Perpetual calendars are designed to ignore the calendar—right up until the watch stops. The IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar ProSet 140 Years Mercedes-Benz addresses that inconvenience with IWC’s first perpetual calendar adjustable both forward and backward through a single crown position.
The 140-piece edition uses a brushed and polished 42mm stainless steel case measuring 14mm thick. Its black dial pairs solid-gold appliqués with gold-plated hands and a white minute track. A sapphire caseback carries the joint Daimler Motoren-Gesellschaft and Benz & Cie. emblem introduced after their 1926 merger, giving the anniversary reference more specificity than a modern logo on the dial. Water resistance is 10 bar, and the black rubber strap uses IWC’s tool-free EasX-CHANGE system.
The entirely gear-based ProSet architecture is protected by four patents and eliminates separate correctors or setting menus. Date, month, weekday, and Double Moon displays occupy four subdials, while a four-digit year window sits between seven and eight o’clock. The moon phase deviates by one day in 1,040 years. IWC’s automatic caliber 82665 adds Pellaton winding, ceramic components, a silicon hairspring, and 60 hours of reserve.
That engineering gives the latest chapter in IWC’s Mercedes-AMG partnership substance beyond branding. IWC limits production to 140 watches and handles U.S. availability through boutique appointments. U.S. pricing is unpublished; European retail is €40,900 including VAT.
