GENEVA – SIHH 2019
Earlier this week, watch enthusiasts gathered in Geneva for the annual SIHH watch fair. With a long list of reputable names of the industry present showing off their latest creations, George Cleverley joined The Rake, Revolution & IWC to celebrate this special collaboration, the Pilot’s Watch Automatic 36mm Special Edition
The watch went on sale at precisely 12:00 GMT and within minutes it had sold out. A fantastic achievement that goes to show that the three-way collaboration that’s themed around the age of the gentleman aviator was indeed very, very special. As you can imagine, the party last night was, too.
Developed as an homage to the original Mark 11 watch designed by former IWC owner Ernst Jakob Homberger for his sons, the IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic 36mm Special Edition harks back to the era of the Gentleman Aviator in style and form. The original Mark 11 is one of the most renowned timepieces that IWC has ever built in its history, spanning a production lifetime of some 35 years and configured to fit the tool requirements of the British Royal Air Force. This special edition developed by The Rake and Revolution with the brand evokes the utilitarian purity of the Mark 11 updated with a new colour palette never seen before in the Pilot’s collection until now.
The military green dial with Arabic numerals and lumed cardinal indices was the starting point for this special edition, upon which we selected a bronze case that would slowly patina over time to develop a unique persona for each watch. To add an old-world travel experience to the watch, we opted for a NATO-style strap made from Russian reindeer hides recovered from the sunken Spanish frigate Metta Catharina, which sank from Plymouth Sound in 1786. Made by George Cleverley for us, it’s the first time these hides have been used in a watch strap and bring a truly unique style to the watch.
Many thanks to IWC CEO Mr. Christoph Grainger-Herr & The Rake founder, Mr. Wei Koh.
Photography by Rian Davidson