IWC Unveils New ProSet Technology For Perpetual Calendar Watches

Officially opening today, Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026 is underway. As always, the show promises so much excitement, from exceptional timepieces to brand ambassador appearances, interactive experiences and exhibits and more. Kicking it all off, IWC Schaffhausen turns the conversation technical, unveiling new perpetual calendar architecture in the form of the Perpetual Calendar IWC ProSet®. The technology — offering incredibly precise timing and over-the-top mechanics — is the result of five different patents and years of R&D and makes its debut in the form of three new Big Pilot’s watches.

Essentially representing a fundamental rethink of how a perpetual calendar is set, adjusted, and mechanically controlled, ProSet is a re-engineered perpetual calendar system that brings the brand’s already impressive perpetual calendar knowledge, prowess and accuracy to new heights. The patents include a bidirectional correction device, a calendar finger, a flexible finger and a new year display.

Understanding the IWC ProSet Perpetual Calendar Concept and System

ProSet is built around a fully synchronized, gear-based architecture. The result is a perpetual calendar that can be adjusted forward and backward using the crown in one position, without desynchronizing the calendar indications or risking mechanical conflict.

In practical terms, this new system ingeniously removes one of the biggest pain points in perpetual calendars: the complexity and caution required when correcting the display. Here, adjustment becomes linear, controlled, and mechanically safeguarded.

Accuracy is also pushed further. The signature Double Moon™ display—showing the lunar phase for both hemispheres—has been recalculated to a deviation of just one day in 1,044 years. Each cycle is advanced nightly in sync with the calendar mechanism, reinforcing the system’s integrated logic. The four-digit year display advances automatically as part of the same switching sequence, preserving IWC’s established perpetual calendar language while extending its mechanical precision.

Essentially,  IWC engineers reworked the calendar of the  in-house 82665 caliber, introducing multiple interacting layers of gears, including a program wheel, a month-length wheel, and a 24-hour switching system that now communicates across functions rather than operating independently.

A key to how the system works is the way it interprets month length. The month-length wheel carries variable profiles that trigger flexible mechanical “fingers.” These fingers alter how the 24-hour wheel engages at the end of each cycle, allowing the movement to automatically skip to the first day of the next month when required. Leap year correction is handled in a similar way through a dedicated four-year cycle wheel, which determines whether February requires an additional day. This information is mechanically transmitted through the same finger-based switching architecture, maintaining full synchronization across all calendar displays.

Powering the system is the IWC-manufactured 82665 caliber, featuring a Pellaton winding system, silicon hairspring, and nickel-phosphorus escapement. High-stress components in the winding system are executed in zirconium oxide ceramic to reduce wear and friction. The movement delivers a 60-hour power reserve, is water-resistant to 10 bar, and is visible through a sapphire caseback.

Producing this level of complexity and precision requires equally as advanced manufacturing. Several components are made using the LIGA process (lithography, electroplating, and molding), enabling extremely precise micro-structured geometries and multi-layer functional integration that would be impossible with conventional machining.

IWC Perpetual Calendar ProSet watches

The Perpetual Calendar ProSet is introduced in three distinct executions. The first is the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar ProSet Le Petit Prince in white ceramic. Housed in a 43mm case made from white zirconium oxide ceramic, this version leans into a modern, technical aesthetic. The deep blue dial features a subtle gradient effect, contrasted by white printed numerals and indices for maximum legibility. Rhodium-plated hands filled with Super-LumiNova® ensure visibility in low light. The watch is further equipped with the brand’s EasX-CHANGE® system. It retails for $41,600.

The second watch, the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar ProSet Le Petit Prince isa 42mm stainless steel piece with five-link steel bracelet. It boasts a deep blue dial and comes with a blue rubber strap and the brand’s EasX-Change system. It sells for $38,800.

Both of these Big Pilot’s Le Petit Prince models share a thematic detail on the movement side: a gold-plated rotor decorated with a medallion of the Little Prince on his asteroid, a visual signature linking the watches to the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry-inspired series.

The third execution, The Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar ProSet,  sits at the top of the range in 18-karat 5N rose gold. This version shifts the tone entirely. The 42mm case, crown, and caseback ring are executed in precious metal, and when paired with a dark olive green dial, the look is a bit more restrained and classical. Applied gold indices and gold-plated hands, both filled with Super-LumiNova®, reinforce the material continuity of the design. It is fitted on an olive green buffalo leather strap and sells for $54,700.