Arguably one of many extra attractive and spectacular watches from Watches & Wonders Geneva 2024 is the re-engineered IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44 — seen listed below are two of the 4 iterations, Obsidian over 18k 5N Armor Gold® as Ref. IW503702, and Horizon Blue over 18k white gold as Ref. IW503703. Whereas the underlying recipe is a well-known one, for the reason that perpetual calendar-equipped Portugieser (and the “Portuguese” earlier than it) has eternally been an IWC staple, there’s something to those new variations that highlights what IWC is about — and maybe must be but extra.
What would that be? Perpetual refinement. Cheesier than Jean-Claude Biver’s basement, I do know, however it’s each bit as actual. We flip to a model like Hublot for sheer leisure, a shock, even — whereas we search stability and tireless pursuit of but larger refinement from corporations reminiscent of IWC, with a second of awe and shock appreciated each from time to time when it’s testing its stylistic limitations. We also needs to add that launching new-new watches has not precisely been an IWC strongpoint — the Ingenieur, whereas extraordinarily fashionable, is quite costly and barely compromised in its execution, and you’ve got in all probability all however forgotten concerning the re-launched Da Vincis and ladies’s Portofinos by now. Harsh, however true.
Against this, simply have a look at this new IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44 — it’s drop-dead attractive. Fantastically proportioned, properly executed, and by some means… Dense-looking. As if you happen to took a lot of what was beefy, strong, engineered, and refined in a watch, put all of it in a mould, and subjected all that to very excessive, very even strain. In additional concrete phrases, the brand new Portugieser is highly effective as a result of while you’re it, you aren’t excited about some other watch — and, consider it or not, the identical can’t be mentioned a couple of shockingly excessive variety of $40,000 watches.
New for 2024 is the IWC Portugieser’s case building in an effort to make it slimmer and extra refined. It’s virtually too easy, with huge, curved, polished lug tops and an arched, horizontally brushed case profile, topped with a sophisticated, concave bezel — a crafty little element that’s just about not possible to identify at first, and even fifth, sight, that however frames the dial and the boxed crystal above it.
On the wrist, the dial shade drastically impacts the feel and appear of the varied IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44 watches. That is true for any watch, however the colours on this new assortment are so vivid and the dials themselves are so outstanding within the total aesthetic of the piece that selecting one over the opposite is actually a defining problem. Subsequently, the true star is the dial — but in addition partially as a result of it additionally hints on the performance that lies beneath it.
For a purpose we are going to reveal in a second, and you will notice this in our hands-on photos, too, the dial and its furnishings are particularly shiny on the brand new Portugieser. The lacquered base is reflective, and so are the palms and appliqués, and but the palms are straightforward to search out and differentiate with out having to look twice. Having seen so many watches, nuances like a distinction within the brightness of a dial stand out to us at first sight. In such cases, the impression comes first, and we solely be taught the trigger after versus studying technical specs and actively in search of it. With the brand new IWC Portugieser Perpetual 44, the model claims that the dials are lacquered 15 instances, finely floor down over and over, after which polished to ascertain its deep-rooted sheen. You simply can’t pretend an impact like this.
Neat extra particulars embrace the depth of the subdials, the standard of the utilized hour markers, and particularly the beveled and polished cap slightly below the principle palms. That is required as a result of the three and 9 o’clock subdials even have stacked palms — for the times and date, and the working seconds and day of the week, respectively — and so the hour and minute palms on the middle should be mounted pretty excessive above the airplane of the dial. Manufacturers are sometimes betting on individuals simply wanting some other place, to avoid wasting on bills and manufacturing complexity, leaving a gaping gap in addition to the ugly base of the palms for all to see. This little polished cap is a really elegant and properly made answer to a difficulty that stems from the inherent complexity (the variety of stacked shows) of a perpetual calendar-equipped IWC Portugieser watch.
Maybe essentially the most imposing-looking of the 4 is the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44 (Ref. IW503702) that went with an “Obsidian black” dial and 18k Armor Gold® case. This gold, IWC claims, “is significantly more durable and extra wear-resistant than standard 5N gold” — though we’d not hope for Magic Gold ranges of “put on resistance” (no matter meaning, anyway). One thing that holds true for almost any gold watch with a black dial is how the shadowy, darkish areas of the gold case are complemented by the black of the dial, which creates a satisfying sense of unity between case and dial that isn’t current on all case materials and dial shade mixtures. It’s a little element you could not care about, but it surely does work fantastically in the true world.
The Horizon Blue model of the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44 (Ref. IW503703) options an 18k white gold case with a shiny blue dial that’s sunburst brushed in its predominant space and round brushed inside its moon part show. Once more, the impact is decidedly totally different from the black dial model, regardless of all indications, palms, hour markers, and shows sharing the very same design. Talking of the moon part, IWC claims to have elevated its accuracy from 122 to 577.5 years with a bigger discount gear.
The motion, in typical IWC model, fills the case to its brim. You’re looking on the “IWC-manufactured calibre 52616” that mixes a contemporary 4Hz working frequency with an exceedingly lengthy, 7-day energy reserve replenished by an enormous oscillating weight and a Pellaton self-winding system with ceramic components for bi-directional operation. The checklist of issues features a perpetual calendar with shows for the date, day, month, and 12 months in 4 digits (dated as much as 2299), in addition to moonphases for the Northern and Southern hemispheres, and a small hacking seconds.
The motion is extra impressive-looking than it’s historically stunning. There’s a excessive — perhaps too excessive for some tastes — quite a lot of floor remedies, colours, and supplies, and parts designed to attract your consideration, reminiscent of the large rotor in strong gold, seem a tad too machine-produced for a near-$50,000 watch. The sheer measurement, complexity, and beefy execution of the IWC caliber 52616 make for a really spectacular caseback, however just a few small efforts might in all probability nonetheless be made to attain but larger aesthetic consistency and refinement.
All in all, the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44 is an absolute beast of a watch, and it’s so particularly as a result of it really works with its virtually intimidating complexity and condensed design — however doesn’t overdo issues. It manages to be noticeable with out actively in search of consideration, and it seems functionality-focused with out merely being an excessive amount of. Fingers-on it seemed like one of many higher perpetual calendar luxurious watches in fairly some time.
The worth for such a sophisticated piece in gold will all the time be “up there” — however with its Klaus-designed, solely crown-operated perpetual calendar, and brutish vibe, it’s a very tempting proposition to lure of us away from a gold Day-Date or Lange 1 supplied at just about similar costs. The IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44 watch is priced at $46,500 in its 18k 5N Armor Gold® variations and $47,500 USD in 18k white gold. You may be taught extra on the model’s web site.
