Introducing the all new IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar TOP GUN Lake Tahoe watch as part of its Colors of Top Gun series. This newest complicated Big Pilot’s watch is crafted in the same white ceramic called IWC Lake Tahoe by IWC and Pantone, that was first introduced in the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun in 2022. The color is inspired by the white uniforms of the elite pilots and by the winter landscape around Lake Tahoe, which Top Gun flight school pilots frequently fly over.
While the high-tech ceramic case color isn’t new, the timepiece most certainly is – and it is taking the sports world by storm. In fact, just recently, avid F1 fans may have spotted Lewis Hamilton, Formula 1 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS team driver, wearing it. The 46.5mm watch boasts a black dial and black hands with white accents and white Super-LumiNova coating. It is equipped with IWC’s in-house-made perpetual calendar movement, caliber 52615, that was developed by Kurt Klaus in the 1980’s and that has enjoyed several improved iterations over the years. It tracks the different lengths of the months and the leap years – requiring no manual adjustment until the year 2100 (when the scheduled leap year will be skipped). Thanks to a specially developed gear train, the moonphase indication — a patented double moon phase that shows the moon in the northern and southern hemispheres — is so precise that it deviates by just one day every 577.5 years. The movement, visible via a sapphire case back, also boasts a Pellaton winding system and offers seven days of power reserve. Available as of July, this watch is one that is eligible for registration under the My IWC care program — meaning that owners can extend their standard 2-year International Limited Warranty by six years. First teased on the wrist of Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton at the Miami Grand Prix earlier this year, IWC has finally confirmed the existence of the IWC IBig Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar TOP GUN Lake Tahoe (ref. IW503008), releasing the impressive timepiece out into the wild as the latest watch to join their “Colors of TOP GUN” collection.
This new model takes the stark white ceramic case and black-and-white colour scheme of the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Edition “Lake Tahoe” (ref. IW389105), which was released at Watches & Wonders Geneva last year, and applies it to the Swiss watchmaker’s acclaimed Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar. People who keep a close eye on Formula 1, and in particular on 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton might have already spotted this one, but IWC has just unveiled its latest TOP GUN family member. And it’s a big one, literally. What started in 2022 under the Colours of TOP GUN name is expanded once more with the introduction of the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar TOP GUN Lake Tahoe IW503008. And sure, the concept of a coloured Big Pilot’s Watch with a perpetual calendar display isn’t entirely new, but looks oh-so-cool in full white ceramic! The ‘Colours of TOP GUN‘ sub-genre of IWC watches comprises a few colours so far, all executed in ceramic or Ceratanium. So far, we’ve seen the classical black ceramic, but also Mojave Desert beige, Oceana Blue, Woodland Green and Lake Tahoe white. It’s no surprise what this one is called, as the 46.5mm wide and fully white ceramic case screams ‘Lake Tahoe’ from top to bottom. The all-white look is bold and daring, and definitely won’t go unnoticed when on the wrist. It’s fitted with a pressure-protected sapphire crystal front and back, and a steel diamond-shaped crown. The matte black dial shows no surprises, as it spreads all QP indications around the dial in the familiar Big Pilot’s Watch way. There’s plenty of canvas to be used, so even with all this information, it remains legible thanks to the balanced subdials, sharp contrast and large hands. The indications include the time, obviously, paired with the date, day of the week, month, year, power reserve and perpetual moon phase.
