Haute Time Talks Portugiesers And Pandemic With IWC CEO Christoph Grainger-Herr

By Martin Green | May 20, 2020

The fact that Watches & Wonders was canceled this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic didn’t stop IWC from going fully digital and launch a wide variety of new models in the Portugieser collection. Among them are a new perpetual calendar, the stunning Portugieser Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph, and a revamped Portugieser Yacht Timer with among them the innovative version with moon phase and tide indicator. Haute Time talks with IWC CEO Christoph Grainger-Herr to hear his insights about the Portugieser and how to steer the company through these challenging times.

Haute Time (HT): This year there is no Watches & Wonders/SIHH: what kind of effect does that have on IWC?

Christoph Grainger-Herr (CGH): IWC has repeatedly created enthusiasm and excitement with its unique booth at Watches & Wonders. When the idea for a digital version of Watches & Wonders came up, we immediately jumped on board. We spared no effort to turn the digital presentation of our new Portugieser collection into a similarly exclusive and immersive experience like people have come to expect from us in the real world. Visitors can even take a 360 virtual walk around our booth. And thanks to an innovative Augmented Reality app, they can experience the new Portugieser models in their environment.

IWC welcomes a new perpetual calendar in the Portugieser collection

HT: How important is the Portugieser for IWC, and what’s its strongest market?

CGH: The Portugieser is probably our most iconic product line because it embodies so many things the brand stands for: pocket-watch-precision, classic proportions, instrument-type dial, timeless design. Developed to the specification of a “marine-chronometer-precision” wristwatch in the late 1930s, the original Reference 325 was based on a Cal. 74 pocket watch movement. It’s clean and open dial was inspired by nautical deck observation watches IWC was producing at the time. This watch has defined the essence of the Portugieser, and the primary design cues have not changed since then. I think this timeless modernity is what makes it popular in many countries around the world.

HT: Which Portugieser model do you consider having contributed most to the lasting popularity of the model?

CGH: The first Portugieser, Reference 325, has established a classic design idiom that has run as a common thread through the history of the Portugieser family ever since. Design cues like the open and functional dial with the small seconds at “6 o’clock”, Arabic numerals and slim Feuille hands have appeared virtually unmodified in many other Portugieser models like the Portugieser Anniversary Edition, Portugieser Minute Repeater, or Portugieser Hand-Wound Eight Days. This clear, functional and timeless design which kept coming back in almost identical form throughout the last more than 80 years is probably the reason why this watch family is so incredibly popular.

The Portugieser Yacht Club now also comes with a moon phase and tide indicator

HT: Are the people that purchase a Portugieser different from clients that buy an IWC from another line?

CGH: Wearing a Portugieser has always been a statement, and it defines you as a person with a particular affinity to the watch world. It’s not a coincidence that Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback of all times and an experienced watch collector with a distinct taste, has been wearing a Portugieser Perpetual Calendar years before he started working with our brand. Maybe you will start with a Pilot’s Watch or a Portofino, but once you become more familiar with IWC, I think there will be no way around the Portugieser.

HT: What do you think the long term effects of the Covid-19 pandemic will for IWC and how are you coping with it?

CGH: Some weeks ago, we presented our TIME WELL SHARED initiative. Within the frame of this initiative, we are publishing a broad range of content from different brand ambassadors and partners to entertain and inspire people, and to keep them connected and engaged. I think it is likely that we will put an even bigger emphasis on video content in the future. The digital proximity we are experiencing right now may have a lasting effect on how we communicate with our customers, partners, and journalists. However, I am convinced that there will still be physical gatherings because mechanical watches need to be touched and felt on the wrist!