This was a big year for IWC. Celebrating their 150th anniversary, IWC launched an ambitious and impressive social media campaign to promote a slew of new watch offerings for the 150th Jubilee Collection honoring a milestone the brand is rightfully proud of. Among the models were three new additions to the Pilot Collection. The first was an affordable pilots watch, the second featured an annual calendar complication, and the third is the IWC Big Pilots Watch Big Date Edition 150 Years (we are going to call it the Big Date Jubilee henceforth) with both a white and blue dial option. While many of those models were simply a design refresh or new dial color, the Big Date Jubilee adds an entirely new model featuring a large double-digit date display complication under 12 o clock a first for the Big Pilots collection, and a first for IWCs entire modern pilot line.Hands-on images by David BredanWith Georges Kern at the helm, IWCs strategy was to take existing collections and utilize the SIHH stage to overhaul and re-release one collection each year. Because of the simple, straightforward cycle, the releases were coherent, attractive, and some would say expected. Arguably pioneering a successful strategy, Kern eventually left for Breitling, and has implemented a similar model starting with the Navitimer Collection. Being the first year without Kern (as some have rightfully pointed out the timing), the 150th Jubilee Collection broke that mold at SIHH 2018 and released 14 watches spanning over the Pallweber, Portugieser, Portofino, Da Vinci, and Pilots collection. Though, the Big Date Jubilee has been a clear crowd front runner, and my personal favorite of the lot. The Big Date Jubilee feels fresh, but still familiar. Like the others in the collection, the steel case measures in at 46.2mm but manages to shave a hair from the thickness, which measures in at 15.2mm despite the added Big Date function. Even still, at 15.2mm thick, we are approaching or passing many oversized 7750 based watches and paired with IWCs signature Big Crown, this watch, as expected, wears rather large on the wrist. I will say that the new polished case mitigates the size a bit because it presents a dressier timepiece, but it definitely demands some serious real estate. I do have to give the watch credit where its due. Despite it being noticeable and overstated, it doesnt necessarily feel flashy and thats not something I can say often about a polished watch of this size.Pilot watches, by nature, need to be legible, and I would argue that while there are many brands that sell pilots watches, IWC has been a dominant figure in the space, and one that has consistently impressed with their ridiculously legible and coherent designs. The Big Date Jubilee is no exception. If theres one thing this watch cant be accused of, its being difficult to read. The striking lacquered blue dial is superbly finished and almost resembles enamel, and the brilliant white markers and luminous sword hands (perfect length by the way) provide a fantastic contrast against it. Even with the wicked glare of the AR coating on the sapphire crystal, the date and time are easily picked out without much strain or hindrance. The signature triangle 12 o clock marker doesnt provide too much clutter above the Big Date, and the sub-seconds blends nicely against the dial. I applaud IWC for creating a large enough sub-dial to be legible without cutting off the indices or numerals on either side something so many brands simply cant seem to get right.The Big Date complication does a fantastic job of melding into the dial without being a heavy or distracting feature. When I saw the initial press images, I was sure that IWC had a Pilots Watch with a Big Date but learned that they didnt. The Big Date complication has historically been reserved for the Portofino Collection, a testament to the subtlety of the added complication. While I would normally advocate for a matching date window, the contrast fits the watch nicely. IWC even thinly framed the display with a thin white border to make it even easier to pick out at a glance. Since the Portofino is the staple Big Date model in IWCs catalog, they used a modified version of what would have been the in-house 59220 calibre inside. Since the 59220 featured a day of the week and power reserve indicator, IWC stripped away the former and left the Big Date and small seconds counter while moving the 8-day power reserve indicator to the back of the watch creating the new calibre 59235. The hand-wound, 4Hz movement isnt visible through the caseback, save for a small window for the power reserve indicator. Im a little disappointed in the lack of an exhibition caseback to display the new movement, though I suppose the utilitarian nature of the watch overshadows the missed opportunity. Regardless, the open-worked power reserve indicator and 150 Years stamped caseback look neat and provide the watch with 60m of water resistance.The strap is going to be controversial and the only reason I say that is because many enthusiasts have a love-it-or-hate-it relationship with the dual rivets and sharp, wide-set taper of the Big Pilot collections strap options. Many find it intrusive, old-school, or downright unattractive, though Im on the team that finds it fitting into the collection. The Big Date Jubilee keeps the same style but utilizes black alligator leather instead of the standard calfskin offerings of previous iterations. To my recollection, this is the first time a modern IWC Big Pilot watch has used alligator leather in their designs. I feel the strap dresses up the watch without excluding it from a night downtown, but Im having a hard time vibing with it on this particular model. It certainly doesnt look bad or wear poorly, but I think swapping it for a dark brown or black calfskin strap without rivets would do a better job of dressing it up, and a dark blue leather with rivets would give it that sporty look I feel its flirting with. Instead, the Big Date strap splits the middle and included a little of both.The Big Date Jubilee is a great example of IWCs ability to tastefully introduce an all-new complication to a popular collection without taking a chainsaw to the overall design. Strap gripes aside, there was a lot of opportunity for gaudy, over-branded kitchyness when creating a 150th-anniversary piece. But instead, IWC stuck with what its been doing best lately: creating simple, elegant designs that dont skimp on utility or legibility, without degrading the existing collection. Though many of the 150th Anniversary models are just some fresh dial colors and minor aesthetic tweaks, the Big Pilot Jubilee is a welcome, entirely new model that doesnt disrupt one of IWCs most popular watch collections and I would like to see more of that trend in IWCs future. The IWC Pilots Watch Big Date Jubilee 150th Anniversary will be limited to 100 pieces in each dial color and come with a price tag of $13,800. iwc.com [...]