Mankind and its search for happiness

One of the most fine examples we've laid eyes on this year, IWC's latest is the sixth installment in a poignant gratitude to the Switzerland manufacture's muse, the great French polymath Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

Offered in the form of a Pilot's Watch chronograph in 18-carat red gold, this year's salutation marks the loved-one's birthday of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's electrifying first flight. Appreciators of fine design will be thrilled with the rich cognac-hued switch and tan calfkin band with contrasting taupe quilted sewing, design elements that produce this timepiece instantly identifiable by serious watch collectors as a "Saint Ex". The 89361-calibre movement, meanwhile, needs no introduction, being an IWC masterpiece in technical innovation.

The aviation decorations are subtle: the anti-reflective sapphire glass, for instance, has been tested to ensure it withstands sudden falls in air pressure if the individual is "on the fly", while an engraving on the dial's back shows a Super P-38: the last aircraft de Saint-Exupery ever flew. On Come early july 31, 1944, the man shot to popularity on a reconnaissance flight over England; the Super was salvaged from the depths of the Mediterranean sea near Marseille.

The French aviator, poet and all-round humanist was a idol of his times, and deserves to be recognized for his myriad achievements in the many fields he excelled in.

Take it from Georges Kern, CEO of IWC: "We were inspired by a man who was also a passionate designer and who obtained his first aeronautical patent in 1936, the very year that IWC, with the same preoccupation for engineering, built its first Special Pilot's Watch and introduced it to the public. inch

"We have enormous admiration for a preliminary who was ready to risk his life in the name of technological progress. Mankind and its search for happiness are themes that are prevalent throughout his work. With your long tradition of manufacturing Pilot's Watches, we feel that there are strong bonds that bind us to Antoine de Saint-Exupery.