Warner Bros. Picture’s action adventure “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” was just launched in theaters internationally – December 20 and North America December 22. Movie fans and watch enthusiasts can expect to discover the finest engineering from Schaffhausen in the underwater universe.

IWC’s experimental division XPL, which drives cutting-edge developments in areas like advanced materials or g-protection, has outfitted the villains Black Manta, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Dr. Stephen Shin, played by Randall Park, with prop watches that glow brightly in red or blue. These prototypes have inspired two striking limited editions in the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer’s Aquatimer collection.

The Aquatimer Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month is available in two versions, both with black dials and black hands. Inspired by the glow colors of the movie prop watches, the first one (Ref. IW379405) features red Super-LumiNova® on the dial, the hands, and the inner rotating bezel indicating the dive time and the second one features blue (Ref. IW379406).

Super-LumiNova® is a high-tech ceramic compound blended with luminous pigments that essentially behaves like a light storage battery, using a physical phenomenon called phosphorescence. Light energy absorbed from sunlight or artificial light causes the electrons in the material to enter a higher energy state, where this energy is stored. When the electrons return to their normal state, they emit the absorbed energy as visible light, making the material glow brightly in the dark or under water.

Both novelties feature cases, case back rings, crowns, and pushers made of IWC’s patented Ceratanium®. With case diameters of 49 millimeters, they are among the largest IWC watches ever produced.

Ceratanium® is a performance material that combines the lightness and structural integrity of titanium with a hardness and scratch resistance similar to ceramic. It is based on a special titanium alloy forged to IWC’s specifications. The case components are machined from bars, finished by hand, and fired at extremely high temperatures in a kiln. During this heat treatment, the surface obtains properties similar to ceramic and also its characteristic color.

PERPETUAL CALENDAR WITH DIGITAL DATE AND MONTH DISPLAYS

The main functional feature of these watches is the perpetual calendar with digital displays. The date and the month are shown with the help of rotating discs in a digital format on the dial, making it particularly easy and intuitive to read. The perpetual calendar is mechanically programmed to automatically recognize the different lengths of the months and the leap years. As a result, the combination of “29” and “02” will appear only once every four years on the dial. The IWC-manufactured 89802 caliber drives the calendar complication via a single nightly switching impulse.

The movement also offers a chronograph function, which displays the stopped hours and minutes combined in a totalizer at 12 o’clock for better readability. The double pawl winding system converts movements of the oscillating mass in both directions to energy for the mainspring, efficiently building up a power reserve of 68 hours. The rotor in a technical design has been blackened in an elaborate nickel-plating process and can be admired through the transparent sapphire glass case back.

IWC SAFEDIVE SYSTEM GUARANTEES SAFETY FOR DIVERS

The Aquatimer Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month features IWC’s external/internal rotating bezel system for setting the dive time, helping divers to keep track of their oxygen levels and making sure they do not return to the surface too quickly. It combines the enhanced legibility of an inner bezel with the ease of use of an external rotating bezel.

The IWC SafeDive system prevents unintentional changes in the dive time, as the outer bezel can only be moved counterclockwise. Even if a diver accidentally moves the bezel, the dive time is never prolonged and the time after which they can return to the surface without the need for decompression stops is not exceeded. Like all Aquatimer models, it features the IWC bracelet quick-change system, enabling an easy exchange of the black rubber strap.

PRECISION IN MOTION

“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is set in an alternate world that merges reality with fantasy, and every single detail needed to reflect that. Fittingly, the human characters, Black Manta and Dr. Stephen Shin, are the ones wearing the technical, underwater watches that respectively glow red and blue. The collaboration between IWC and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” combines horology and storytelling, highlighting the attention to detail that defines both watchmaking and cinematography.

The “Behind the Scenes” video can be watched on YouTube. The Aquatimer Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month is available through selected IWC boutiques. In addition, the watch is eligible for registration under the My IWC care program, benefitting from a 6-year extension to the standard 2-year International Limited Warranty, and comes with the My IWC Passport digital watch certificate.