What does it take to have a limited-edition timepiece from IWC Schaffhausen named in your honor? If you are naming the Big Pilot’s Watch Annual Calendar Edition Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, it would mean being an accomplished writer, poet, aristocrat, journalist, and of course, a pioneering aviator.
Perhaps best known for his novella, The Little Prince, which has been translated into 300 languages and dialects, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was the recipient of several of France’s highest literary honors. He won the U.S. National Book Award in 1939 for his non-fiction work Wind, Sand and Stars. Most of his writing occurred during a 27-month stay in North America at the conclusion of his service with the French Air Force in 1940. His original intent in coming to the United States was to persuade the government to join the war against Nazi Germany.