Some partnerships are built around aesthetics. Others are united by something deeper: an obsession with engineering what comes next.
For IWC Schaffhausen and Mercedes-Benz, that relationship stretches back 22 years. To mark Mercedes-Benz’s 140th anniversary under the theme “140 Years of Innovation”, IWC has unveiled the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar ProSet 140 Years Mercedes-Benz, a limited edition of just 140 pieces.
The watch combines the visual language of the Big Pilot’s Watch with one of IWC’s most significant recent developments in mechanical watchmaking: the Perpetual Calendar ProSet.
“For 22 years, we have been part of the Mercedes-Benz brand universe – and what began as a partnership has grown into a friendship,” says Chris Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen. “Our collaboration is rooted in shared values: a passion for world-class engineering, uncompromising performance, and visionary design.”
The anniversary comes as Mercedes-Benz marks the 140th anniversary of the automobile. As part of its celebrations, three S-Class saloons are travelling to 140 locations around the world, covering more than 50,000 kilometres across six continents under the “140 Years. 140 Places.” initiative.
The Perpetual Calendar, Re-engineered
The centrepiece of the new watch is not simply its Mercedes-Benz connection, but the technology beneath the dial.
IWC’s Perpetual Calendar ProSet rethinks one of traditional watchmaking’s most complex complications by making its operation remarkably intuitive. The calendar can be adjusted both forwards and backwards through a single crown position, without additional pushers or complicated changes to the crown.
Behind that apparent simplicity is an entirely mechanical system based on gears and protected by four patents.
The mechanism represents a significant evolution of IWC’s perpetual calendar expertise, which dates back to 1985 and the legendary watchmaker Kurt Klaus. To manufacture the intricate components required by the new system, IWC employs LIGA, an advanced microstructuring technology based on lithography and electroforming.
The result is a calendar designed to make an inherently complex mechanism feel almost effortless to use.
The watch displays the date, month, day and moon phase across four subdials, alongside IWC’s signature four-digit year display. Its double moon-phase indication is accurate to within one day every 1,040 years, while the IWC-manufactured 82665 calibre provides a 60-hour power reserve.
140 Years, 140 Watches
The 42mm stainless-steel case combines brushed and polished surfaces with a black dial, solid-gold appliqués and gold-plated hands. A black rubber strap completes the utilitarian yet refined aesthetic, while IWC’s EasX-CHANGE system allows it to be swapped without tools.
Turn the watch over and the anniversary narrative becomes more explicit. The sapphire-glass case back features the historic logo created in 1926 following the merger of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and Benz & Cie. It brought together the laurel wreath associated with Benz with Daimler’s three-pointed star, becoming the first logo of Mercedes-Benz.
The choice is fitting: the watch celebrates not simply an automotive anniversary, but a moment when two pioneering companies came together to create something new.
“Since 1886, Mercedes-Benz has never simply measured time, but defined eras,” says Mathias Geisen, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Sales & Customer Experience. “Together with IWC Schaffhausen, we celebrate a shared belief that true progress is born from craftsmanship, innovation, and attention to every detail.”
That philosophy has defined the wider partnership. IWC became a partner of Mercedes-AMG in 2004 and has served as Official Engineering Partner of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team since 2013. Over the years, the collaboration has produced watches inspired by everything from Formula One to the G-Class.
The new Big Pilot’s Watch, however, feels particularly appropriate for the occasion. Limited to 140 pieces, it brings together the history of Mercedes-Benz with IWC’s own pursuit of mechanical innovation — a reminder that after 140 years, the most meaningful kind of progress may still be found in making something complex work beautifully simply.
