During 2005, IWC entered into a partnership with the Saint-Exupéry-d’Agay Estate whereby the heirs of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and IWC would collaborate in various ways especially relating to its interest in aviation, resulting their first retro-style chronograph reference IW3717. A man of dreams and adventure, Antonie de Saint-Exupéry was known not only for his most famous novel Le Petit Prince, he was also a French aviator and commercial pilot responsible for airmail routes and was part of the French Airforce during WWII. Considered as Saint-Exupéry most famous work, Le Petit Prince is a story of dreams narrated by a pilot stranded in the desert which parallels the author’s own experience in the Sahara Desert in 1935.
Sharing the passion of aviation and story-telling, IWC launched the firm’s homage limited series of the IWC Le Petit Prince models in 2013. During the production span, all models were fitted with a desirable blue sunburst dial evoking the mystery of the night sky of the little prince. The present model IW500916 was released in 2016, a Big Pilot’s watch in a limited edition with an oversized steel case permitting the use of large dials for high legibility, and a large crown for ease of setting the hacking (or stop-seconds) mechanism. Featuring a large luminescent triangle at 12 o’clock with two dots on either side, the design was intended to allow a pilot to immediately orient the watch in any position. Housed inside this timepiece is the IWC calibre 51111 that beats at 21,600 vph with a 7-days power reserve of a week-long of adventures.
Revealed on the caseback is the engraving of the famous prince in his cape and sword as a tribute to the classic tale. As quoted from Antonie de Saint-Exupéry, “Make your life a dream and a dream a reality.” The present timepiece is a combination of technology and poetry, and at the same time as a reminder to pursue one’s dreams. Preserved in excellent overall condition and further accompanied with its original warranty and presentation box, this is an excellent opportunity to acquire one of the IWC Le Petit Prince edition.