IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph Le Petit Prince (IW3777-14)

To mark the occasion, IWC invited around 100 prominent guests, including car enthusiasts from the worlds of Swiss business, politics and the media, to The Dolder Grand Hotel in Zurich. The star attraction of the evening, much to the delight of the assembled guests,  was a vehicle that has gone down in the annals of motorsport and laid the foundations for that legend: the Mercedes-Benz W 25. The vehicle set up the course record in 1934 and came in for a pit stop in Zurich on its journey back to the course on the Klausen Pass in central Switzerland.  "For decades, IWC has carved out a name for itself with its passion for outstanding engineering and technical achievement combined with precision of the highest order. These are attributes that unite us with motor sport in general and more especially with the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team, of which we are the Official Engineering Partner. Both partners are keenly aware of their roots and their historic legacy. And our decision to send the Mercedes-Benz back to the Klausen Hill Climb is a tribute to the birth of the Mercedes Silver Arrow." explained Linus Fuchs, IWC Managing Director Switzerland.  
From the moment they entered the foyer of The Dolder Grand, guests were transported back to the 1920s and 1930s - the era of the original Klausen Hill Climb races. Countless mementos of the time, including breathtaking black-and-white photographs and film footage, the original poster - a painting - for the race in 1934, Rudolf Caracciola's registration, the Mercedes-Benz W 25's victoryin 1934 and the original timekeeping equipment.  An exhibition dedicated to the Silver Arrow provided an introduction to the IWC Schaffhausen Ingenieur watch line tradition. Guests also had a unique opportunity to watch an IWC watchmaker at work. The designer engineers at IWC Schaffhausentook were inspired by the W 25 when they relaunched the Ingenieur watch collection in 2013 and they dedicated one particular timepiece to a vehicle with a glittering past: the Ingenieur Chronograph Silberpfeil (Ref. 3785).
Well-known Swiss presenter Rainer Maria Salzgeber was MC for the evening's festivities and chatted to Linus Fuchs and Michael Bock, Head of Mercedes-Benz Classic, about the background to the team's entry in this year's Klausen race. Michael Bock gave a fascinating insight into the complex business of preparing a historic and extremely valuable racing car like the Mercedes-Benz W 25 for its return to motorsport. Fritz Trumpi, the man behind the 11th International Klausen Hill Climb, and automobile historian Urs Paul Ramseier treated the audience to more details about the car's background together with a wealth of exciting anecdotes. The absolute highlight of the evening, however, was the moment when the wraps were lifted to reveal the W 25 with the characteristic silver aluminium bodywork that earned this vehicle the nickname "Silver Arrow". The W 25 on display is the last roadworthy model in the series and at the same time the jewel in the crown of the Mercedes-Benz Classic collection.
The Mercedes-Benz W 25 of 1934 was meticulously prepared for its return to the Klausen Hill Climb at the Mercedes-Benz Classic workshops in Stuttgart. Almost eighty years after its victory on the Klausen Pass and RudolfCaracciola's record-breaking time of 15:22.20 minutes, IWC Schaffhausen and the registration of the IWC Mercedes- Benz Classic have paved the way for the return of this magnificent vehicle. Between 1922 and 1934, the world's top racing drivers gathered in central Switzerland to battle it out at hair-raising speeds on the 21.5-kilometre gravel road to the top of the Klausen Pass. After its stop-off at The Dolder Grand, the Mercedes-Benz W 25 resumed its journey to the starting line for the 11th International Klausen Hill Climb, which brings together racing greats from present and past. One of the stars of the event is sure to be Roland Asch, German hill climbing champion and twice DTM runner-up. Though Asch is now retired from his career as a racing driver, his passion for motorsport and racing cars remains undiminished. As one of the few individuals who know how to drive a Mercedes-Benz W 25, he will be wearing the number 65 for the IWC Mercedes- Benz Classic team, just as Rudolf Caracciola did in 1934.