Anyone watching the upcoming Warner Bros. Picture’s action adventure “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” (in theaters internationally December 20 and North America December 22) can expect to discover the finest engineering from Schaffhausen in the underwater universe. IWC’s experimental division XPL, which drives cutting-edge developments in areas like advanced materials or g-protection, has outfitted the villains Black Manta, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Dr. Stephen Shin, played by Randall Park, with prop watches that glow brightly in red or blue. These prototypes have inspired two striking limited editions in the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer’s Aquatimer collection.
 

The Aquatimer Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month is available in two versions, both with black dials and black hands. Inspired by the glow colors of the movie prop watches, the first one (Ref. IW379405) features red Super-LumiNova® on the dial, the hands, and the inner rotating bezel indicating the dive time, and the second one features blue (Ref. IW379406). Super- LumiNova® is a high-tech ceramic compound blended with luminous pigments that essentially behaves like a light storage battery, using a physical phenomenon called phosphorescence. Light energy absorbed from sunlight or artificial light causes the electrons in the material to enter a higher energy state, where this energy is stored. When the electrons return to their normal state, they emit the absorbed energy as visible light, making the material glow brightly in the dark or under water. Both novelties feature cases, case back rings, crowns, and pushers made of IWC’s patented Ceratanium®. With case diameters of 49 millimeters, they are among the largest IWC watches ever produced.
 

Ceratanium^® is a performance material that combines the lightness and structural integrity of titanium with a hardness and scratch resistance similar to ceramic. It is based on a special titanium alloy forged to IWC’s specifications. The case components are machined from bars, finished by hand, and fired at extremely high temperatures in a kiln. During this heat treatment, the surface obtains properties similar to ceramic and also its characteristic color.

PERPETUAL CALENDAR WITH DIGITAL DATE AND MONTH DISPLAYS 

The main functional feature of these watches is the perpetual calendar with digital displays. The date and the month are shown with the help of rotating discs in a digital format on the dial, making it particularly easy and intuitive to read. The perpetual calendar is mechanically programmed to automatically recognize the different lengths of the months and the leap years. As a result, the combination of “29” and “02” will appear only once every four years on the dial. The IWC-manufactured 89802 caliber drives the calendar complication via a single nightly switching impulse. The movement also offers a chronograph function, which displays the stopped hours and minutes combined in a totalizer at 12 o’clock for better readability. The double pawl winding system converts movements of the oscillating mass in both directions to energy for the mainspring, efficiently building up a power reserve of 68 hours. The rotor in a technical design has been blackened in an elaborate nickel-plating process and can be admired through the transparent sapphire glass case back. 

IWC SAFEDIVE SYSTEM GUARANTEES SAFETY FOR DIVERS 

The Aquatimer Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month features IWC’s external/internal rotating bezel system for setting the dive time, helping divers to keep track of their oxygen levels, and making sure they do not return to the surface too quickly. It combines the enhanced legibility of an inner bezel with the ease of use of an external rotating bezel. The IWC SafeDive system prevents unintentional changes in the dive time, as the outer bezel can only be moved counterclockwise. Even if a diver accidentally moves the bezel, the dive time is never prolonged and the time after which they can return to the surface without the need for decompression stops is not exceeded. Like all Aquatimer models, it features the IWC bracelet quick-change system, enabling an easy exchange of the black rubber strap.

PRECISION IN MOTION

“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is set in an alternate world that merges reality with fantasy, and every single detail needed to reflect that. Fittingly, the human characters, Black Manta and Dr. Stephen Shin, are the ones wearing the technical, underwater watches that respectively glow red and blue. The collaboration between IWC and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” combines horology and storytelling, highlighting the attention to detail that defines both watchmaking and cinematography. 

The “Behind the Scenes” video can be watched on YouTube. 

The Aquatimer Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month is available through selected IWC boutiques. In addition, the watch is eligible for registration under the My IWC care program, benefitting from a 6-year extension to the standard 2-year International Limited Warranty, and comes with the My IWC Passport digital watch certificate.

ABOUT “AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM” 

Director James Wan and Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa—along with Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Nicole Kidman—return in the sequel to the highest-grossing DC movie of all time: “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.” Having failed to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta, still driven by the need to avenge his father’s death, will stop at nothing to take Aquaman down once and for all. This time Black Manta is more formidable than ever before, wielding the power of the mythic Black Trident,which unleashes an ancient and malevolent force. To defeat him, Aquaman will turn to his imprisoned brother Orm, the former King of Atlantis, to forge an unlikely alliance. Together, they must set aside their differences in order to protect their kingdom and save Aquaman’s family, and the world, from irreversible destruction. 
 

