Unique IWC Watch to Honor de Saint Exupery

For the tenth year in a row, IWC is offering a sensational timekeeping rarity for the Internet auction. A unique IWC watch crafted in platinum will be presented at an auction to take place online at IWC's Web site in the period of Dec. 12-19. The bidders will also have a chance to compete for a rare first edition of 'Courrier Sud' ('Southern Mail'), the debut novel by Antoine de Saint Exupery, the book bearing the author's own handwritten dedication.

The one-of-a-kind timepiece to be featured on auction represents a special-edition 'IWC Pilot's Automatic Edition Antoine de Saint Exupery.' The IWC watch belongs to the limited edition of 1,929 pieces that were created to pay tribute to the publication date of the debut novel.

The exclusivity of the timepiece is marked by the fact that it is the only one to be encased in platinum. (The limited edition of the IWC Oilot's has also comprised 1178 watches crafted in stainless steel, 500 in 18-K rose gold, and 250 in 18-K white gold.)

The IWC Pilot's Automatic Edition Antoine de Saint Exupery is powered by an automatic movement. The timepiece sports the following peculiarities:

• a power-reserve display


• a sweep seconds hand


• a date display resembling the altimeter display in an aircraft


• a relief engraving on the back with the outline of the geographic range of operations in de Saint Exupery's age.

The famous French writer and aviator, the author of the internationally famous novel Le Petit Prince, was born in 1900 and it is believed to have disappeared in 1944 while involved in a flying mission to collect information on German troop movements during World War II.

The IWC watch, secured to the wrist with a brown buffalo-leather strap, reveals a 44-mm case and dial of the tobacco color marked with a silver A. Its large, luminous Arabic numbers and hands glow in the dark. As for the inner case of the timepiece, it is produced from soft iron.

The IWC watch has a screw-in crown and a convex sapphire glass with anti-reflective coating on both sides. The remarkable creation boasts 60-meter water-resistance.

The proceeds from auction will be donated to support a school named in Antoine de Saint Exupery's honor. The Ecole des Sables-Antoine de Saint Exupery is located in the West African country of Mali. The school provides education for children of the Tuareg, a wandering, nomadic people.

According to IWC, the December auction is expected to attract a lot of participants and feature exciting, competitive bidding.

IWC Schaffhausen, the luxury Swiss watch manufacturer, famous for its top quality Pilot's watches, have also provided sponsorship for the permanent exhibition of Saint-Exupery, having cooperated with the heirs to the aviator's estate. The exhibition is displayed in the biggest French aviation museum, the 'Musee de l'air et de l'espace' located in Le Bourget, not far away from Paris. Some of the exhibits in the museum have never before been presented on public display. The visitors may even see a part of the wreckage of de Saint Exupery's Lightning aircraft found on the seabed.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery was an adventurous aviator, discovering new flying routes in canvass-skinned biplanes. The talented writer, highly appreciated by readers for his poetic feel for the human condition, reflected his thoughts in his best-sellers that appealed to adults and children worldwide.


Look through the selection of fine IWC watches: