NEW MODEL: The IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Worldtimer

The story in a second:

Not content to release a swathe of newly rebranded Portugiesers at SIHH, IWC have added a world time complication to the sporty Portugieser Yacht Club.

The IWC Yacht Club may sound like a Miami nightclub with a boat shoe mandatory dress code and a playlist that’s heavy on Toto and Kenny Loggins, but thankfully for all concerned it isn’t. Rather the Yacht Club is the most youthful member of the IWC Portugieser family.

To date the Yacht Club name has been attached to sporty chronograph versions of the Portugieser, with rubber straps and added crown guards. The Yacht Club Worldtimer brings something new to the table – a world time complication.

Now, perhaps a world time complication isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think about sporty-nautical (totally a thing), but it kind-of makes sense. If you’re the sort of well-heeled yachtie who drops 13 large on a steel sports watch that can’t even handle a proper dip in the ocean (only 6 bar water resistance), you’re probably the sort of sailor with who has concerns that extend beyond the horizon-line. And it’s good to know that IWC has the key idle-rich globetrotting sailor (can sailors globetrot?) demographic covered.

The watch itself is as you’d expect a Portugieser with a world time complication to look. A handsome 45mm case with sporty details we expect from a Yacht Club, and a classic implementation of the world time. It’s a complication that’s hard to mess around with too much, and if you do things start looking busy/unreadable fairly fast. The sapphire caseback with printed geographic display of timezones is a useful addition. The calibre 35750
 features an hour hand corrector (which independently adjusts the hour hand in one hour increments) – handy for quick time zone alterations.

On the whole the watch is a solid package for fans of the world time complication. Though we do wonder why IWC felt the need to put this typically refined complication in the sporty Yacht Club line. But at least they didn’t put “Worldtimer” on the dial.

IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Worldtimer Australian pricing

The Yacht Club Worldtimer is a limited edition, with 500 steel pieces and 100 red gold pieces being made.
Steel will retail for $13,600 AUD
Red Gold will retail for $33,300 AUD