Directed by Wan, “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is produced by Peter Safran, Wan, and Rob Cowan. The executive producers are Galen Vaisman and Walter Hamada. The screenplay is by David Leslie Johnson- McGoldrick, from a story by James Wan & David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Jason Momoa & Thomas Pa’a Sibbett, based on characters from DC, Aquaman created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger. Joining Wan behind the camera is his sterling team of “Aquaman” artisans: director of photography Don Burgess, production designer Bill Brzeski, editor Kirk Morri, composer Rupert Gregson-Williams and music supervisor is Michelle Silverman. Visual effects supervisor Nick Davis and costume designer Richard Sale also join. 
 

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents An Atomic Monster / A Peter Safran Production of A James Wan Film, “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” set to open in theaters internationally beginning December 20, 2023 and in North America on December 22, 2023; it will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Established in 2000, Laureus Sport for Good harnesses the power of sport to bring about social change and to create a more promising future for disadvantaged children and adolescents. The organization currently supports more than 160 sports programs in 40 countries.

JAMES MARSDEN HOSTED THE AWARDS CEREMONY

IWC brand ambassador James Marsden hosted the Awards Ceremony together with Amanda Davies, the main sports anchor on CNN International. Also present at the festive gala in the “Salle des Etoiles” were several members of the IWC and Laureus family, including Olympic champion Fabian Cancellara, racing driver Maro Engel, and former Formula 1 driver and TV presenter David Coulthard. For the third year in a row, the Laureus World Sports Awards gala took place in Monaco.

NEW ACADEMY MEMBERS RECEIVED IWC LAUREUS WATCH

During the evening, the Laureus World Sports Academy welcomed Lorena Ochoa, Luciana Aymar and Missy Franklin as its new members. This exclusive circle of living sports legends is responsible for crowning the winners of the Laureus World Sports Awards each year. All new members received an Aquatimer Chronograph Edition “Laureus Sport for Good” (Ref. IW379507).

The timepiece is the 13^th special edition issued by IWC as part of its commitment to support Laureus. Available in a limited edition of 1000 watches, the sporty diver’s watch is powered by the IWC-manufactured 89365 chronograph movement with a flyback function. Housed in a rubber-coated stainless-steel case, it features a dial in distinctive Laureus blue. The back of the case features an engraving of the drawing by 15-year-old Melan from Sri Lanka. Melan's entry on the subject “Time to Learn” won him the annual drawing competition that IWC organizes each year together with Laureus within the programs supported by the foundation.

LAUREUS SPORT FOR GOOD

In 2018, nearly 300,000 young people all over the world directly benefited from more than 160 Laureus Sport for Good supported programs in 40 countries, working to end violence, discrimination and disadvantage by using sport as the tool for change. Every program Laureus supports is addressing at least one of the following six social issues, which are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals; Health, Education, Women and Girls, Employability, Inclusive Society, Peaceful Society.

The Aquatimer Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month Edition “50 Years Aquatimer” (Ref. IW379403) is limited to just 50 pieces. Its most striking feature is the Ceratanium ® case. The material experts at IWC have been working on the development of this particular composite based on a titanium alloy for more than five years. The special manufacturing process gives the metal a black, ceramic-like surface. As a result, Ceratanium® is as light and unbreakable as titanium, but also as hard and scratch-resistant as ceramic. The material also scores well for its high skin tolerance and corrosion-resistance. The dial is black, and some components of the IWC-manufactured calibre 89802 have also been coloured black, such as the rotor of the selfwinding system. The technical features include a digital perpetual calendar. This displays the date and month in large numerals in the style of a digital watch, automatically recognising different month lengths and leap years. The chronograph with flyback function displays stop times, combined in a totalizer at “12 o’clock”.

Like all Aquatimer models, this watch, which is water-resistant up to 10 bar, features an external/internal rotating bezel for setting the dive time. The IWC SafeDive system ensures that the internal rotating bezel can only be adjusted when the external bezel is rotated in an anticlockwise direction. As a result, even if the external bezel is accidentally moved, zero hour – the time at which the diver can return to the surface without the need for decompression stops – cannot be exceeded. Thanks to the quick-change system, the black rubber strap can simply be replaced with another strap.

The special-edition Aquatimer with a Ceratanium® case will be available in IWC boutiques from September 2017 at the price of CHF 50,000.

Ceratanium® is a trademark of Richemont International AG, a Swiss company, and is registered in many jurisdictions worldwide.

THE IWC SAFEDIVE SYSTEM PROVIDES EXTRA SAFETY

When diving with compressed air, divers must always keep an eye on the time to make sure they don’t put themselves in danger by returning to the surface too quickly. On the Aquatimer watches from IWC, the dive time can be set using the rotating bezel for extra safety. The innovative SafeDive system ensures that the bezel can only be adjusted by turning it anticlockwise. So even if the bezel is accidentally moved, zero hour – the time at which the diver can return to the surface without the need for decompressionstops – is never exceeded. Last but not least, the rubber strap on this Aquatimer model can easily be replaced with another strap thanks to the quick-change system.

The limited Aquatimer special edition will be available in IWC boutiques and from authorised IWC retailers from July 2017.