearing one at the Miami Gran Prix last May prior to its retail store unveiling slated this July.
The striking design is complemented by the contrast of its pitch-black dial and black hands with a white Super-Luminova, a stainless-steel crown and case back ring, a textured white rubber strap with a stainless-steel folding clasp, which are just some of the features that elevates this timepiece to the next level. White ceramics are symbolic of the expertise of IWC in advanced performance materials, with the company experimenting with the color as early as the 1980’s. Shortly after, IWC showcased its first wristwatch using Black Zirconium Oxide Ceramic Case.
White Ceramic is created by a mixture of zirconium oxide combined with other metallic oxides sintered using an oven at high temperatures. Renowned to be highly scratch resistant and extremely light, ceramic is the perfect material for a Pilot’s Watch.
Developed in the 1980’s by Kurt Klaus, the perpetual calendar complication is found on The Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar. This intricately mechanical program automatically recognizes variations in the length of the months and leap years, thus, a manual adjustment till the year 2100 is not required. Also featured is the double moon phase, which shows the moon as viewed from the northern and southern hemisphere. A special reductionist gear train ensures the precision of the movement, touted to deviate only a day after 577.5 years of use. The calendar module, driven by a single nightly switching impulse by the IWC manufactured 52615 calibre with a Pellaton winding system, has a seven-day power reserve with a frequency of 28,800 vph/4Hz. The Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar has a diameter of 46.5mm and a height of 15.6mm, the glass is sapphire, convex, with an anti-reflective coating on both sides and is water resistant up to 6 bar.
The Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Top Gun will be out in stores this July 2023, additionally, this timepiece is can be registered in the My IWC care program, and will benefit from a six-year extension of the regular two-year International Limited Warranty.
