With its long-winded title, IWC’s new watch can greatest be described because the extra complicated brother of a Efficiency Chronograph launched in 2023 for four-wheeled pilots. Outfitted with the model’s progressive perpetual calendar motion and its unusual digital show, the Efficiency Chronograph IW388801 comes with a dashing black and golden color scheme.
Introduced in 2023, IWC’s Pilot’s Watch Efficiency Chronograph 41 is a racing chronograph with a tachymeter scale on its bezel, the racetrack various to IWC’s well-stocked portfolio of pilot’s chronographs powered by the identical in-house automated chronograph motion: calibre 69385.
The second a part of the equation pertains to IWC’s uncommon digital perpetual calendar mixed with a flyback chronograph. Impressed by the shows of IWC’s Pallweber pocket watches from the Eighties with digital hours and minutes, the digital perpetual calendar was unveiled in 2009 on board the Da Vinci (ref. 3761). Probably the most progressive perpetual calendars of its variety, with gas-guzzling digital shows of the day, month and intercalary year, it has appeared in a number of Ingenieur references and took thematic blue and pink Aquaman colors within the Aquatimer model of 2023. Introduced in an all-black, matte 43mm Ceratanium case with an identical crown, pushers and bracelet, the 16.5mm thick case is water resistant to 100 meters. The black polished ceramic bezel includes a golden printed tachymeter scale.
The black and golden color scheme extends to the busy hammered dial with 4 sub-dials. The golden double-digit month and date discs at 3 and 9 o’clock have a round reticular construction, whereas the digital intercalary year indicator at 6 o’clock shares its sub-dial with the small seconds. Elapsed hours and minutes are concentrated within the single totaliser at midday. True to its Huge Pilot origins, the big white Arabic numerals, indices and fingers, together with the small seconds hand, are handled with Tremendous-LumiNova.
Powered by IWC’s manufacture calibre 89802, this high-end automated chronograph motion has a column wheel and a vertical clutch and is topped by an in-house perpetual calendar module. A double-pawl winding system builds up a 68-hour energy reserve within the mainspring. The complicated 474-part motion, with its blackened bridges and skeletonised rotor, will be noticed by way of the tinted sapphire caseback. Value to be confirmed. Extra data at iwc.com.
