Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The IWC Pilot Watch Performance Chronograph Turns Gold for the Year of the Goat
For its 2027 Chinese New Year edition, IWC swaps burgundy for gold on its Performance Chronograph, with a gold-coloured dial and a goat-themed rotor.
IWC Schaffhausen has marked the Chinese New Year with some interesting special editions in recent years, most of them featuring burgundy dials, from the burgundy-and-gold Portugieser for the Year of the Rabbit to the dragon-themed edition that followed and the latest Year of the Horse watch. Up next for the occasion is yet another themed edition. For that, IWC has selected the Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41, a racing chrono watch that packs a column-wheel chronograph. For 2027, the Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Year of the Goat gets a gold-coloured dial, golden accents on the bezel, and a gold-plated rotor with a depiction of three goats.
The Performance Chronograph 41 has been around since 2023, giving the cockpit-instrument styling of the Pilot’s Watch a motorsport-focused treatment with its fixed tachymeter bezel. And, the Year of the Goat edition is created along the same lines, keeping the titanium case and black ceramic bezel, but the gold-coloured dial changes the overall look quite a bit. It still looks every bit the sports chronograph, only now there is a dressier side to it too. The gold-plated hands and golden markings on the bezel give it a bit of panache, and the contrast with the black ceramic bezel works particularly well.
The gold-coloured dial gives the Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Year of the Goat a very different look from the black-dial AMG editions, but the black sub-dials and bezel are keeping things closer to home. These three black sub-dials break up the gold-toned watch face, while the applied Arabic numerals keep the dial legible and in line with the Pilot’s Watch design. There is a reason behind the choice of gold too. In Chinese culture, the colour is associated with fortune, prosperity, and prestige, making it a natural fit for a watch marking the new zodiac year. The Year of the Goat begins on February 6, 2027, and IWC is limiting this edition to 500 pieces.
The most interesting details are found on the back and in the day-date display of the Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Year of the Goat. Through the sapphire caseback, you can see the gold-plated oscillating weight shaped like three goats. In Chinese culture, three goats symbolise bliss, which goes hand in hand with the gold dial that is already associated with good luck. The day and date display sits at 3 o’clock, as it does on the standard Performance Chronograph 41, but on the eighth day of each month, the numeral eight is replaced by the Chinese character for goat.
The rest of the watch stays true to the existing Performance Chronograph 41. Its titanium case measures 41mm across and 14.8mm thick. Powering this edition is IWC’s calibre 69385, an automatic chronograph movement by ValFleurier with a column wheel and a 46-hour power reserve. The movement runs at 28,800 vibrations/hour, and the watch is water-resistant to 100 metres. A black calfskin strap completes this special package, with IWC’s EasX-CHANGE system allowing it to be swapped without tools.
The limited-edition IWC Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Year of the Goat is priced at EUR 13,100 or CHF 10,400. For more information, please visit iwc.com.
