If you think IWC has been catching their breath after reimagining the Ingenieur earlier this year, think again. The Schaffhausen-based brand has been busy dishing out high end watches over the last month ? headlined by the Big Pilot?s Watch 43 Tourbillon Markus BĂĽhler ? as well as heavy hitters through partnerships with automotive powerhouses. From complications to composite materials, there?s a lot to dig into here.

Travel back to winter 2008 for a moment. The global economy is still roiled in recession, the federal funds rate is zero, and IWC marches out one of the rarest and most distinctive references ever: the Big Pilot?s Watch Edition Markus BĂĽhler (Ref. 5003). Named after famed IWC apprentice Markus BĂĽhler, the watch featured airplane turbines on the dial and also on its movement. A few years earlier, BĂĽhler?s concept had won the top prize at the Prix IFHH de l?Horlogerie (now known as the Concours IHC), and IWC only made a limited run of twelve pieces. A decade and a half later we meet its successor, the Big Pilot?s Watch 43 Tourbillon Markus BĂĽhler. It?s platinum, it?s 43mm, and it?s a real unit. True to form, the turbine is back but has now been integrated into a flying (haha) tourbillon. IWC has crafted the turbine blades from a titanium alloy for weight saving and even repurposed its upper cage as the regulator. The hairspring is attached to one of the blades, allowing a watchmaker to adjust the zero crossing of the balance simply by turning the b...