Marking an important milestone with the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Youth Foundation, IWC have released a brand-new Pilot’s Watch Automatic 36 Le Petit Prince!
Watchmaking is, by all accounts, an older person’s passion. That’s not to say there aren’t exceptions, but the appeal of a mechanical timepiece usually doesn’t emerge until later in life. With that said, everyone was a child once, and callbacks to the formative materials of one’s childhood can draw a powerful sense of nostalgia.
When that nostalgia serendipitously aligns with the values of IWC, however, collaborative efforts are absolutely warranted. For the last twenty years, that has been the case between IWC and the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Youth Foundation, releasing a myriad of models paying tribute to the acclaimed French author. At Watches & Wonders 2026, they have renewed their focus on their connection to Saint-Exupéry’s seminal literary work, Le Petit Prince.
Though it sits in the long shadow cast by IWC’s more bombastic new Le Petit Prince Perpetual Calendars, a new 36mm model has also joined the fray. It may not sound as exciting as its more technical counterparts, but the watch plays a vital role in rounding out the IWC roster. Additionally, it is one of the very few IWC watches that completely forgoes a date complication, and the only 36mm model with an in-house movement. Let’s get into it, shall we?
New & Improved, Yet Still A Classic
If you’re familiar with the two-strong roster of 36mm IWC Pilot’s Watches, then the dimensions of the new Pilot’s Watch Automatic 36 Le Petit Prince should hardly surprise you. At 36mm in diameter, it’s an easy, unisex wear, uplifted by IWC’s practical design DNA. As hinted, though, there is one major change. Compared to the 10.6mm thickness of the current 36mm duo, the new Le Petit Prince model trims it down to just 9.9mm.
This might not sound like much, but a 0.7mm reduction does wonders for wearability. On my wrist, it made the watch appear far less stubby than the previous models, resulting in a wearing experience that felt more tactile by comparison. Though I wasn’t able to measure the lug-to-lug, it was a non-issue for me given my 6.4in (16.3cm) wrist.
Further enhancing the wearability of the watch is the blue calfskin leather strap. While it loses some of the ‘cool’ factor of the previous Santoni alligator strap, it’s a small sacrifice, and one I believe was necessary. Given the simplicity of the Pilot’s Watch design, an alligator strap felt like it was caught between dramatic flair and pragmatic purpose. Interestingly, it doesn’t come with any interchangeable strap system, an omission that extends across the other 36mm models.
A Storied Past
The reasoning behind the Le Petit Prince collaboration is deeply intriguing, and informs much of the new aesthetic. The name comes from the eponymous children’s novella written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, itself a way for him to escape his personal struggles during the Second World War.
Le Petit Prince tackles mature themes from the perspective of its title character, expressing the importance of love, friendship and imagination to children who may have forgotten such virtues. Though it is available in over 600 languages with more than 140 million copies sold, I had never encountered it until I developed an interest in IWC. That, and a trip to South Korea where I came across Le Petit Prince in the colourful Gamcheon Culture Village of Busan.
IWC has long taken a vested interest in the life and achievements of de Saint-Exupéry, who also happened to be an aviator. As such, serendipitous collaborative pieces like this were born, with Le Petit Prince reflected in several aspects of the new Pilot’s Watch Automatic 36’s design.
IWC’s signature blue dial is evocative of the night sky, a recurring motif in the adventures of Le Petit Prince. White Arabic numerals provide stark contrast against the deep dial tone, while gold-plated hands have been added for additional legibility. It’s not exactly standard fare for a pragmatic pilot’s watch, but the added touch of class is welcome nonetheless.
Complex Simplicity
You might have noticed, though, that this watch has no date window. Previously relegated to the 43mm Pilot’s Watch variants, it’s nice to see a no-date version of the iconic IWC watch now available to a wider, or perhaps narrower, range of wrists. The change is more than just aesthetic, however, as it also indicates a shift in movement for the 36mm collection. You won’t see it when you turn the watch around, though an engraved depiction of Le Petit Prince awaits on the caseback.
Within beats the all-new automatic Calibre 32102, a first for the smaller Pilot’s Watches. It has all the hallmarks you’d expect from the rest of the 32000 series, including a 4Hz (28,800VpH) beat rate and a substantial 120-hour power reserve. The Cal. 32102 also follows in the footsteps of others in the series with silicon components, helping to reduce wear over time. Though it remains unseen, its presence is certainly felt. For those who have waited years for IWC’s in-house movements to make their way into smaller cases, it’s a welcome surprise amid their other releases for Watches & Wonders 2026.
Initial Thoughts
Being from Australia, I didn’t grow up on stories about Le Petit Prince. I was surrounded by other classics — Wombat Stew, The Rainbow Fish, and Where Is the Green Sheep, just to name a few. However, after learning more about it through IWC (and a lovely French woman who explained it to me in South Korea), it’s no wonder why the Schaffhausen brand continues to draw from the motif.
The collaboration not only activates childhood nostalgia, but also neatly marries the rich aviation histories and core values of IWC and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Alongside the new in-house movement, the Pilot’s Watch Automatic 36 Le Petit Prince feels like a natural progression in IWC’s enduring partnership, and an indication of where the brand is positioning itself within the horological industry.
Reference: IW458802
Specifications:
| Dimensions | 36mm case diameter x 9.9mm thickness |
| Case | Stainless steel |
| Dial | Sunray brushed blue with gold-plated hands & white Arabic numerals |
| Crystal | Flat sapphire |
| Caseback | Closed with Le Petit Prince engraving |
| Movement | Automatic Cal. 32102 |
| Power Reserve | 120h |
| Beat Rate | 4Hz / 28,800VpH |
| Water Resistance | 100m / 10bar |
| Strap/Bracelet | Blue calfskin leather strap with steel pin buckle |