The "original" Big Pilot ref 5002 is more "pure" to me as the dial is reminiscent of the old pilots watch. With the newer ref 5004, the looks somewhat more "modern".
Stay tuned for another blog on this incredible piece - what they call the Big Pilot Transitional. Thanks to a good friend who allowed me to shoot this piece.
May I take this opportunity to thank all the friends and visitors to my blog.
Have a Merry Christmas and may the season bring love and joy to you and all your loved ones!
To mark the 10th anniversary of the magazine, Revolution Magazine approached IWC and they collaborated on the reissue. Based on the reference 5441 which is the much coveted Portuguese Jubilee, IWC reissued the watch with some minor differences. On the left is the reissue Jubilee and on the right, the original Jubilee ref 5441. Notice the difference in the word Schaffhausen? The original 5441 has the words slightly italics. Under a loupe (pardon these pictures as I did not have the right camera), the words International Watch Company on the original is also more fine. It seems the reissue has "bold" lettering. The seconds hand is also different - one slightly slimmer than the other. The most obvious is the case colour - the reissue is more "pink". The original looks a little more yellow.
On the movement side, the original Jubilee houses the calibre 9828 while the reissue has the calibre 98200. Both calibres from similar base if I am not mistaken.
The timepiece is quite well made as one would expect from IWC.
A closer look at the ref IW544001 - that is what they are calling the reissue.
The movement is the calibre 98200 and it beats at 18,000 vph.
Rather well finished movement.
Another comparison of the two movements side by side.
And again of the two timepieces...
Priced at S$29,000 for the ref IW544001, the watch was mostly pre-sold as I understand. By the time I went down to the IWC Boutique in Ion, I was told there was only one piece left for the auction. There are only 10 in this limited edition series. The number 10/10 will be auctioned off to raise funds for charity.
In any case, which one do you prefer? The original Jubilee which was released in 1993 to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the founding of IWC or the current ref IW544001? Go down to the boutique to take a look at the IW544001. Should be there till the end of the year.
Sean is a talented individual - not only is he a self taught designer and watchmaker, he is also known in the cycling circle as the first person in Singapore to make titanium bike frames. When I saw the red edition of Oceaner II, I had already told Sean I wanted one. And so here it is - a piece unique prototype for moi!
I like the box! Creative Sean, creative. See the message on the side of the box?
First impressions - I like the style, the size and the colour. I chose red, remember?
One shake and the watch winds well and runs for quite awhile.
These are my first shots of the timepiece and I shall be taking a few more and doing a more in-depth blog. But on first impressions... I like it. Thanks to Sean for letting have the red prototype. For more information please visit the MoVas website.
In 2014, IWC in consultation with a group of forum members created the Pilot's Chronograph that will be sold through the forum and the IWC Boutiques only. It is officially called Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Collectors’ Watch” - Reference: IW387808.
I like the contrast of the dial and the hands and markers. Something different.
Limited to 250 pieces. But I must say the pricing is a little prohibitive. For those keen to take a look at the piece, one is available in the IWC Ion Boutique. Be quick though. I suspect it will go quickly.
What's so special about this piece? Well one year ago, IWC launched the Pilot Le Petit Prince and the Big Pilot to commemorate the book's 70th anniversary. This year, they unveiled the unlimited edition of the chronograph. As with the earlier LPP editions, the dial is blue in colour.
However, unlike the other two earlier pieces this is not a limited edition. So one will notice the seconds hand does not have the star at the tip.
The dial side does not indicate the LPP edition but it is shown on the case back.
The brown calf strap on this one is perfect for the timepiece.
Under the sun, the sunburst dial becomes more evident and surprisingly blue.
And another wrist shot taken outdoors.
A close up shot of the dial taken outdoors. The 12 o'clock indicator is particularly well made and together with the 3, 6 and 9 markers adds a touch of class to the timepiece.
