The new IWC Pilot’s Watch is basking in the glow of a super Super-LumiNova. The Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 Black Aces has a fully luminous white Lumicast dial, which emits a bright greenish light in the dark. It is manufactured in association with pilots from the “Black Aces”, a Strike Fighter Squadron 41 (VFA-41) based at Naval Air Station Lemoore in California, and was first formed in 1950 at NAS Oceana. The VFA-41 is attached to Carrier Air Wing 9 and uses the radio callsign “Fast Eagle”.
To create this Super-LumiNova, as the first step, high-grade Super-LumiNova pigments are mixed with a binder, cast into a circular mold, and hardened in a specially developed curing process to give the material a ceramic-like durability. The resulting solid disc is then fixed onto the soft-iron dial blank. Finally, the dial is imprinted with black indices and numerals and the “Black Aces” patch, resembling the ace of spades from a card deck. In dark chamber tests, the dial emitted a bright greenish light for more than 23 hours, taking legibility and night visibility to a new level.
The case of the Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 Black Aces (Ref. IW326905) is made of black zirconium oxide ceramic with a stealthy matte-black look. With a Vickers rating second only to that of diamonds, ceramic ranks among the hardest substances on Earth, making it not only make it the perfect case material in the restricted space of a jet cockpit but also for everyday use.
The case back is made of lightweight titanium and features an engraving of the “Black Aces” twin-engine jet against a backdrop of spades. The Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 Black Aces is powered by the IWC-manufactured 32100 caliber. Combined with the soft-iron inner case, the movement’s anti-magnetic silicon escapement further improves the watch’s resistance to magnetic fields. The efficient double pawl winding system builds up a power reserve of 72 hours in the mainspring. The watch is fitted with a black textile strap with a pin buckle in sand-blasted stainless steel.
Pricing for the new IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 Black Aces is marked at INR 6,70,000 (approx.)
This story was first appeared in WatchTime US
Images Courtesy: IWC Schaffhausen
