New: IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Top Gun Lake Tahoe White Ceramic

Banking on the huge success of their Top Gun series, IWC releases the latest piece in the collection – the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Top Gun Lake Tahoe White Ceramic.

Press Release information with commentary in italics.

New: IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Top Gun Lake Tahoe White Ceramic

The new IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Top Gun Lake Tahoe White Ceramic IW503008 retails for SGD 59,500 with GST.

Commentary

The Top Gun franchise has worked very well for IWC, and what a brilliant masterstroke ti was to have bagged that deal! The sub-collection is part of IWC’s Big Pilot’s Watch collection, and characterised by the use of ceramic as the case material of choice. This time, the ceramic case is executed in a beautiful white. The case is huge at 46.5mm, but looks kind of all right when coupled with the signature giant crown.

The regular non-perpetual calendar version, the Ref. IW389105 chronograph has been in the catalog for a while, and retails for a rather reasonable SGD 17.3k. The new Ref. IW503008, now equipped with a perpetual calendar module first developed in the 1980s by Kurt Klaus will retail for nearly SGD 60k. One can argue about the practicality of a perpetual calendar on a flight watch, which is a non-chronograph, but this style has existed in the IWC catalog for decades. For example, the same model has existed in Bronze case since 2016, and in Racing Green black ceramic case since 2021.

Release details

IWC Schaffhausen complements its “Colors of TOP GUN” collection with the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar TOP GUN Lake Tahoe. The new model features a 46.5-millimeter white ceramic case, a black dial, and black hands with white Super-LumiNova^®. Developed during the 1980s, IWC’s legendary perpetual calendar automatically recognizes the different lengths of the months and leap years. The timepiece is powered by the IWC-manufactured 52615 caliber, which can be observed through the sapphire glass case back.

In 2022, IWC unveiled its “Colors of TOP GUN” collection comprising various Pilot’s Watches in striking new ceramic colors. With the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar TOP GUN Lake Tahoe (Ref. IW503008), the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer now adds another model in white ceramic to the line-up. The ceramic color, which IWC and Pantone have specified as “IWC Lake Tahoe”, is inspired by white uniforms and the winter landscape around freshwater Lake Tahoe. Located between California and Nevada, Lake Tahoe is a mountainous area that the pilots of the nearby TOPGUN flight school frequently fly over. The eye-catching design is completed with a pitch-black dial and black hands with white Super-LumiNova^®, a stainless steel crown and case back ring, and a white textured rubber strap.

EXTENSIVE MATERIALS EXPERTISE

White ceramics are emblematic of IWC’s comprehensive expertise in advanced performance materials. The company experimented with this color as early as the 1980s, shortly after introducing its first wristwatch with a black zirconium oxide ceramic case. White ceramic is created in a complex manufacturing process in which zirconium oxide is mixed with other metallic oxides and sintered at high temperatures in an oven. Ceramic is extremely scratch-resistant and remarkably light, making it the perfect material for a Pilot’s Watch.

A HIGHLY ENGINEERED COMPLICATION 

The Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar TOP GUN Lake Tahoe features the legendary perpetual calendar complication. It was developed in the 1980s by Kurt Klaus and since then, it has been steadily improved several times in terms of mechanics and functionality. The intricate mechanical program automatically recognizes the different lengths of the months and leap years and will require no manual adjustment until 2100. The patented double moon phase display shows the moon as seen from the northern and southern hemispheres. Thanks to a special reductionist gear train, it is so precise that it will only deviate by one day after 577.5 years. The calendar module is driven via a single nightly switching impulse by the IWC-manufactured 52615 caliber movement with a Pellaton winding system and a power reserve of 7 days. The movement can be admired through a transparent sapphire glass back.
 

The Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar TOP GUN Lake Tahoe will be available as of July 2023. In addition, the timepiece is eligible for registration under the My IWC care program and can benefit from a 6-year extension to the standard 2-year International Limited Warranty.

IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar “Top Gun Lake Tahoe” Specifications

Ref. IW503008

Diameter: 46.5 mm
Height: 15.6 mm
Material: White ceramic
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 60 m

Movement: Cal. 52615
Functions: Hours, minutes, power reserve display, perpetual calendar displaying the date, day, month and four-digit year and moon phase for both northern and southern hemispheres
Winding: Self-winding
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve: Seven days

Strap: Rubber strap