IWC Schaffhausen, the luxury Swiss watch manufacturer, celebrates the natural bond that binds fathers and sons with an exclusive edition of its Pilot Watch for ‘Father and Son.” A fairly new commemoration of the role of fathers in the family unit celebrated as Father’s Day all over the world.
Father’s Day was made permanent in 1972 and is celebrated in the US and most parts of the world in the third week of June and in other parts of the world in September.
IWC secured its reputation with its famous collection of Pilot’s watches; timepieces which debuted in the golden age of 1930s flying. Early examples of such models are today much sought after as valuable collectors’ items; with the range as a whole developing over the years into one of IWC’s most enduringly popular collections.
Traditionally encased in stainless steel, the Pilot’s watches take their inspiration from the altimeter and other dials found in an aircraft cockpit and are easily distinguishable with their classic black dials and white hands and markers.
With its Pilot’s Watches for fathers and sons IWC is making a veritable partnership-based offer for father and son relationships, the Big Pilots Watch in platinum for the father, and its somewhat smaller counterpart in stainless steel for the son. Almost every father has great plans for his son, and our identification with our fathers leaves an impression over an entire lifetime.
Whoever consciously fosters this valuable and intimate bond sends a clear signal with this pair of watches, Pilot’s watches for father and son are a guide to masculinity and represent a perfect family unit. This is also true in technical terms, for both time pieces belong to one of the most distinctive watch families from IWC Schaffhausen – and they are tried and tested pilot’s watches through and through.
In this particular case, however, they are more than that - for they exhibit many resemblances. Like father and son both have the same rhodium-plated light-coloured dial of the pilot’s watches, the same user friendly onion-shaped crown of the early pilot’s watches from IWC, and the same brown crocodile leather strap and characteristic steel rivets. Wear it and stand out from the crowd - individually and even more so together. The only difference between the two watches is their size-like father and son.
This ideal combination, which was designed specifically for this purpose-and for this purpose alone-is available not only as pilot’s watches for father and son , but also as pilots’ watches for father and sons in the context of a large family to ensure that fairness prevails and domestic harmony is maintained.
For those with a technical interest, ensconced behind the model for the father in its 46.2 x 15.8 mm platinum is the Ref. 5004, the Big Pilot’s Watch with the 51111 calibre, the renowned long running mechanical movement with an automatic Pellaton winding system, date and seven-day power reserve that is indicated on the dial. The antireflective sapphire glass is specially secured against displacement by a sudden drop in air pressure. And the watch is water resistant to six bars.
The smaller edition for the son largely corresponds in technical terms to the Pilots Watch Mark XVI with its 39 x 11.5 mm stainless steel case and the 30110 calibre automatic movement. It also has a screw-in onion-shaped crown, an anti-reflective sapphire glass secured against displacement by a sudden drop in air-pressure, a central second hand and a date display. This watch also sits comfortably on the wrist on a brown crocodile leather strap and is protected against loss by a pin buckle. It too is water resistant to six bars.
A small but noteworthy detail eliminates undesirable mix-ups particularly in the case of a crew with several sons , the inner circle on the back of the watch is reserved for an engraved name which leaves no doubt as to who is ready for take-off.
