IWC Conquers the Night Skies with Fully Luminous Dial in Latest Pilot’s Watch

Let There Be Light! IWC Schaffhausen introduces the Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 Black Aces, the latest timepiece inspired by its collaborations with U.S. Navy squadrons. The most striking feature of this picture-perfect pilot’s watch is the fully luminous white Lumicast dial. Developed in collaboration with pilots from the “Black Aces”, a Strike Fighter Squadron 41 (VFA-41) based at Naval Air Station Lemoore in California, the dial is the result of a complex manufacturing process.

In the first step, high-grade Superluminova pigments are mixed with a binder, cast into a circular mold, and hardened in a specially developed curing process to give the material a ceramic-like durability. The resulting solid disc is then fixed onto the soft-iron dial blank. Finally, the dial is imprinted with black indices and numerals and the “Black Aces” patch, resembling the ace of spades from a card deck. In dark chamber tests, the dial emitted a bright greenish light for more than 23 hours, taking legibility and night visibility to a new level. 

The case of the Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 Black Aces is made of black zirconium oxide ceramic with a stealthy matte-black look. With a Vickers rating second only to that of diamonds, ceramic ranks among the hardest substances on Earth, making it not only make it the perfect case material in the restricted space of a jet cockpit but also for everyday use.

The case back is made of lightweight titanium and features an engraving of the “Black Aces” twin-engine jet against a backdrop of spades. The Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 Black Aces is powered by the IWC-manufactured 32100 caliber. Combined with the soft-iron inner case, the movement’s anti-magnetic silicon escapement further improves the watch’s resistance to magnetic fields. The efficient double pawl winding system builds up a power reserve of 72 hours in the mainspring. The watch is fitted with a black textile strap with a pin buckle in sand-blasted stainless steel and available exclusively online at IWC.com.

Pricing for the new IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 Black Aces is marked at $6,800.

To learn more, visit IWC Schaffhausen, here.