IWC Big Pilot ProSet: Mercedes-Benz 140th Anniversary Watch

IWC Schaffhausen and Mercedes-Benz are celebrating the automaker’s 140th anniversary with a new timepiece that brings together the histories of two companies defined by engineering and precision. The Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar ProSet 140 Years Mercedes-Benz Edition is limited to 140 pieces, tying its production directly to the anniversary it commemorates. But beyond its exclusivity and distinctive automotive connection, the watch introduces something far more significant: IWC’s new ProSet mechanism, a patented system designed to make one of watchmaking’s most complex complications considerably easier to operate.

At the heart of the watch is IWC-manufactured Calibre 82665, which allows its perpetual calendar to be corrected both forward and backward through a single crown position. It is a deceptively simple solution to a longstanding inconvenience. Traditionally, correcting a perpetual calendar after it has fallen out of sync can mean advancing the mechanism through days, months, and even years until the correct date is reached. With ProSet, the wearer can simply turn the crown in either direction to bring the calendar back into alignment. Protected by four patents, the system gives this anniversary edition a technical purpose that extends well beyond its commemorative design.

A Big Pilot With a Mercedes-Benz Identity

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The visual treatment is restrained, allowing the watch’s connection to Mercedes-Benz to emerge through carefully considered details rather than an oversized display of branding. The 42mm stainless-steel case combines brushed and polished surfaces, while the familiar oversized crown reinforces the unmistakable character of the Big Pilot.

The black dial provides the strongest contrast. Solid gold applied hour markers and gold-plated hands bring warmth to the otherwise…