IWC Big Pilot 5004......a few months of wear

[benjomd]

OK, first of all, this wont be in the market soon. Just thought of sharing my impressions of this piece after nearly a month of use..
I wasn't impressed by this model when I first saw one a couple of years back. Anyway, I had the chance to get one almost a month back and I took one in thinking it is a desirable piece and I could easily flip it if I didn't grow on me. A few days of wear and I'm hooked, finally understood why most people who took one in kept theirs swear by it.


Manufacturers specs:

Big Pilot's Watch
* Reference: IW500401
* Case material: stainless steel
* Soft-iron inner case for protection against magnetic fields
* Case Dimensions: Case height 15.8 mm, Diameter 46.2 mm
* Bracelet/Strap: black alligator leather strap
* Movement: Calibre: 51111
Pellaton automatic winding
7-day power reserve when fully wound
Power reserve display
Glucydur®* beryllium alloy balance with high-precision adjustment cam on balance arms
Breguet spring
Date display
Central hacking seconds
* Screw-in crown
* Sapphire glass, convex, anti reflective coating on both sides and secured against displacement by drop in air pressure
* Water-resistant 6 bar
* Dial color: black


Case
Case is mostly brushed, polished on the very small bezel nicely finished.
First when I saw it years back, I thought the size was unreasonable bordering non wearable (and I was wearing Pams that time).
I did realize that the 46.2mm diameter wears smaller than it actually is and is not that heavy. I even think it is a tad more comfortable than my 243 which is 44mm,







Caseback
The case back has the usual IWC stamp, its a solid caseback but I wish they did a viewable caseback as the 5001 since the 51111 movement is a joy to view, and since the WR is at 60M anyway, its doable.





Movement/ Accuracy
Movement is in house 51111 7 days PR, Its quite convenient not winding/wearing it for 6 days and its still ticking when you wear it again. As for accuracy, I have read a lot in the forums regarding this and mine is true to form, + 10 to 15 seconds a day as have been discussed in other forums. Room for improvement here...


Crystal
Crystal is very very very slightly domed, meaning almost flat. I would have liked it more domed, I actually expected it to be more domed. The AR coating does the job well, it isn't easily smudged as my Sinn (mind you I love the Sinn AR)





Crown
Crown is screw down, which gives me the confidence of WR, It is HUGE, easily operable. It has the nice Probus Scafusia logo. It doesn't poke the back of my hands but I think its due to the way I wear my watches, quite higher up the arms. Winding is very easy, takes around 10-15 rotations to raise the PR a day.






Dial / Hands
Dial is almost full, very legible, clear and quite uncluttered. Would have liked the 9 marker of the 5002 but would prefer the black date wheel on the 5004. The red on the PR indicator made the dial more interesting (just for my taste). Exactly to my liking, pure (almost) , clean, simple and easy readability. Lume is mediocre but I wouldn't mind if it has no lume at all.








Strap / Buckle
The strap is thick and tapers down to the buckle. It is 22mm wide and 18 at the deployant. It is comfortable the tapering makes it comfy so when you move your wrist, it isn't obtrusive at all. The black OEM alligator strap is well made.
The buckle is a single fold friction deployant and is very solid, it gives you the confidence that it is secured when you close, it gives a loud solid click. It is stamped and I do like the thickness of the deployant, it balances to the heft of the whole piece.







Packaging / Manual
Usual outer inner box, bigger than usual, Manual is easily understandable, warranty cards, etc. I would have appreciated a strap changing tool, a good quality spring bar removal tool would be welcome.







Overall Impression
Well, overall, I think its is a very comfortable big watch. It grows on you, very simple but with dominating wrist presence. Easily operable, desirable movement ( could do better with accuracy ). I can understand why owners love theirs despite the timekeeping. To sum it up, if I would be refunded my purchasing cost for this watch, I would still go for it again.


cheers..........

[pdks]

This is a classic pilot's watch. A grail piece. Love that crown!

Thanks for taking the time to put together an excellent review.

[lvt]

A perfect package

A transparent caseback would be a big plus.

[slashd0t]

Great review and I agree with everything you've said... Once you put on a BP you never want to do without... I made the mistake of trying one on at an AD thinking "one day I'll own this"... Within the year I had figured out a way to own one.. Now I do and I love it more and more each day..

Mine runs +12ish per day too and I just don't care.

[pdks]

Lovely photographs of a very special watch. Thank you for the review!

[mxzylptlk]

Indeed a great watch. I love it in all fairness. but dont get offended, time and again th Glucydur balance is not owned by IWC as they have declared it even in their own forums. in total it is an ETA movement of which they have developed and manufactured. Go to their official website and you can see their declaration. But still i love the watch, just an input.