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A Tribute to the Legend and to Charity

The Big Pilot’s Watch Edition Muhammad Ali – ONE OUT OF ONE
Phoenix, Arizona, March 26, 2012 – A unique timepiece from Swiss watch manufacturer
IWC Schaffhausen went under the hammer last Saturday at Celebrity Fight Night. Having long been supported by The GreatestTM*, Muhammad Ali, the star-studded gala event was established to raise funds for the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center. This was the 18th time that the former heavyweight champion had invited his friends from show business to come along and demonstrate their support for his charity. The live auction for IWC’s Big Pilot’s Watch Edition Muhammad Ali in white gold attracted an impressive winning bid of USD 60,000.

“The man is an icon: simply one of the world’s greatest sporting personalities of our time,” said
IWC CEO Georges Kern. “That was the reason we decided to mark Muhammad Ali’s 70th birthday
in January with a special watch in white gold in honor of the man who was once voted
Sportsman of the Century.” As a fitting tribute to this exceptional sportsman, IWC Schaffhausen
selected a legendary watch from its own illustrious history: the Big Pilot’s Watch. IWC has been making professional Pilot’s Watches for more than 70 years, and one of the most successful
models in their portfolio is the largerthan- life Pilot’s Watch, which has been boosting
the adrenalin levels of watch lovers and aviation buffs since it was first unveiled in 1940. A unique
version of this amazing timepiece in white gold was auctioned off at the annual Celebrity Fight Night in Phoenix, Arizona, with the proceeds going entirely to the Muhammad Ali Center in
Louisville, Kentucky. The Center’s mission is to preserve and communicate the legacy and ideals
of Muhammad Ali, to promote respect, hope, and understanding, and to inspire adults and children everywhere to be as great as they can be. IWC donated this watch alongside another tribute in the form of a monumental tome: “GOAT – Greatest of All Time.” Weighing 75 pounds and measuring 20320 inches, with over 3,000 illustrations by more than 150 photographers and
artists, the book is a celebration of Ali’s life and a literary event in its own right. The auction
package found its new owner for the enormous bid of USD 60,000. Lonnie Ali expressed her
appreciation: “IWC created more than a beautiful watch – they honored my husband, his dedication to charity, and at the same time helped support the Muhammad Ali Center.”

Celebrity Fight Night Meets IWC’s Social Commitment
This was the 18th occasion on which the former heavyweight champion had invited guests to
Celebrity Fight Night. Well-known faces like soul legend Lionel Richie, actor and comedian Billy
Crystal, five-time heavyweight world champion Evander Holyfield, and many other famous faces
from the world of showbiz supported the gala. Many of them made a personal gesture of support
for the good cause. Oscar winner and Hollywood actress Halle Berry, for instance, and
tenor Andrea Bocelli offered a dinner in their company to the winning bidder. Over the years,
the gala has been a resounding success, drumming up over USD 70,000,000 for good causes. Many charitable organizations have profited from the enormous generosity of its guests, and
countless people’s lives have been changed for the better. For Swiss watch manufacturer IWC
Schaffhausen, corporate social responsibility is a top priority, as is active commitment to climate
protection and to the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. The latter is globally active and uses sustainable sports projects to give disadvantaged children the prospects of a new and
more independent life. “Muhammad Ali’s greatness wasn’t restricted to his career as a boxer,”
says Georges Kern. “He’s done an enormous amount outside the ring for his fellow men.”

A Tribute to the Legend
The Big Pilot’s Watch Edition Muhammad Ali is a fitting tribute to the great man’s achievements
in sports and in society as a whole. The dial design of the Edition Muhammad Ali is modeled
unmistakably on the historic Big Pilot’s Watch of 1940. The clearly organized matte-black dial, the
arrowhead index at “12 o’clock”, and the bold, luminescent numerals and hands guarantee
minute-perfect legibility of the time regardless of lighting conditions. It features an unusual
combination of hands and appliqués, highlighted with signal-red Super-LumiNova®, which
gives the watch a unique, sporty, and distinctly masculine look. The red is mirrored on the inside
of the black alligator leather strap and its selection was no coincidence: in fact, it references
the favorite color of Muhammad Ali, who often wore red boxing gloves for his fights. The
case back shows the signature of the Sportsman of the Century and an inscription reading “Edition Muhammad Ali, ONE OUT OF ONE.”

Inner Values
As any watch lover will tell you, the beauty of an exclusive timepiece designed and produced
in the manufacturer’s own workshops lies not only in its looks: ticking away inside the case is
the highly sophisticated mechanism that makes the Big Pilot’s Watch a hero in its own right. Its 51111 caliber – the largest automatic movement ever manufactured by IWC – contains all the
features that have proved their worth in the long history of IWC mechanical watches. Within no
time at all, the spring-mounted rotor and Pellaton pawl-winding system build up a power reserve
of over 7 days, before the movement is mechanically brought to a halt by a complex train in the
power reserve after exactly 168 hours. Stopping the movement before the tension in the spring
is exhausted eliminates the danger of diminishing torque in the mainspring. This ensures
the same level of accuracy the whole time the watch is running. The power reserve display at
“3 o’clock” provides a reliable indication of the time remaining until the movement comes to
a stop. The enormous crown is a memento of those pioneering days of aviation when pilots
were exposed to the elements in unheated – or even open – cockpits. To combat this, they wore
quilted flying suits and thick gloves, which made it difficult for them to wind and set their watches,
hence the need for an unusually large, chunky crown. IWC CEO Georges Kern is proud of the
auction’s outstanding result: “We are absolutely delighted that this exclusive and unique timepiece
has been able to make such a significant contribution to Muhammad Ali’s charitable
causes.”

Photographs and film footage from the event
night can be downloaded free of charge from:
www.photopress.ch/image/IWC/Celebrity-
Fight-Night-2012
www.image.net
(free online registration required)

IWC Schaffhausen
With a clear focus on technology and development, the Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen has been producing watches of lasting value since 1868. The company has gained an
international reputation based on a passion for innovative solutions and technical ingenuity.
One of the world’s leading brands in the luxury watch segment, IWC crafts masterpieces of
Haute Horlogerie at its finest, combining supreme precision with exclusive design. Active
climate protection and ecological responsibility are part and parcel of the company’s philosophy.
The traditional Swiss manufacturer has lowered its carbon dioxide emissions by 90 percent in the
space of a few years and has been certified as a carbon-neutral enterprise since summer 2007.


* Muhammad Ali and associated brand names are trademarks of Muhammad Ali Enterprises LLC© MAE LLC.
This trademark does not belong to IWC.


Big Pilot’s Watch
Edition Muhammad Ali
Ref. IW500435
Limitation: ONE OUT OF ONE

Features: Mechanical movement, Pellaton automatic
winding, date display, power reserve display,
central hacking seconds, Glucydur® beryllium
alloy balance, Breguet spring, screw-in crown,
glass secured against displacement by
drop in air pressure

Movement:
Caliber 51111
Frequency 21,600 A/ h / 3 Hz
Jewels 42
Power reserve 7 days (168 h)
Winding automatic

Watch
Materials: 18-carat white gold case, matte-black dial, hands and appliqués highlighted with
signal-red Super-LumiNova®, black alligator leather strap with red inner lining, folding clasp in white gold
Glass: sapphire, convex, antireflective coating on both sides Back white gold, special back engraving including signature of Muhammad Ali
Water-resistant: 6 bar
Diameter: 46 mm
Case height: 16 mm

Original Language: English