A rather special and slightly unorthodox limited-edition pilot’s watch from IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN.

“To break the rules, you must first master them.” Versions of this quote abound, credited to everyone from Mr Alexander McQueen to Mr Pablo Picasso (who is said to have put it more poetically, “learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist”). Watch fans will recognise the line as the advertising slogan of a very successful brand from Le Brassus, but it was one of the first things that came to mind when I saw the latest pilot’s watch from IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN.

IWC has genuine pedigree when it comes to pilot’s watches. It was one of the first watchmakers to establish what we even mean by the term. Big, sturdy cases with magnetic resistance built in, topped by black dials and high-contrast indicators, unsullied by extraneous complications, operated by oversized, knurled crowns and addressed with copious amounts of luminous paint for night-time use. Every watch fan can summon to mind the image of an IWC Big Pilot’s: it is the archetype of aviation timekeeping.

Here are two things you don’t think of when considering the pilot’s watch: a bronze case and a big date function. Neither of these would really have been a top priority in a WWII fighter cockpit. If you’ve been up long enough to check the date, something has gone awry with your mission, and bronze, while unarguably redolent of military ruggedness (especially with that green dial) is a stylistic rather than functional choice of case metal.

Are we saying this watch doesn’t make sense? Not a bit of it. IWC has the legitimacy to break these rules as much as it likes. And of course it’s hardly the first time it has expanded on the basic pilot’s template to deliver a broader interpretation of the military classic. The range is home to perpetual calendars, for a start, and the introduction of bronze cases over the past few years has made perfect sense for something that’s rooted in military procurement, but has come a long way since. (By the way, you do still get the same level of magnetic resistance thanks to an inner layer of soft iron.)

What makes this model special is its association with a project called The Longest Flight. Working with experts in heritage aviation and restoration at the Boultbee Flight Academy in Goodwood, England, IWC sponsored the restoration of a Supermarine Spitfire. Brought back to working order (in gleaming silver), this WWII fighter was then flown on a round-the-world trip, the first time such a feat had been attempted. Flying with a support crew, pilots Messrs Matt Jones and Steve Brooks made more than 100 individual hops to circumnavigate the globe. IWC equipped both men with its Timezoner world-time watch for the journey itself, but has produced this limited-run Big Date model to celebrate the completion of the journey – hence its full name, the Big Pilot’s Watch Big Date Spitfire Edition “Mission Accomplished”.

Materials: bronze and calf leather

Diameter: 46.2mm

Height: 15.2mm

Water-resistance: 60m

Power reserve: eight days

Price: £14,100