The IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Ceralume, reference IW505801, is a perpetual calendar pilot’s watch with a case made of Ceralume, IWC’s ceramic compound mixed with Super-LumiNova pigments so that the whole case glows. The case measures 46.5 mm in diameter and 15.9 mm thick, with a screw-in stainless steel crown, a steel caseback ring, a convex sapphire crystal secured against sudden drops in air pressure, a sapphire caseback and 100 m water resistance. The white dial is also saturated with Super-LumiNova, with grey hands and markers that show as dark silhouettes against a blue glow at night. The in-house automatic calibre 52616 runs at 28,800 vph (4 Hz) on 54 jewels, with Pellaton winding reinforced by ceramic components, twin barrels and a 7-day power reserve shown on the dial. The perpetual calendar displays date, day, month, four-digit year and a Double Moon for both hemispheres.

IWC first showed Ceralume as a prototype technology in May 2024 and presented this watch, the first series production in the material, at Watches and Wonders in April 2026. The calendar module traces back to the design Kurt Klaus engineered in the 1980s; it accounts for month lengths and leap years and needs no correction until 2100, while the Double Moon deviates by one day only after 577.5 years. The watch is fitted with a luminous white rubber strap and a stainless steel folding clasp, and the rotor carries a luminous Probus Scafusia medallion. It is limited to 250 pieces, priced at USD 76,300, CHF 65,000 and EUR 78,400.

aBlogtoWatch found the glow highly impressive and evenly matched across the case, dial, moonphase, strap and rotor medallion, and said the all-white look makes the 46.5 mm case wear smaller than expected. It also found the crown large enough to dig into the wrist, judged the case a poor fit for narrow wrists, noted the movement lacks IWC’s newer adjustment features and called the price premium steep. It described Ceralume as more matte and nearly porous compared with IWC’s glossy ceramics, advising caution with any new material. Monochrome praised IWC’s work on materials but said the watch prioritises concept over traditional readability. Its readers questioned the price for a non-precious material and its daytime legibility. The IW505801 is a limited edition of 250 pieces and remains available through IWC as of October 2026.