Just as with horsepower under the hood, the latest IWC Big Pilot’s Watch takes an uncanny, powerful engineering approach in toasting a milestone Mercedes-Benz anniversary.
In a nod to 140 years since Carl Benz filed the first patent for an automobile, IWC debuts 140 limited-edition units of the IWC Big Pilot’s Perpetual Calendar ProSet, toasting the automaker’s laser-like focus on “creating some of the world’s most desirable cars for its customers,” spurred on by groundbreaking technology then and now. Already the official timekeeper of the Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 outfit, IWC previously crafted an ultra-exclusive Big Pilot’s Watch solely for owners of the Mercedes-AMG One, a ride that rather incredibly boasts an F1 engine.
The partnership between the automaker and the horologist stretches back to 2004, with IWC Schauffhausen also coming aboard as a Formula 1 partner in 2013. “Based on a shared passion for engineering, performance, and design,” the limited-edition watch also takes to the open road as Mercedes-Benz debuts a trio of S-Class saloons that will visit 140 global locations.
The timepiece itself, boasting golden accents against its black dial, serving as “one of IWC’s most innovative developments in perpetual calendars in decades, the watchmaker noted. The IWC-manufactured 82665 caliber movement within operates seamlessly, as the perpetual calendar can be set and adjusted both forwards and backwards from one crown position.
As the Swiss horologist notes, the technology “makes calendar adjustments as easy and intuitive as setting the time itself.” Other perpetual calendar watches require the use of additional crowns or pushers when adjusting the perpetual calendar, but dedicated IWC engineering prowess “has now completely reimagined this complication, which remains one of the greatest challenges in watchmaking to this day.”
On the handsome black dial, the moon phase rests at 12-o’clock, with the date window positioned at 3-o’clock and a four-digit year display between the 7 and 8-o’clock markers, another IWC hallmark. Even more remarkable is the fact that, by recalculating its reduction gear, the display will shift only by one day after 1,040 years. Outfitted with a sporty black rubber strap, the watchmaker’s EasX-CHANGE system also allows for seamless switching between compatible straps.
For added durability, ceramic components bolster the bidirectional Pellaton automatic winding system, while a sapphire crystal transparent caseback uncovers the precise wonders of the movement and its 60-hour power reserve. Its stainless steel case clocks in at 42mm, and the watch runs entirely on gears protected by four patents.
Accenting the caseback is the elusive appearance of the first joint logo of Daimler Motoren-Gesellschaft and Benz & Cie. , IWC said. The luxurious timepiece first made an appearance at Watches and Wonders 2026, where IWC also unveiled a pilot’s watch crafted from space-grade lightweight white zirconium oxide ceramic. As is common with such an intricately designed timepiece, pricing information for the new IWC x Mercedes-Benz Big Pilot’s Watch is available upon request through IWC now.