IWC Marks the Year of the Goat With a Titanium Pilot’s Chronograph
Gold, titanium, and three lucky goats
IWC Schaffhausen continues its tradition of celebrating the Chinese zodiac with a special-edition timepiece for the upcoming Year of the Goat. Limited to 500 pieces, the Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Year of the Goat (Ref. IW388310) introduces a gold-colored dial to the series, paired with black chronograph counters and housed in titanium. While previous Chinese New Year editions from IWC featured rich burgundy dials in the Portugieser collection, the latest release brings the zodiac theme to the storied Pilot’s Watches lineup, adding a new color palette and distinctive cultural details to the brand’s performance-oriented chronograph.
IWC Pilot's Performance Chronograph 41 Year of the Goat
IWC Schaffhausen
A Golden Dial for the New Year
The Year of the Goat begins on February 6, 2027, according to the Chinese lunar calendar. The eighth sign in the 12-year zodiac cycle, the goat is traditionally associated with kindness, compassion, gentleness, and beauty. Its Chinese name, yáng, also carries auspicious connotations, linking the animal with good fortune and positive energy. In Chinese culture, the motif of three goats has long symbolized bliss and the arrival of a favorable new cycle.
Gold, meanwhile, is associated with prosperity, fortune, and prestige, making it a fitting choice for a watch intended to mark the occasion. The gold-colored dial is a first for IWC’s Chinese New Year editions, which have previously favored burgundy tones. The snailed black chronograph counters are arranged in IWC’s characteristic vertical subdial layout, with the elapsed minutes displayed at 12 o’clock for enhanced readability.
Another practical feature is the day-and-date indication at 3 o’clock, which contains another nod to the Chinese New Year: on the eighth day of each month, the Chinese character for “goat” appears in the aperture instead of the numeral 8. The color scheme is completed by gold-plated hands, markers, and Arabic numerals coated with Super-LumiNova for nighttime readability.
As is typical of IWC’s aviation-oriented Pilot’s Watches, the dial is protected by a convex sapphire crystal with antireflective coating on both sides. The crystal is also secured against displacement caused by sudden drops in air pressure.
The titanium case measures 41mm by 14.7mm and combines brushed surfaces with polished edges. It is fitted with a black ceramic bezel bearing a tachymeter scale and is water-resistant to 100 meters.
IWC Caliber 69385
IWC Schaffhausen
Three Goats for Good Fortune
IWC’s manufacture caliber 69385 powers the watch, delivering a 46-hour power reserve at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour, or 4 Hz. The automatic movement features a column-wheel-controlled chronograph, with the elapsed hours and minutes displayed at 9 and 12 o’clock, respectively, and small seconds at 6 o’clock. A day-and-date display at 3 o’clock adds everyday functionality.
Visible through the sapphire crystal caseback, the gold-plated oscillating weight depicts three goats, a traditional Chinese symbol of bliss and good fortune. The motif dates back thousands of years and is associated with the I Ching, or Book of Changes, in which yang represents positive energy and the beginning of a new cycle.
The Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Year of the Goat is fitted with a black calfskin strap featuring IWC’s EasX-CHANGE system. Pricing is set at $13,100 before tax.
