Being the ultimate fan and wearer of the legendary IWC Big Pilot in stainless steel, I got to admit, besides the watch being available in a ceramic case, fingers crossed, I really don't know how it could get any better. Let's just say I creamed my shorts when I stumbled across the most amazing discovery of the new Stainless Steel Limited Edition Big Pilot Markus Buhler edition of 12 pieces made for the world. This watch has really toyed with my emotions. I absolutely love it! It is, yes indeed, a 'Rock Star' for the ages. To commit to timeless history, and incorporate modern elements of design without messing with the aesthetic icon is virtually impossible these days, but I must say Mr Buhler has executed the unthinkable, flawlessly.
So just who is Markus Buhler? well he ain't some long lost cousin of Ferris Buller, that's for damn sure. He is a master craftsman with passion, integrity and an eye for the art of design and a true visionary not afraid to challenge the mechanical elements of watchmaking. At just 28 years old, Markus has turned an already remarkable icon into an even bigger icon bearing his name combined with his own unique artistry, which serves not only visually but technically for practical purposes. What started as a competition in 2003 when Markus was a young apprentice at IWC, he and 63 of his fellow contestants were asked to take a Unitas manual wind pocket watch movement and reveal the mainspring as cleverly and creatively as possible. Well, the result was that Mr Buhler was able to adapt the movement by using a miniature turbine used in a passenger aircraft instead of the traditional spring barrel which provided the drive of the watches heart beat. His quest for problem solving and incorporating a solution that was not only practical, but completely in line with the history of the watch won him first prize in the competition, and needless to say became the catalyst behind the very exclusive limited edition, IWC Marcus Buhler Big Pilot watch today. Thinking of picking one up? You can forget it! You probably having a better chance of chilling with Hugh Heffener at the Playboy mansion over the weekend. This holy grail will only be available at Swiss Boutiques, and lets face it with a limited run of only 12 pieces for the world you can bet your ass, that this watch is all pre-sold, even if the price is near $20,000.
Hats off to IWC. This is such a smart move for the brand, to use their talent, who are highly skilled and trained in combing modernity and heritage, should be an inspiration for all other watch companies to follow for the future to ensure success and originality. What is the watch made of? Well, it combines all the great elements of the Big Pilot. The use of the original dial was key in this project, because lets face it the newer dial is the bastard step child that people settle for because they can't get the original one. However, some changes were made to the dial for this Award wining timepiece. Subtle hints, such as adding the numbers two, three, and four were very well carried out because it provides more symmetry for the dial as the numbers five, six and seven have been taken away because of the room needed for the turbine which serves as the seconds hand of the watch. The case is a stainless steel 46.2 mm case, the movement is a hand wound 64900 calibre, 46 hour power reserve, anti reflective coated convex sapphire crystal and water resistant to 30 bars. The beauty of this unlike the original Big Pilot, even though I am not the biggest fan of sapphire see through casebacks on watches like this, it features the hand wound movement in all its glory with the turbine at the forefront for you viewing pleasure. To cap it all off, it is rounded out with a mat black croco strap, with best stainless steel deployment buckle in the business, for that true stealthy pilot look.
So, I urge all you imitators out there to stop! and let the masters IWC, carry out the tradition of what they are best at, making the best, most recognizable Pilots watches in the world today, and stepping it up a notch by involving their future apprentices like Markus Buhler make history with this Stainless Steel Fighter Pilot.
pics courtesy of www.iwc.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment