IWC Leather Strap Watches

[ via IWC ]These are pics from the launch party, for the IWC Ingenieur Automatic Edition Zin��dine Zidane, that took place in Paris. Tony Parker, Eva Longoria, Zin��dine Zidane and Veronique Fernandez all attended the event.PRESS RELEASE:The famous IWC Ingenieur watch has been introduced in a commemorative, limited edition variant that pays tribute to a football legend. Presented in a series of 1,000 individual pieces, the IWC Ingenieur Automatic Edition Zin��dine Zidane watch commemorates the vibrant career and exceptional skill and stamina of Zin��dine Zidane. The Marseilles-born Zidane, who played for the clubs of Juventus Turin and Real Madrid obtained numerous titles, both national and international. Recognition for his outstanding accomplishments include three World Footballer of the Year awards, and the 1999 World Sportsman of the Year. The IWC Ingenieur Automatic Edition Zin��dine Zidane watch shares the case design, 120-meter water resistance, anti-magnetic protection, and exclusive Pellaton-winding 80110 caliber movement of the regular production Ingenieur Automatic. It is the many distinctive details which give this commemorative model its unique flavor; the blue dial and strap, both accented with red, evoke the national colors of France--the country which Zidane played 108 times for over a twelve year interval. Turning the timepiece over reveals an intricately detailed caseback which showcases an engraved portrait of the athlete and his signature, along with a circular designation for the model name, and the inscriptions "Zin��dine Zidane", and "World Championship 1998". Additionally, a small engraving opposite the serial number shows the numbered edition. This limited edition IWC timepiece was introduced by IWC CEO Georges Kern and Zin��dine Zidane himself, at a special event in Paris on June 16.

IWC Blue Big Pilot Limited Edition 7 Days Power ReserveKnown for their most elegant IWC Big Pilot series of watches, the Swiss watch manufacturer is going to present yet another limited edition of the popular line. Called IWC Blue Big Pilot Limited Edition, the watch will sport gorgeous blue-on-black color scheme and will be available only in select stores in California and Nevada.Just like all currently available Big Pilots, the new limited edition model will be powered by IWC’s Calibre 51111 automatic movement, which is said to be one of the largest automatic calibers in the world. Being a slightly modified version of an even older Calibre 50000 movement, the mechanism’s huge mainspring is capable of storing enough energy to run for as long as 200 hours.However, to keep the watch as accurate as practically possible, IWC’s engineers decided to make it automatically stop after precisely 168 hours, or seven days.Like the rest of the gang, the Blue Big Pilot will come in a fairly large 46.2mm x 15.8mm stainless steel case. Besides providing the timepiece with an undeniable sense of presence, this brilliantly finished huge steel case also hides an extra soft iron safety cage that greatly increases the watch’s antimagnetic properties. Of course, its iconic chunky diamond-shaped winding crown is in its usual place ready to dig into the back of your hand.My main complaint about this particular model is its color scheme. While the rest of the family features incredibly high-legible, high-contrast black-and-white dial layout, the Blue Big Pilot comes with all its indices and numerals painted in bright-blue SuperLuminova. Although the watch will undoubtedly provide superb reading in dark conditions, I am not so sure about other times and places.Another problem with this watch is that IWC decided not to tinker with the color of the calendar wheel, leaving it a standard white-on-black combination. Thankfully, this minor annoyance is partly balanced with a white-colored arrow on the power reserve indicator located, as usual, at 3 o’clock.Limited at just 50 examples, the IWC Blue Big Pilot Limited Edition will be sold only in a couple of boutiques in Beverly Hills, California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Each piece will reportedly feature a “One out of Fifty” wording engraved on its side. Duh!