Priced just slightly higher than the regular edition, I think the Pilot Chrono LPP edition is a winner. However, it would have been nicer if they had used the seconds hand with the star at the tip. But then they would probably make that a limited edition and end up charging more too.
I was traveling this year and met with an owner who loves her Daytona - solid yellow gold and with a very special Black Mother-of-Pearl dial.
The MOP dial is rather special. My first encounter with this combo.
The watch is well worn - and for good reasons too - its such a nice piece.
But I guess it is time for a service and polish.
I wonder how much it will cost to have it restored back to its former glory.
I first saw the Antiqua way back when the Hour Glass was hosting Tempus in Singapore. And what a revelation it was for me. A totally unusual layout for a timepiece - with 4 windows. The watch can be described as somewhat “steampunk” style.
At first look, the shape is somewhat odd and it needs a little time to grow on you. From the picture, the watch looks big but actually is fits well onto the wrist. If you know the size of the Vianney Halter Classic you can see from the photo how big the timepiece actually is.
This example in yellow gold is rather rare… I understand there are more examples in rose rose.
First up the time “pothole”. At the top right hand corner is where the time is - the largest of the potholes. Typical Vianney styling.
The hands and dial is signature of VH.
To the left is the pothole that displays the days of the week.
The pothole at the bottom left corner displays the Leap Year indication and the Months of the Year.
And last but not least is the date display found and the bottom right to the right of the leap year/month indicator.
A rather interesting was to display all the information - not typical of perpetual calendars from other brands whose sub-dials are normally displayed at the 3, 6 and 9 o’clock positions. In this case, the display is not traditional which makes the timepieces more alluring.
The timepieces is also not as thick as one expects. Nice height too.
As for the movement side, another interesting feature - the “magic” rotor. Vianney patented the magic rotor - a slight shake and the rotor spins and winds the movement. Very well done!
The ribbing on the movement base plate gives the movement a nice finish. I only have one issue - Vianney could have used blued screws. Would have given the movement more “color”.
A close up of the movement. Nice but not the highest quality finish - still good though.
Overall an interesting timepiece. One more look at the Antiqua perpetual calendar.
If only I could afford it.
When one thinks of a rectangular face watch, the Reverso comes to mind. Invented in the 1930s for polo players to protect their watches during the game, the swivel case Reverso has blossomed into many a complications including my favorite the Gyrotourbillon 2. My dream watch - but alas, the budget is just not there. So I have a more modest Boutique Only Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Duoface Bleu 1931 ref 378858J. Why Ultra Thin? Because it is only 9.14mm tall.
The Duoface was first created in 1994 and features two time zone. It is probably one of the easiest two time zone watch to set - how more difficult than to just press a button. And with a day and night indicator, it makes it a lot easier to get it right.
The watch comes encased in steel and the front dial is blue lacquered with rhodium plated hour markers. The rich blue lacquer dial was love at first sight. Reminiscent of the Art Deco style, the dial is clean, symmetrical and visually pleasing.
The back dial where the home time shows is white with the Clous de Paris guilloché. I must say that the guilloché is well done. The watch face with the overlapping Day/Night indicator provides a nice symmetry to the watch.
The watch comes with two straps - alligator and calf skin strap with a tang buckle. Pictured here with the alligator strap.
The calf skin strap comes from the famed Argentinian workshop of Casa Fagliano who is one of the top polo boot maker in the world. Somehow, I still prefer the alligator strap.
Even the case back is well decorated - perlage. The "Special Edition" watch has a power reserve of 45 hours. This is a Boutique only piece.
The watch has been tested for 1,000 hours as with all JLC watches. In the 1,000 hours Control test, the entire watch (not just the movement) is subjected to tests approximating normal wear and the standards are said to be much stricter than the COSC as imposed by the Bureaux du Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres. And the wrist shot…
I still say to many a friends looking to start a mechanical watch journey that JLC still represents great value for a in-house manufactured movement. Now with the 1,000 Hours Control testing, you possess a great timepiece that assures you of the quality that says Swiss Made.
