Royal Turki bin Muhammad bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud spotted wearing a IWC

At what appears to be a Saudi Arabian national sporting event — the Olympic-branded green tracksuit places this squarely in an official athletic context — Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al Saud was photographed with a stealthy all-black chronograph on his wrist. The watch is unmistakably the IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph 'Tribute to 3705,' reference IW388006, one of the most technically ambitious limited editions IWC has produced in the modern era.

The Tribute to 3705 is built around Ceratanium, a material IWC developed exclusively in-house. The process starts with a titanium case blank, which is then subjected to a high-temperature furnace firing that infuses the surface with ceramic properties. The result is a case weighing roughly 30% less than steel, virtually impervious to scratching, and presenting a dead-matte black finish that absorbs light entirely. The 41mm case houses the IWC calibre 69380 — an in-house column-wheel chronograph movement with a flyback function, 46-hour power reserve, and a date/day display visible at 3 o'clock, consistent with what is seen on the dial here.

The dial layout faithfully recreates the aesthetic of the 1994 reference 3705: bold Arabic numerals in white, a telemeter-free slide rule bezel replaced by a clean fixed bezel, three subsidiary chronograph registers, and the signature triangular 12 o'clock marker. The black calfskin strap with matching black hardware completes a watch that is entirely monochromatic — a deliberate collector statement rather than a flashy one.

Limited to 1,000 pieces worldwide, the IW388006 arrived as a tribute to the collector community that had long revered the original Ref. 3705 as a grail piece. It sold out swiftly through authorized dealers, and the grey market responded accordingly. Prince Abdulaziz, a former competitive racing driver turned cabinet minister, has demonstrated consistent taste for purposeful tool watches over ornamental horology — a choice that aligns with the Tribute to 3705's uncompromising, aviation-instrument ethos.

At $11,900 retail, this was positioned as attainable for a limited IWC, yet its sell-out status and 1,000-piece cap have pushed secondary market prices meaningfully above list. For a royal who oversees the Kingdom's entire sporting infrastructure, the choice of a technically innovative, limited-run pilot's watch reads as both considered and deliberate.