fig. from above: Big Pilot's Watch Edition Muhammad Ali, limited to 250 pieces. Portuguese area at the 3.000 square-foot space, bi-level IWC flagship boutique New York City. Aquatimer area. Facade of the IWC flagship boutique on Madison Avenue in New York; photo: (C) Architron 2012.

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali's watch

On 25 April 2012, the Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen opened the label's US flagship store in New York City with the launch of the 'Big Pilot's Watch Edition Muhammad Ali'.

fig.: Hollywood actor Tom Hanks, legendary sportsman Muhammad Ali (wearing the Big Pilot's Watch Edition Muhammad Ali), and Tom Hanks' wife actress, producer Rita Wilson at Muhammad Ali's annual Celebrity Fight Night. Photo: Getty Images/Michael Buckner; (C) 2012 Getty Images.

IWC pays with the watch homage to Muhammad Ali's achievements in- and outside the box ring. The label states: "Ali has lived his life in accordance with a set of six core values that include respect, confidence, conviction, dedication, giving, and spirituality. It is these ideals that have propelled him to greatness and continue to give him the courage to stand up for what he believes."

Part of the proceeds of the tribute watch will be donated to the Muhammad Ali Center.

On occasion of the opening of the flagship store and the launch of the special tribute watch, twelve black-and-white photographs by Muhammad Ali's lifetime friend and chronicler of the boxer's career Howard Bingham are exhibited in the new IWC time pieces space on Madison Avenue.

The photos are exhibited until the end of May 2012. They were also selected for the book 'GOAT - Greatest of All Time' (contains over 3.000 illustrations by more than 150 photographers and artists) about Muhammad Ali's life; the book accompanies the watch in one package.

fig.: Howard Bingham, photographer and lifetime friend of Muhammad Ali, wearing an IWC Big Pilot's Watch. Photo: (C) Martin Ehleben.




more interior>