DAMANAUGUST/SEPTEMBER2019171
“It was certainlyinteresting to
see some of
IWC’s most
iconic pilot’s
watches from
the past share
the same space
with new aviator
timepieces
launched at the
event”
Hannes Pantli and Stanislas Rambaud;
vintage and modern Pilot’s Watches on
display at the exhibition
Opposite page
The life-size replica of the Silver Spitfirealong with Hannes Pantli, spokesman for IWC
and a longtime member of the brand’s board of
directors. Mr. Pantli is also well-known as an
avid collector of IWC watches with an unrivaled
collection. A large part of the timepieces on
display at IWC’s museum in Schaffhausen was
once part of his private collection.
Speaking of which, the main highlight of
the Pilot’s Watch Exhibition were a number
of historical timepieces highlighting IWC’s
longstanding love affair for aviation. Among these
vintage specimens were the Special Watch for
Pilots from 1936 (the year IWC began making
watches for aviators), the very first Big Pilot’s
Watch from 1940, a Mark 11 created for the
Royal Australian Air Force back in 1957 along
with the famed W.W.W. watch made for the
British Army in 1945.with several special edition watches. And as any
historian or aviation enthusiast can attest to, the
Spitfire was one of the most successful British
fighter planes in World War II and became an
enduring symbol of British resistance, particularly
during and after the Battle of Britain. The
visionary engineering that made the Spitfire such
a great airplane and the timeless design that made
it such a lasting icon resonated deeply with IWC.
Returning to the present day, it was on a crisp
Tuesday evening on July 2 that 250 or so guests
made their way to the Centre Court for the
official opening of the Pilot’s Watch Exhibition.
As it happens, the exhibition was set right
next to IWC’s new boutique at Pavilion Kuala
Lumpur, which was also inaugurated that night.
Present at the event was Stanislas Rambaud,
Managing Director for IWC South East Asia,
It was certainly interesting to see some of
IWC’s most iconic pilot’s watches from the
past share the same space with new aviator
timepieces launched at the event. Two sub-lines
from the Pilot’s Watches family were on display
that evening. First was the Spitfire, boasting
100-percent in-house movements. Then there
were also several new Top Gun watches—named
after the unofficial moniker of the actual U.S.
Navy school for fighter pilots instead of the
movie starring Tom Cruise—featuring IWC’s
Ceratanium, which combines all the advantages
of ceramic and titanium, and a new sandy color
scheme. And, once again, all of these were on
display under the shadow of the Silver Spitfire.
A much more subtle nod to the theme of
the evening was found in the cocktails served
throughout the event, all of which were aviation
themed. The canapés, meanwhile, were inspired by
the cities where the Silver Spitfire will make its
stopovers throughout its globe-circling journey,
including New York, Tokyo and Paris.
For sure, the festivities of the evening and the
magnificent showcase of watches create a most
fitting tribute to IWC’s rich heritage in aviation.
However, it also felt like a nice sendoff for its
future creations for those that roam the sky—
including one shiny little plane about to take on
the world.