Yacht rock: the new IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide boasts the brand’s first silicon hairspring
Jamie WeissThis year has been all about the Portugieser for IWC. At Watches & Wonders Geneva, the Schaffhausen brand unveiled a variety of new colourful dials and interesting designs for the collection – the highlight being the epoch-defining Portugieser Eternal Calendar. At Watches & Wonders Shanghai, the love continues, with IWC bringing the Portugieser back to its roots while also introducing its first movement with a silicon hairspring. For those that don’t know, the design of the original Portugieser ref. 325 from 1939 was inspired by deck observation watches – harking back to the glamour of seafaring and the Age of Exploration. The new IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide IW344002, however, is all about the glamour of recreational yachting, offering an innovative take on a tide indicator.
The case
The original ref. 325 was IWC’s first oversized watch intended for civilians, measuring up at an enormous-for-the-time 41.5mm. The Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide is big by modern standards, too, measuring 44.6mm in diameter and 13.4mm thick. That’s bigger than most pilot’s watches IWC offers – but in this instance, bigger is better, as it allows extra real estate for its namesake complications. More on those in a second. In any case, IWC’s modern Portugieser Yacht Club collection has been home to larger, brassier takes on the Portugieser ever since its introduction in 2010, and the Yacht Club Moon & Tide follows in that tradition.
The Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide was first introduced in 2020 with the red gold ref. IW344001. This model in stainless steel brings the heft factor down somewhat, while also featuring a better water-resistance rating (100 metres versus the ref. IW344001’s 60 metres). Otherwise, the new stainless steel ref. IW344002’s case features an identical design to its red gold sibling, flaunting a beautifully polished bezel, stout lugs and a crown guard that almost looks like two pushers.
The dial
Fans of 2024 Portugieser novelties like the Hand-Wound Tourbillon Day & Night and its mesmerising obsidian black dial will be pleased to hear that the new Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide also sports this stygian tone. In fact, it’s one of only two regular-production Portugiesers to feature this combination of an obsidian black dial and a stainless steel case, the other being the Portugieser Chronograph.
At the 12 o’clock position, one can find a “Double Moon” moonphase indicator, which displays the moon phase as seen from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and is accurate for 125 years – not bad. Additionally, it also shows spring and neap tides. A spring tide (which has nothing to do with the season) is the greatest difference between how high the water is at high tide and how low it is at low tide. By the way, if you’ve ever heard the term king tide, that’s just an especially high spring tide. These typically happen at full moon and new moon. A neap tide is the smallest difference in tidal range. Make sense?
Speaking of tides, at the 6 o’clock position, you’ll find the tide indicator, which helps the wearer track the slightly shifting times for high and low tides. High tides occur roughly every 12 hours and 24 minutes – however, the Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide compensates for this thanks to a reduction gear with three wheels, converting the hourly rhythm of normal time-telling into the slower rotation of the tidal disc by rotating the tide disc by 24 minutes between high tides.
In typical IWC fashion, both the tide indicator and Double Moon display are minimalist but highly legible, with subtle pops of contrast provided by lettering in red and blue breaking up the dial’s otherwise monochromatic look. The seconds hand is also tipped in red, while a colour-matched date window can be found at 3 o’clock. It’s classically elegant Portugieser fare.
The movement
The clever display of this Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide IW344002 is all thanks to the new calibre 82836, which is identical to the 2020 model’s calibre 82835 save for one key change: the introduction of a silicon hairspring. To tell the truth, I was surprised to hear that this movement is IWC’s first with a silicon hairspring, considering how prolific the tech is even among brands and movements far less developed than IWC. Of course, the advantages of silicon hairsprings are manifold: silicon is inherently anti-magnetic, thermally stable, doesn’t deform like a traditional hairspring, and doesn’t require lubrication, among other properties.
Some traditionalists say the use of silicon removes some of the artistry from watchmaking – and silicon hairsprings can also be more fragile than traditional steel hairsprings – but I won’t wade into that debate. IWC reckons it’s worth it, otherwise they wouldn’t have updated this movement. Silicon hairspring aside, the calibre 82836 also features IWC’s Pellaton automatic winding system (which utilises ceramic parts – are they sacrilege too?), with a confidence-inspiring 60-hour power reserve.
The bracelet
The Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide IW344002 comes mounted on a three-link steel bracelet with a butterfly clasp. While we’ve seen bracelets of this design offered before on Portugieser models, it’s the first time a bracelet has been offered on this complication, as the ref. IW344001 came on a rubber strap.
The verdict
Most people who are actually part of yacht clubs probably don’t sail their own boats, but there’s something highly appropriate about having complications like a tide indicator and moonphase on a Portugieser Yacht Club. Being stainless steel, it makes it more suitable for ocean-going than its previous red gold incarnation (not that you’d really call this a tool watch). The addition of a silicon hairspring is a nice touch – it’s only something that real enthusiasts will get excited about, but it’s nice – but the big selling point for this watch in my opinion is that its movement compensates for the discrepancy between the tide cycle and the normal 24-hour cycle. This makes it a more user-friendly experience than other tide-tracking watches like the Baume & Mercier Riviera Tideograph.
IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide IW344002 pricing & availability
The IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide IW344002 is available now for purchase. Price: US$22,500, A$35,000, £20,500
| Brand | IWC Schaffhausen |
| Model | Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide |
| Reference Number | IW344002 |
| Case Dimensions | 44.6mm (D) x 13.4mm (T) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 100 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Obsidian black lacquered |
| Bracelet | Stainless steel three-link bracelet, butterfly clasp |
| Movement | IWC 82836, IWC-manufactured, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 60 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, date, tide indicator, moonphase |
| Availability | Now |
| Price | US$22,500 A$35,000 £20,500 |