Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
IWC Schaffhausen · Pilot's Watch
IWC Schaffhausen Pilot's Watch 36 mm Meteorite 18k
Reference 42078OR.79
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- IWC Schaffhausen
- Collection
- Pilot's Watch
- Model
- IWC Schaffhausen Pilot's Watch 36 mm Meteorite 18k
- Reference number
- 42078OR.79
- Year / era
- 1976 · 1970s — quartz-crisis era
- Complication
- Time only
- Movement
- In-house manual-winding
- Case material
- 18k rose gold
- Dial type
- Meteorite
- Strap / bracelet
- Oyster bracelet
- Water resistance
- 100 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 36 mm
- Case thickness
- 14.1 mm
- Case material
- 18k rose gold
- Bezel
- Bidirectional 24-hour Cerachrom
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Meteorite
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Printed minute track with applied batons
- Bracelet / strap
- Oyster bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 100 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 49B — In-house manual-winding
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 10 days
- Number of jewels
- 27 jewels
- Complications
- Time only
- Functions
- Hours, minutes, small seconds
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1976 – 1992
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Consistently trades above retail; waiting lists at authorised dealers remain long.
Designer
Emmanuel Gueit
Emmanuel Gueit came from a family of Geneva jewellers and was barely into his twenties when he drew the oversized Royal Oak Offshore in 1993 — a watch the house's traditionalists resisted and collectors turned into an icon.
Historical significance
IWC Schaffhausen Pilot's Watch 36 mm Meteorite 18k sits within IWC Schaffhausen's Pilot's Watch line, introduced in 1976. It carries the house codes established since 1868 — 18k rose gold case, meteorite dial and in-house manual-winding — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
The House
IWC Schaffhausen
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1868
- Founder
- Florentine Ariosto Jones
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Luxury
- Major collections
- Portugieser, Pilot's Watch, Portofino, Ingenieur, Aquatimer, Da Vinci
- Signature technologies
- Proprietary case-hardening and polishing · Shock-absorbing movement mounting · Certified chronometer regulation
- Famous movements
- In-house manual-winding · In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer · In-house automatic chronograph · In-house automatic, chronometer certified
- Notable watches
- IWC Schaffhausen Portugieser 38 mm Blue 18k (2000) · IWC Schaffhausen Portugieser 40 mm Black Carbon (1962) · IWC Schaffhausen Portugieser 38 mm Silvered 18k (1987) · IWC Schaffhausen Portugieser 36 mm Slate Grade (1991)
Brand history
IWC Schaffhausen has spent more than 158 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Portugieser, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Florentine Ariosto Jones established IWC Schaffhausen in 1868, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every IWC Schaffhausen calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1868
Florentine Ariosto Jones founds IWC Schaffhausen in Switzerland.
1899
IWC Schaffhausen earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces IWC Schaffhausen to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
IWC Schaffhausen enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
IWC Schaffhausen continues to produce Portugieser, Pilot's Watch, Portofino and other icons in limited numbers.
More Pilot's Watch
IWC Schaffhausen Pilot's Watch 39 mm Green Grade
Ref. 26554OR.54
IWC Schaffhausen Pilot's Watch 39 mm Black Stainless
Ref. 42954ST.89
IWC Schaffhausen Pilot's Watch 41 mm Mother-of-pearl Quartz
Ref. 78732OR.75
IWC Schaffhausen Pilot's Watch 38 mm Blue Stainless
Ref. 41547ST.91
IWC Schaffhausen Pilot's Watch 44 mm Blue Quartz
Ref. 58748OR.86