Ceralume®: the culmination of forty years of ceramic expertise
Ever since it introduced ceramic to watchmaking in 1986, IWC Schaffhausen has continued to push the boundaries of advanced materials. Brown silicon nitride, black boron carbide, ceramic matrix composite (CMC): this expertise has become one of the Maison’s signatures. Last year, a new milestone was reached with the presentation of Ceralume®, a patented luminescent ceramic, first unveiled on a concept watch.
That ground-breaking material now officially enters the Pilot’s Watches collection through the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Ceralume® (Ref. IW505801), strictly limited to 250 pieces. Innovation meets one of IWC’s most emblematic complications: the perpetual calendar devised by Kurt Klaus.
One watch, two radically different expressions
The 46.5 mm case is crafted from white luminescent Ceralume® ceramic. It is paired with a luminescent white dial and a white rubber strap, both also enriched with Super-LumiNova® pigments. The indices and numerals are printed in a slightly different shade of white, while the grey hands are filled with luminescent material.
In daylight, the watch captivates through its shifting shades of white and grey, and through the interplay of matt and polished surfaces. Once darkness falls, the piece undergoes a striking transformation: the case, the dial and the strap emit a vivid blue glow for more than 24 hours, while the numerals and hands stand out as dark shadows against a fully luminescent dial. An unprecedented staging for a Pilot’s perpetual calendar.
Dial and movement glowing in the dark — Ref. IW505801.
Ceralume®: an innovative and ground-breaking ceramic
Ceralume® is the outcome of several years of development by the IWC XPL (Experimental) division, with the support of the Swiss specialists at RC Tritec, a leading authority in Super-LumiNova® pigments. The material behaves like a true accumulator: it absorbs light energy from the sun or from an artificial source and releases it as visible light, a cycle that can be repeated indefinitely.
Whereas conventional white ceramic is produced by blending zirconium oxide with other metal oxides, luminescent ceramic requires combining ceramic powders and Super-LumiNova® pigments with different particle sizes. To achieve a perfectly homogeneous mix, IWC’s engineers developed a dedicated ball-milling process: inside a rotating cylindrical drum partially filled with small balls, impact and attrition gradually grind the mixture into a finer and more uniform powder.
Ceralume® case, luminescent dial and the 52616 calibre: anatomy of a glowing Big Pilot’s Watch.
The perpetual calendar, one of IWC’s most iconic complications
The Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Ceralume® is powered by IWC’s legendary perpetual calendar, developed by Kurt Klaus in the 1980s. Mechanically programmed, it automatically accounts for the varying lengths of the months and adds a leap day at the end of February every four years.
The date, the day of the week, the month and the moon phase are displayed in four sub-dials, while the four-digit year display sits between 7 and 8 o’clock. IWC’s signature Double Moon® display shows the moon phase for both the northern and southern hemispheres, with a deviation of just one day every 577.5 years.
The 52616 calibre and the Pellaton winding system
The calendar module is driven by the IWC-manufactured 52616 calibre, beating at 4 Hz (28,800 vph) and featuring 54 jewels. Its Pellaton winding system, whose most heavily stressed components are made from virtually wear-free ceramic, delivers a power reserve of seven days (168 hours).
The luminescent story extends to the back of the watch: the “Probus Scafusia” medallion set into the rotor is coated with Super-LumiNova® so that it too glows in the dark. Visible through the transparent sapphire glass case back, the movement is decorated with circular graining and fitted with blued screws. The watch also features a pressure-resistant glass and is water-resistant to 10 bar.
Glow-in-the-dark effect of the luminescent ceramic case — Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Ceralume®.
An exceptional piece for IWC’s Pilot’s Watches collection
With the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Ceralume®, IWC Schaffhausen delivers far more than a stylistic statement. The manufacture pairs its most iconic perpetual calendar with a wholly new material developed by its XPL research division, offering a resolutely contemporary take on the Pilot’s Watch. To discover this 250-piece limited edition and the Maison’s full line-up, visit our dedicated pages for IWC Schaffhausen and for the IWC Pilot’s Watches family.
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