IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar

To celebrate the 75th year of the Portugieser collection this year, IWC introduces scores of new models and also hints that they are going to launch three new calibre families 69000, 52000 and 42000 in the years ahead, an obvious sign of the brand to revamp itself. To initiate this move, the famed Portuguese line-up is renamed as Portugieser and comes with the newly designed 52000-calibres. One of the stars is the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar with the midnight blue dial.

Portugieser Perpetual Calendar

The IWC Portuguese Perpetual Calendar is one of the most fascinating perpetual calendar watches on the market. The dial layout is well-balanced and houses a two-hemisphere moonphase display and 4-digit year display. With a power reserve of 7-day when fully wound, the piece is incredible when comparing to other common perpetual calendar watches in terms of functions. Still, IWC brings us a new release under the name of Portugieser, together with the brand new Calibre 52615.

The latest iteration is this Portugieser Perpetual Calendar. Its functions are basically the same with the ref.IW5032. In spite of the good numbers of displays, the functions are orderly presented: the double moon at 12 o’clock, the 7-day power reserve and date indicator at 3 o’clock, pointer-type month display at 6 o’clock, small seconds and day of the week indicator at 9 o’clock. The 4-digit year display is off-centre at 7:30. Functions unchanged, the dial layout has indeed been simplified. The double moon takes out the countdown function to the next full moon and is now decorated by sliver stars. For the first time ever, the double moon model comes with the railway minute track.

This watch is driven by the new Calibre 52615. The significant modification is the Pellaton winding system has been further improved: the pawls, automatic wheel and rotor bearing are now made of extremely hard, wear-resistant ceramic. The integration of the anti-scratch ceramic components has made the winding system practically wear-free. Besides, the 18K red gold rotor has been made slimmer and more open. Through the sapphire crystal caseback can see the mechanical heartbeat and its impeccable polishing.

Specification：
Case︰white gold
Diameter︰44.2mm
Movement︰automatic Cal. 52615
Functions︰hours、minutes、small seconds、perpetual calendar、double moonphase、7-day of power reserve indicator
Water resistance︰30m
Price︰around $327,000

Portugieser Annual Calendar

IWC has no doubt deep expertise in fine watchmaking. They have made a number of complications such as perpetual calendar, minute repeater and constant force tourbillon watches, not to speak of other simple functions like chronographs. Surprisingly, the Manufacture has yet made an annual calendar watch. The Portugieser Annual Calendar released this year is, therefore, created to fill the gap between perpetual calendar watches and simple date-displayed watches.

Compared with the perpetual calendar, the annual calendar is also a very practical yet affordable complicated function which can display the month, date and day of the week. However, the displays of the functions are usually located at difference places on the dial. And IWC this year designs a new landscape for such display arrangement. The Portugieser Annual Calendar is bestowed a novel and intriguing layout. A trio of arched windows at 12 o’clock read the month, date, and date of week from left to right. Because of the clear and logical layout, the wearer can read the three displays at a glace, making it one of the most beautiful and legible annual calendar watches on the market today. What’s more, all the calendar adjustment can be done via the crown without using a corrector. Not only is it convenient to use, but also keeps the case contour clean and sleek. 

Apart from the calendar functions at 12 o’clock, the wristwatch also features the grooved bezel, railway-track-style chapter ring, feuille hands, all resembles the original Portugieser watch of 1939. To keep the dial well-balanced, the small seconds sub-dial is assigned to 9 o’clock from 6 o’clock, standing laterally next to the power reserve indicator at 3 o’clock. At the heart of this watch is the newest in-house automatic 52850 movement, which took IWC five years to develop. The powerhouse provides the energy to drive the three display discs and delivers a power reserve of 7-day, thanks to its double barrels.

Specification：
Case︰red gold
Diameter︰44.2mm
Movement︰automatic Cal. 52850
Functions︰hours、minutes、small seconds、date、day of the week、month、7-day of power reserve indicator
Water resistance︰30m
Price︰around $240,000

Portugieser Hand-Wound 8 Days 75th Anniversary

The first Portuguese was produced 75 years ago and by then the Portuguese has become one of the world’s most popular timepieces. Look at this Portugieser Hand-Wound 8 Days 75th Anniversary and you’ll know how the watch was then. This anniversary piece is inspired by the original model ref. 325 Portuguese made in 1930. Though the case is enlarged to 43mm to fit the modern style, this Portugieser still inherits many characteristics of the original, such as the Arabian numerals, narrow bezel, feuille hands and the railway minute track. It even resurrects the italics full brand name, while the matte black dial pairing light green luminous indices perfectly evokes a sense of nostalgia. With an 8-day power reserve, this handsome piece is equipped with the in-house 59215 hand wound movement, sized as large as a pocket watch movement at 37.8mm. 

Specification
Case︰stainless steel
Diameter︰43mm
Movement︰hand-wound Cal. 59215
Functions︰hours、minutes、small seconds、date、8-day of power reserve indicator on caseback
Water resistance︰30m
Limited edition︰750pcs
Price︰around $81,500

Portugieser Tourbillon Mystere Retrograde

The new Portugieser Tourbillon Mystere Retrograde comes with a red gold case and grey dial. The dial layout remains unchanged, with a tourbillon at 12 o’clock, retrograde date display at 7:30 and 7-day power reserve indicator at 3 o’clock. Yet, several details are slightly modified. For instance, the bezel looks thinner by using an arched-edge crystal glass, lending an elegant look to the piece. The curving lugs also help shape the ergonomic watch case. Plus, the timepiece is complemented by a fine alligator leather strap, produced by the renowned Italian shoe manufacturer Santoni, to make the watch more comfortable to wear.

Specification
Case︰red gold
Diameter︰44.2mm
Movement︰automatic Cal. 51900
Functions︰hours、minutes、seconds、flyback date、tourbillon、7-day of power reserve indicator
Water resistance︰30m
Price︰around $760,000 

Portofino Hand-Wound Monopusher

IWC marks 2015 the year of the Portugieser collection, but also releases a Portofino watch in Watches&Wonders 2015, just finished early this month. The Portofino collection is more affordable and this latest Portofino Hand-Wound Monopusher, the first monopusher chronograph of the series, houses the in-house hand-wound Calibre 59360 and the chronograph mechanism can be admired through the sapphire crystal caseback. Besides, the calibre offers a long power reserve of 8 days, allowing the wearer to wind the watch merely once a week. The chronograph functions start, stop and zero-reset are conveniently operated by the single push-button. To make the piece more exclusive, only the white gold and red gold references are on offer. Not sure if a steel version will be added in the future.

Specification
Case︰white gold
Diameter︰45mm
Movement︰hand-wound Cal. 59360
Functions︰hours、minutes、small seconds、date、chronograph、8-day of power reserve indicator
Water resistance︰30m
Price︰around $210,000