Le Petit Prince turns 70 with IWC Schaffhausen watches

Le Petit Prince turns 70 with IWC Schaffhausen watches

SINGAPORE - "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye," says this wise little prince.

With memorable quotes like these, the Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) novella by French writer-aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry continues to be much loved worldwide for its celebration of that child-like wonder.

To commemorate the 70th anniversary of Le Petit Prince this year, Swiss watch brand IWC Schaffhausen has celebrated this passage of time with two limited edition Pilot's Watch timepieces inspired by the beloved novella.

First made in 1936, the IWC Schaffhausen Pilot's Watch series was created for pioneering pilots and was thus made to withstand the extreme speed accelerations - also a fitting tribute to the Saint-Exupéry's contributions to aviation.

An engraving of the titular little prince is featured on the Pilot's Watch Mark XVII Edition "Le Petit Prince" ($7,500), limited to 1,000 pieces worldwide. A falling star on the second hand hints to the stellar inspiration of this self-winding, stainless steel timepiece, made more luminescent against its midnight blue dial. A classic brown calf-skin leather strap completes the polished look of the mechanical watch.

Clad in a handsome red gold case, the Big Pilot's Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition ($67, 000) brings the little prince to the forefront on its moon phase display. The famed watercolour artwork on Saint-Exupéry's novella cover has also been engraved onto a gold medallion, found on the watch rotor.

Besides telling time, this self-winding mechanical watch will count the leap years too. According to IWC Schaffhausen, the watch is said to require a trip to the watchmaker only at the turn of the century in 2100. The years divisible by four are leap years, excluding the exceptional years that are at the turn of the century; which is the case for the years of 2100 , 2200 and 2300 for instance.

So if you know of someone near and dear with a well-thumbed copy of Le Petit Prince, be sure to get your hands on one of these timepieces to treasure, while they are still available in store.

IWC Schaffhausen is located at Ion Orchard, #02-06, Orchard Turn, Singapore 2388801, Tel: 6509 9640 and The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, 2 Bayfront Avenue, #B1-126, Singapore 018970, Tel: 6688 7088.

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