A TRIBUTE TO ETERNITY: IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN LAUNCHES NEW PORTUGIESER COLLECTION AT WATCHES AND WONDERS IN GENEVA
Schaffhausen/Geneva, 9th April 2024: IWC Schaffhausen unveils its new Portugieser collection at Watches and Wonders in Geneva. Building on its unique expertise in calendars, the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer introduces the Portugieser Eternal Calendar. A humble tribute to eternity, IWC’s first secular perpetual calendar also features a moon phase accuracy of 45 million years. The eternal cycle of day and night has also inspired four new signature dial colours: Horizon Blue, Dune, Obsidian and Silver Moon which can also be found across the complete range of novelties, including the new Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44, Portugieser Automatic 42, Portugieser Automatic 40 and Portugieser Chronograph. All watches in the new Portugieser collection feature intricately crafted dials, finished with 15 layers of transparent lacquer, and are powered by IWCmanufactured movements.
“A Tribute to Eternity” is the theme for IWC Schaffhausen’s 2024 Portugieser collection. It is a nod to IWC’s latest feat of engineering: the Portugieser Eternal Calendar. At the same time, it is a reference to the timeless character of the Portugieser. Created in the late 1930s, the first Portugieser was inspired by a nautical deck watch used for navigation on ships. The DNA of a highly precise and easily legible instrument has resulted in a timeless design idiom that continues to be incredibly fresh and modern today. For the new collection, IWC has reworked selected models and perfected them to the smallest detail. Four new colours called Horizon Blue, Dune, Obsidian and Silver Moon add a fresh touch and shine a surprising new light on the Portugieser’s emblematic design.
IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN’S FIRST SECULAR PERPETUAL CALENDAR
Since Kurt Klaus created his ingenious perpetual calendar in the 1980s, IWC Schaffhausen has acquired unique expertise in the field of mechanical calendars. With the Portugieser Eternal Calendar (Ref. IW505701), the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer now pushes the boundaries of engineering once again. In addition to recognising the different month lengths and adding a leap day every four years at the end of February, the Portugieser Eternal Calendar also takes into account the Gregorian calendar’s leap year exceptions by skipping three leap years over 400 years. For this watch, IWC’s engineers have taken on the challenge of developing a moon phase display with unprecedented precision. Theoretically, the Double MoonTM indication will only need to be adjusted by one day after 45 million years.
NEW SIGNATURE COLOURS AND INTRICATELY CRAFTED DIALS
From the dawn of civilisation, every culture has looked up and observed the movements of the celestial bodies. The movements of the sun, the moon and the stars gave us an intuitive way of understanding and measuring time, leading to the development of our time scale and our calendars. The eternal cycle of day and night has inspired IWC to create four unique new colours: Horizon Blue, Dune, Obsidian and Silver Moon. Horizon Blue is a light blue shade with an exceptional lightness and clarity. It is inspired by the early afternoon sky when the sun bathes the world in a bright, clear light. The unique atmosphere of early evening with the golden glow of the setting sun inspired the new dial colour Dune. The design code Obsidian, with black dials and gold-plated hands and gold appliques, stands for the night sky and the golden city lights. Silver Moon, finally, reflects the whitish shimmer of sunlight reflected from the moon’s surface. For showcasing these colours to maximum effect, IWC has also created new dials with a captivating visual depth. They are crafted in a complex process comprising 60 individual steps, including the application of 15 layers of transparent lacquer, which is f ine-ground and then polished to a high gloss finish.
A MODERNIST EXHIBITION PAVILLION BATHED IN COLOURS
To reflect the timelessness that distinguished the Portugieser, the IWC booth at Watches and Wonders is inspired by the modernist era in architecture. Designed as an open and transparent exhibition pavilion, it takes up elements which can also be found in IWC’s Manufakturzentrum in Schaffhausen. With various water elements, the booth also recalls the unique location on the banks of the river Rhine where IWC was established more than 150 years ago. During different times of the day, the booth will be immersed in the new signature colours Horizon Blue, Dune, Obsidian and Silver Moon – creating distinctive atmospheres and moods for visitors to experience. The new Portugieser collection is presented on a large round display. As a reference to IWC’s calendar watches and moon phase indications, there is a huge, shimmering silver moon hanging above it. From the colours to the water to the moon, each element of the booth is a reference to eternity.
