IWC Celebrates 140 Years of Mercedes-Benz with a Limited Big Pilot's Perpetual Calendar
Mercedes-Benz is marking 140 years since the invention of the automobile, and IWC Schaffhausen is joining the celebration with a limited edition: the Big Pilot's Watch Perpetual Calendar ProSet 140 Years Mercedes-Benz (Ref. IW329603). Only 140 pieces will be made.
Why 140 years
The anniversary goes back to 1886, when Carl Benz filed the patent for the first automobile. Gottlieb Daimler built his motorised carriage shortly afterwards. In 1926, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and Benz & Cie. joined forces, and the first common Mercedes-Benz logo was created. That 1926 logo now appears on the sapphire case back of the IWC watch.
The two brands have a long history together. IWC became a partner of Mercedes-AMG in 2004 and, in 2013, Official Engineering Partner of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team. Over these 22 years they have produced a series of special editions, including Big Pilot's Watches inspired by the Mercedes-AMG G 63. Read more about the early years of the partnership in our article IWC and AMG.
A perpetual calendar you set with the crown
The watch is based on IWC's new Perpetual Calendar ProSet, presented earlier in 2026 at Watches and Wonders Geneva. The mechanism works entirely with gears and is protected by four patents. Its main advantage is practical: all calendar displays can be adjusted forwards and backwards from a single crown position, without extra correctors or setting menus. The components are made using the LIGA process.
The dial shows the date at 3 o'clock, the month at 6, the day of the week at 9 and the moon phase at 12, with a four-digit year display between 7 and 8 o'clock. The moon phase is IWC's Double Moon display; thanks to a newly calculated reduction gear, it deviates from the real lunar cycle by only one day after 1,040 years.
IWC's first perpetual calendar, developed by Kurt Klaus, appeared in 1985. You can read about the watchmaker behind it in IWC legend Kurt Klaus.
Black dial, steel case, Pellaton movement
The 42 mm case is brushed and polished stainless steel. The black dial has solid gold appliqués, gold-plated hands and a minute track printed in white. Inside is the IWC-manufactured calibre 82665 with a nickel-phosphorus escapement, a silicon hairspring and bidirectional Pellaton winding reinforced with ceramic components. The power reserve is 60 hours. The watch comes on a black rubber strap with IWC's tool-free EasX-CHANGE system.
Specifications at a glance
- Reference: IW329603, limited to 140 pieces
- Case: 42 mm, brushed and polished stainless steel; sapphire case back with the 1926 Mercedes-Benz logo
- Movement: IWC calibre 82665, automatic, Pellaton winding, 60-hour power reserve
- Functions: hours, minutes, perpetual calendar with date, day, month, four-digit year and Double Moon moon phase
- Strap: black rubber, EasX-CHANGE system
IWC's announcement did not include a price. For availability, contact an IWC boutique or authorised retailer.
Source: IWC Schaffhausen press release, 13 August 2026. More about the brand: IWC Schaffhausen.
