IWC Schaffhausen Launches New Portugieser Collection at Watches and Wonders

IWC’s First Secular Perpetual Calendar

Since the 1980s, IWC Schaffhausen has been renowned for its mechanical calendar expertise, thanks to Kurt Klaus’s perpetual calendar. The Portugieser Eternal Calendar (Ref. IW505701) extends this legacy, recognizing different month lengths and adding a leap day every four years. The Eternal Calendar also considers Gregorian calendar leap year exceptions, skipping three leap years every 400 years. IWC’s engineers developed a highly precise moon phase display, needing adjustment only once every 45 million years.

New Signature Colors and Intricately Crafted Dials

Inspired by the eternal cycle of day and night, IWC created four unique colors: Horizon Blue, Dune, Obsidian, and Silver Moon. Horizon Blue is a light blue shade that captures exceptional lightness and clarity, inspired by the early afternoon sky when the sun brightens the world with clear light. The golden glow of early evening and the setting sun inspired the new dial color Dune. Obsidian, featuring black dials with gold-plated hands and gold accents, symbolizes the night sky and the golden lights of the city. Silver Moon captures the whitish shimmer of sunlight reflected off the moon’s surface. These colors are showcased on dials crafted in a complex process of 60 steps, including the application of 15 layers of transparent lacquer, finely ground and polished for a high gloss finish.

A Modernist Exhibition Pavilion Bathed in Colors

The IWC booth at Watches and Wonders embodies modernist architectural elements, resembling the IWC Manufakturzentrum in Schaffhausen. With water elements recalling the Rhine River, the booth immerses visitors in the new colors Horizon Blue, Dune, Obsidian, and Silver Moon at different times of the day. The Portugieser collection is displayed on a large round exhibit under a shimmering silver moon, referencing IWC’s calendar watches and moon phase indications. Each element of the booth symbolizes eternity.

The Perpetual Studio at IWC’s Booth

IWC introduces the Perpetual Studio at their Watches and Wonders booth. Here, master watchmakers assemble and fine-tune complex mechanisms like tourbillons and calendars. Visitors can observe a watchmaker using the Cyberloupe®, the world’s first digitalized magnifying glass, and learn about the evolution from the Perpetual Calendar to the Eternal Calendar. The Perpetual Studio will travel globally as an exhibition throughout 2024.

The 2024 Portugieser Collection Overview

The Portugieser Eternal Calendar (Ref. IW505701) recognizes varying month lengths, adds a leap day every four years, and accounts for leap year exceptions, needing adjustment only once every 45 million years.

Additional Highlights of the 2024 Portugieser Collection

The Portugieser Hand-Wound Tourbillon Day & Night (Ref. IW545901) includes a flying minute tourbillon at 6 o’clock and a day and night indicator with a small globe rotating every 24 hours. A former IWC apprentice watchmaker conceived the idea for this indication. The watch features an 18-carat Armor Gold® case and an Obsidian dial, powered by the IWC-manufactured 81925 caliber.

The new Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44 (Ref. IW5037) boasts a re-engineered case with a slimmer ring, displaying intricate dials and the IWC-manufactured 52616 caliber with a 7-day power reserve.

The Portugieser Automatic 42 (Ref. IW5017) has a new case design, double box-glass sapphire crystals, and is powered by the IWC-manufactured 520111 caliber with a 7-day power reserve, available in six versions.

The Portugieser Automatic 40 (Ref. IW3584) features a slimmer case and double box-glass sapphire crystals, powered by the IWC-manufactured 82200 caliber with 60 hours of power, available in two versions.

The Portugieser Chronograph (Ref. 3716) is launched in three new versions, with the IWC-manufactured 69355 caliber, featuring a highly legible dial and quarter-second scale for precise time measurements.

YOU ASKED…

What is unique about the Portugieser Eternal Calendar?

The Portugieser Eternal Calendar recognizes different month lengths, adds a leap day every four years, and accounts for Gregorian calendar leap year exceptions, needing adjustment only once every 45 million years.

What are the new dial colors in the 2024 Portugieser collection?

The new dial colors are Horizon Blue, Dune, Obsidian, and Silver Moon, each inspired by different times of the day and natural phenomena.

What inspired the design of the IWC booth at Watches and Wonders?

The IWC booth is inspired by modernist architecture, resembling the IWC Manufakturzentrum and incorporating water elements to reflect the Rhine River.

What is the Perpetual Studio?

The Perpetual Studio is where IWC’s master watchmakers assemble complex mechanisms like tourbillons and calendars. It will be shown as a traveling exhibition globally in 2024.