At the booth, IWC also presents the Perpetual Studio for the first time. The Perpetual Studio is where IWC’s most experienced and skilled master watchmakers work on assembling and fine-tuning the most complex mechanisms, such as tourbillons and calendars. Visitors can learn more about the evolution from the Perpetual Calendar to the Eternal Calendar. What is more, they can observe a master watchmaker at work wearing the Cyberloupe®, the world’s first digitalised watchmaker magnifying glass. During the remainder of 2024, the Perpetual Studio will be shown as a traveling exhibition in various locations around the globe.
THE 2024 PORTUGIESER COLLECTION AT A GLANCE
The Portugieser Eternal Calendar (Ref. IW505701) is the first secular perpetual calendar developed by IWC Schaffhausen. It automatically recognises the different lengths of the months and adds a leap day every four years at the end of February. While a perpetual calendar is programmed for a four year cycle, the Portugieser Eternal Calendar goes one step further: thanks to a new 400-year gear, it also considers the Gregorian calendar’s leap year exceptions by skipping three leap years over 400 years. In addition, its moon phase is so accurate that it will – theoretically – only deviate by one day after 45 million years.
The Portugieser Hand-Wound Tourbillon Day & Night (Ref. IW545901) features a flying minute tourbillon at 6 o’clock and a day and night indication with a small globe, which rotates around its axis once every 24 hours. The idea for this indication came from a former IWC apprentice watchmaker. Featuring an 18-carat Armor Gold® case and Obsidian dial, the watch is powered by the IWCmanufactured 81925 calibre with manual winding.
The new Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44 (Ref. IW5037) features a completely re-engineered case construction with a slimmer casing ring. Box-shaped glasses on the front and back showcase the intricately crafted dials and the IWC-manufactured 52616 calibre, which features a Pellaton winding system with ceramic components and offers a power reserve of seven days. Four versions are available in 18-carat white gold or 18-carat Armor Gold® with either Horizon Blue, Dune, Obsidian or Silver Moon dials.
The new Portugieser Automatic 42 (Ref. IW5017) impresses with a new case construction with a slimmer casing ring and double box-glass sapphire crystals. At work inside is the IWC-manufactured 520111 calibre with Pellaton winding, ceramic components and a 7-day power reserve. Available in six new versions in 18-carat white gold, 18-carat 5N gold or stainless steel, the Portugieser Automatic 42 is a classic instrument dress watch that retains the DNA of the original Portugieser Automatic from 2000.
The Portugieser Automatic 40 (Ref. IW3584) has also been reworked with a slimmer case and double box-glass sapphire crystals. With its clean and open dial, it represents the essence of the timeless Portugieser design and stands in direct lineage to the original Reference 325 from 1939. Powered by the IWC-manufactured 82200 calibre with Pellaton winding, ceramic components and 60 hours of power, it is presented in two new versions in 18-carat white gold or 18-carat 5N gold with either a Horizon Blue or Obsidian dial.
Having formed a major pillar of the Portugieser collection since 1998, the Portugieser Chronograph (Ref. 3716) launches in three new versions in 18-carat White Gold, 18-carat 5N gold or stainless steel with either a Horizon Blue, an Obsidian or a Dune dial. Powered by the IWC-manufactured 69355 calibre, the chronograph is distinguished by its easy-to-read dial with the vertically arranged totalizers. The quarter-second scale enables highly accurate stop time measurements and reflects the Portugieser’s DNA as a measuring instrument.
IWC Schaffhausen is a leading Swiss luxury watch manufacturer based in Schaffhausen in the north-eastern part of Switzerland. With collections like the Portugieser and the Pilot’s Watches, the brand covers the whole spectrum from elegant to sports watches. Founded in 1868 by the American watchmaker and engineer Florentine Ariosto Jones, IWC is known for its unique engineering approach to watchmaking, combining the best of human craftsmanship and creativity with cutting-edge technology and processes.
Over its more than 150-year history, IWC has earned a reputation for creating professional instrument watches and functional complications, especially chronographs and calendars, which are ingenious, robust, and easy for customers to use. A pioneer in the use of titanium and ceramics, IWC today specialises in highly engineered watch cases manufactured from advanced materials, such as coloured ceramics, Ceratanium®, and titanium aluminide.
A leader in sustainable luxury watchmaking, IWC sources materials responsibly and takes action to minimise its impact on the environment. Along the pillars of transparency, circularity, and responsibility, the brand crafts timepieces built to last for generations and continuously improves every element of how it manufactures, distributes, and services its products in the most responsible way. IWC also partners with organisations that work globally to support children and young people.