Earlier this week, at the 2018 Laureus World Sports Awards in Monaco, IWC launched its 12th special-edition timepiece in support of, and in cooperation with, the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. The watch, from the Schaffhausen-based brand’s Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII series, offers an eye-catching combo of a sleek black ceramic case with a deep blue dial.
The IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII Edition “Laureus Sport for Good Foundation” (Ref. IW324703), a limited edition of 1,500 pieces, features a 41-mm black ceramic case, fronted by a convex, nonreflective sapphire crystal and sealed by an engraved titanium caseback and a screw-down crown. The vibrant blue color used for its dial is a signature of IWC’s special editions for Laureus, and the luminescent coating used on the sword-shaped black hour and minute hands ensures excellent nighttime readability. The engraved image on the caseback, as on previous IWC Laureus editions, reproduces the winning entry of a children’s drawing competition that IWC organizes in cooperation with the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, a charity that supports more than 100 programs worldwide to use “the power of sport” to affect positive social change. This year’s winning drawing, chosen from more than 1,000 submissions, is by 11-year-old Ana Claudia from Brazil.
Inside the case, protected against magnetic fields by a soft iron inner case, ticks the movement, IWC’s automatic Caliber 35111, with 25 jewels, a 28,800-vph frequency, and a 42-hour power reserve. The antimagnetic protection is a historical hallmark of IWC’s Pilot’s Watches, which were built to withstand the conditions inside a cockpit; other aviator-friendly features include the hacking seconds function, which allows the wearer to easily synchronize the watch with a reference signal, and the securing of the sapphire crystal from sudden drops in air pressure. The watch comes on a black calfskin strap with an embossed pattern and retails for $5,650. Part of the proceeds from sales will be used to support the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.
