IWC celebrates the 70th anniversary of the famous story "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry with the launch of two special limited editions: the Big Pilot's Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition "Le Petit Prince" and the Pilot's Watch Mark XVII Edition "Le Petit Prince". Since 2006, the brand has established partnerships with the heirs of De Saint-Exupéry and their charitable foundation Antoine de Saint-Exupéry pour la Jeunesse.
The Big Pilot's Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition "Le Petit Prince" adopts the IWC-manufactured 51613 calibre with Pellaton automatic winding system and seven-day power reserve. The perpetual calendar only requires the intervention of a watchmaker in 2100. It also introduces a moon phase display for the first time in the IWC Big Pilot's Family. It is available in a limited edition of 270 watches in red gold and comes with a valuable volume containing two precious rarities, created in an exclusive design for IWC: a reprint of the original first edition in English entitled "The Little Prince" and a reproduction of the original manuscript, in French, of "Le Petit Prince".
The Pilot's Watch Mark XVII Edition "Le Petit Prince" adopts the automatic 30110 calibre and has a 42-hour power reserve. With its soft-iron inner case for protection against magnetic fields and sapphire crystal for protection against decompression, it harks back to the tradition of its historic reference model, the Mark 11 of the 1940s. The caseback is decorated with an engraving of the Little Prince standing on his tiny asteroid with his waving scarf around his neck. Made of steel, it is available in a limited edition of 1,000 pieces.
Part of the proceeds from the sale of the two models will go to support the foundation's activities to promote its projects and combat the scourge of illiteracy in the world.
