5 Most Impressive IWC Portugieser’s
When two Portuguese businessmen put in a special request at IWC for a wrist watch with the precision of a marine chronometer, little could they know that they would trigger events that would turn this watch into one of the pillars of IWC’s legacy. The Portugieser celebrated its 75th anniversary last year, and we put together a list of the five most impressive ones from the current collection!
Hand-Wound Eight Days Edition “75th Anniversary”
IWC celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Portugieser by bringing it back in its original form. This time-only watch looks like a blast from the past in its oversized case and with the vintage looking dial. The only concession that IWC did to the design, it fitted it with a date function, which they integrated beautifully in the six-eater. Just as the original one, is also the 75th anniversary Portugieser equipped with a hand wound movement, entirely made in-house by IWC and featuring an eight-day power reserve.
Yacht Club Chronograph “Ocean Racer”
With the introduction of the Yacht Club, IWC decided to show the Portugiesers more sportive side. Most noticeable are the crown guard and luminova on both the hands and hour indexes that set this watch apart from the rest of the collection. Fitted with manufacture caliber 89361, the watch features a flyback chronograph and a date function. This particular version is a limited edition of 1.000 pieces dedicated to IWC’s commitment to the legendary Volvo Ocean Race and the men and women who give new meaning to the word “extreme racing”.
Annual Calendar
Over the years the annual calendar, which only requires adjusting the date once in February, has become a rather popular complication. Unique about the Portugieser Annual Calendar is that it has a month, date and day all lined up at the top of the dial for easy reading. Because of the generous size of the dial, the result looks very balanced and fits in nicely with the overall design. The power reserve of seven days is also especially handy for those who like to switch up the watches they wear.
Perpetual Calendar
Despite the fantastic Annual Calendar, many can not resist the temptation of a true perpetual calendar. The Portugieser Perpetual Calendar rewards them by offering the classical layout with a few IWC added bonuses. The moon phase positioned at 12 o’clock, giving the watch the looks of a classic perpetual calendar. Subdials provide the room to display the day, date and month, as well as the running seconds. Like the Annual Calendar does also the Perpetual Calendar of the Portugieser Collection have a seven-day power reserve. While that is in itself already unique, what sets this watch apart from the other perpetual calendars is the fact that the Portugieser displays the year in full in a window between seven and eight o’clock.
Tourbillon Mystère Rétrograde
Crafted from platinum the Portugieser Tourbillon Mystère Rétrograde is one of the highlights of the current collections. With a flying, one-minute tourbillon at twelve o’clock, it combines precision with a visual spectacle. But that is not all because this Portugieser is also fitted with a unique flyback date hand. It takes up quite a bit of space on the dial, so that it is not only easy to read, but also that it looks more dramatic when the hand flies back to the first at the end of the month. This watch truly highlights what the Portugieser collection has become for IWC: a generously sized, sophisticated, often complicated watch for discerning gentlemen.
