IWC Schaffhausen has donated the prototype Spitfire Timezoner for Revolution x The Rake Covid-19 Solidarity Auction that has been there since Pre-SIHH, SIHH, the take-off, signing of the Silver Spitfire, the stopover in Santa Monica and the landing in Goodwood.
IWC Schaffhausen
In 2019 two intrepid aviators, Steve Boultbee-Brooks and Matt Jones, successfully attempted to fly a Silver Spitfire around the world, taking in some of the most famous landmarks on the planet from the Grand Canyon in the West to the snow-capped peak of Mount Fuji in the East. IWC supported the project as a sponsor, and created this watch for the pilots.
They took off from Goodwood in England on August 5, 2019, on the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day invasion. The watch is cased in stainless steel and measures 46 mm in diameter. Similar in dimensions to the Big Pilot, it also uses a large onion crown and has a height of 15.1 mm.
The large size of the watch is good for legibility while on the job and the easy adjustments of the timezone using the bezel is a plus. Rotating the bezel sets the watch to a different time zone. The hour hand, the 24-hour display and the date are likewise adjusted automatically. The names of 24 cities are displayed on the bezel; each one represents one of the international time zones.
The timepiece on offer is the prototype that has been there since Pre-SIHH, SIHH, the take-off, signing of the Silver Spitfire, the stopover in Santa Monica and the landing in Goodwood. It’s really witnessed the story of the Silver Spitfire.
The watch is will also be accompanied by flight gear worn by pilot Matt Jones for part of the journey.
Says CEO, Christoph Grainger-Herr, “If we should learn one thing from Covid-19, then it is how the major challenges in our globalized and connected world can only be overcome through collaboration, ingenuity and respect for each other. This was also one of the inspirations behind the ‘Silver Spitfire – The Longest Flight’ project in collaboration with Boultbee Flight Academy and pilots Matt Jones and Steve Brooks: To demilitarize an aviation icon, bring out its beautiful silhouette and travel around the world to connect people of all backgrounds through the shared passion for beauty, engineering and adventure.
“I am very thrilled to support the Revolution x The Rake Covid Solidarity auction with this absolutely unique original prototype of the IWC Spitfire Timezoner, the perfect watch for globetrotting and worn by me at both the departure and the successful arrival of the Silver Spitfire in Goodwood.”
