HANDS-ON: The elegance and nuance of the IWC Portugieser 2020 Collection in the metal
Zach BlassEarlier this year, in April, the IWC Portugieser 2020 Collection was announced at Watches & Wonders. The Portugieser was created in 1939 due to a demand for a marine-deck chronometer experience that could be translated into a wristwatch. Legibility and accuracy are the two pillars that hold up the Portugieser line, and IWC has changed very little to the winning formula over the years. As IWC puts it, this year was the evolution of a classic. In order to maintain the Portugieser aesthetic we have all come to know and love, the majority of the evolution throughout the lineup is actually internal – with new in-house calibers raising the bar more than ever.
IWC Portugieser Automatic 40
The Automatic 40 is the most compact watch within the collection, and also the most faithful to the original Portugieser profile found in the original reference 325 from 1939. Water resistant to 30 metres, the cases are 40.4mm in diameter with a thickness of 12.3mm – providing a sporting yet elegant profile on the wrist. The dial has the same traditional layout with large Arabic numerals surrounding the dial, and sub-seconds complication found at the 6 position.
The dial crystal is made with a convex sapphire glass with antireflective coating on both sides for increased legibility. The exhibition caseback, also sapphire glass, provides a window into the beating heart of the watch – the in-house manufacture caliber 82200. The 82200 is an automatic movement that ticks away at a modern 28,800 vph with 60 hours of power reserve. The movement is made of 224 components, 31 jewels, and is decorated with nicely executed Côtes de Genève and perlage throughout.
With accuracy in mind, thanks to the hacking seconds of the sub-seconds, the wearer can sync the time to a reference clock with ease. The Automatic 40 is available in four configurations – three in steel and one in 5N gold. Two of the three stainless steel models have silver-plated dials (one with gold hours/minutes hands and markers while the other has blue hours/minutes hands and markers) and the third within the group has a blue dial with silver toned hours/minutes hands and markers. The 5N gold model comes only in a silver-plated dial configuration with gold hours/minutes hands and markers. Price: $10,900 AUD in stainless steel and $24,400 AUD in gold.
IWC Portugieser Chronograph
The Chronographs within the Portugieser Collection are fabricated in 41mm cases that are 13mm thick, surprisingly adding only 1mm to diameter and thickness than its Automatic 40 sibling. The chronograph features the signature two-register layout with the elapsed minutes at 12 and running seconds at 12.
It also maintains the highly legible Arabic numerals surrounding the dials, which can be found in a diverse set of silver, blue, black, green and burgundy in steel and silver, grey, and boutique blue in gold. The watch is powered by the in-house manufacture caliber 69355, which features a column wheel, resulting in a more accurate and smooth chronograph experience. Price: $11,900 AUD in stainless steel and $25,400 AUD in gold.
IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 42
Kurt Klaus revolutionised the Perpetual Calendar complication, creating a more usable module for the wearer in which all of the complications can be adjusted at once, ensuring the information stays in sync with adjustment – and we now have this tech packed inside a new case size with the Perpetual Calendar 42.
The 30m water resistant case is 42.4mm in diameter with a thickness of 13.8mm. The dial displays the date at 3, month and moon phase at 6, and weekday at 9 on three separate registers. It also features an indication for the leap year. Powering the Perpetual Calendar 42 line of watches is the IWC in-house manufacture 82650, which has a total of 60 hours of power reserve. The Perpetual Calendar 42 comes with a silver-plated dial in both stainless steel and 5N gold, and a blue boutique edition in 5N gold as well. Price: $31,900 AUD in stainless steel and $45,800 AUD in gold.
IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar
IWC has added a new model to the existing Perpetual Calendar lineup, with a brand new boutique edition in 18k Armor Gold® case (water resistant to 30 metres) with a blue dial.
At 44.2mm in diameter and 14.9mm in thickness, the watch is larger than its 42mm sibling – but with a notable trade-off.
The IWC in-house manufacture caliber 52610 extends the power reserve to twice as much as the Perpetual Calendar 42, with 168 hours of power reserve. Price: $54,100 AUD.
All of the watches are available now, click here for more information or to purchase.
Made in partnership with IWC. However, the opinions expressed in this article are our own in accordance with our Editorial Policy.