Following the London Boutique's successful evening when Dr Andrew Thomas shared his passion for IWC, it was Thang's turn to share his passion for Big Pilot watches. The bringing together of like minded people, who cope with the seemingly irrational urge to own expensive mechanical watches, is a very welcome initiative of the IWC management in London. Thang's passion is for the Big Pilot and he has started a collection of highly desirable but rare Big Pilots. I thought it was appropriate to wear a Big Pilot for the occasion, my cherished 5002.
After sampling the Boutique's generous hospitality, Boutique manager Ciaran Grealish introduced the evening's speaker.
Thang had brought some Big Pilots and opened his presentation by telling us about his extraordinary life and career.
The presentation moved on to the start of IWC's history of producing watches for aviators, the development of the B-Uhr, the Mark 11 and the introduction of the 5002 in 2002.
Thang led us through the introduction of the 5004 and on to the incorporation of Kurt Klaus's ingenious module in the Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar editions.
We heard his accounts of how he chased and sought out rare editions such as the Big Pilot Tribute to Japan.
The time flew by and after a Q&A which could have taken up the rest of the night, we enjoyed more of IWC's hospitality and participated in animated discussions about our shared passion for the brand.
Once more, many thanks to Simon Chambers, Ciaran and the excellent team at the London boutique.
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