Schaffhausen, 24 April 2020 – IWC Schaffhausen adds attractive new models to the Portugieser family. A compact automatic style in the iconic Portugieser design, a new model with the legendary perpetual calendar, a nautical sports chronograph with an elegantly proportioned case, and the first watch fitted with a tide indication. These are the highlights of the new collection, all of which are equipped with IWC-manufactured calibres and further enhance the unique appeal of the Portugieser family.
Only a few designs are absolutely timeless. With the Portugieser, IWC created an icon in the late 1930s. The basis for the Reference 325, which was delivered to two business men from Portugal – hence its name – was a hunter pocket watch calibre. Inspiration for the clean, open, highly functional dial came from the deck watches IWC was producing for the British Royal Navy at the time. From the outset, the Portugieser had the typical stylistic features of a pocket watch, coupled with the high precision and easy readability of a nautical instrument.
“The amazing thing about the Portugieser is that its face has hardly changed since then. The clear, functional design looks just as fresh and contemporary today as it did over 80 years ago. The Portugieser thus embodies precisely the same, timeless modernity that distinguishes IWC as a brand. The new collection now makes our best-known watch family even more attractive and demonstrates how the iconic design continues to evolve,” – Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen.
COMPLETE COLLECTION WITH IN-HOUSE CALIBRES
All the watches in the new collection are equipped with in-house calibres. Among others, they feature automatic movements from the 52000 and 82000 calibre families, which have Pellaton winding with ceramic components. In the chronographs, movements from the 89000 and 69000 calibre families ensure precise measurement of stop times. The Portugieser Chronograph (Ref. 3716), one of IWC’s most popular models, is newly equipped in the standard version with the IWC in-house 69355 calibre and a see-through sapphire-glass back. It is also now possible to register any watch within the standard two-year warranty period for the My IWC program, which extends the international guarantee to eight years.
NEW MODELS WITH REDUCED DIAMETERS
The Portugieser Automatic 40 (Ref. 3583) marks the return to the collection of the iconic design, with the small seconds at 6 o’clock, in a compact case with a 40-millimetre diameter. The new automatic model takes its power from the IWC-manufactured 82200 calibre with Pellaton winding. For the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 42 (Ref. 3442), the perpetual calendar has been integrated for the first time with an in-house movement from the 82000-calibre family. The watch with the IWC-manufactured 82650 calibre has a 42-millimetre diameter and displays the calendar information clearly on three subdials.
A NAUTICAL SPORTS WATCH AT HOME ON DECK OR DRY LAND
As a nautical sports watch, the Portugieser Yacht Club combines timeless style with ruggedness and high water-resistance. The new models, with a 44-millimetre diameter, have a filigree bezel and flat casing ring that lend a particular elegance to the case proportions. The Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide (Ref. 344001) is the first watch from IWC to feature the newly developed tide indication, which indicates the arrival of the next high and low tide. The Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph (Ref. 3907) comes with either a stainless steel or 18-carat 5N gold and stainless steel bracelet.
BOUTIQUE EDITIONS AND MODELS WITH COMPLICATIONS
Selected models will also be available with overarching design cues in the maritime-inspired colours blue and gold and are available exclusively in IWC boutiques and online on IWC.com. They feature blue dials, blue alligator leather straps and cases in 18-carat 5N gold or 18-carat Armor Gold®. Thanks to its improved microstructure, this innovative new material has considerably higher hardness values than traditional 5N gold alloys. Two models in the new collection underscore IWC’s expertise in Haute Horlogerie: The Portugieser Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph (Ref. 3940) combines a tourbillon with a retrograde date display and chronograph, while the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon (Ref. 5045) brings a tourbillon and perpetual calendar together on the dial.