The principal watchmaker adds new touches to its consummate collection
International Watch Company, or IWC as it is generally known, has built its reputation largely on the strength of its two most important collections, its classical range called Portuguese and its Pilot's watches, which it describes as professional instruments.
The Portuguese line came into existence in the 1930s when IWC was asked by two Portuguese dealers to make an oversize wristwatch using a pocket watch movement, for which the company was then famous.
The resulting timepiece was referred to as the Portugieser Uhr, and several were made during the 1940s before it went out of production. The name was revived in 1993 for the company's 125th anniversary.
The Portuguese Perpetual first caused a sensation in the horological world when it was launched in 2003, leaving little for the connoisseur to desire. It includes an autonomous perpetual calendar, perpetual moon-phase display, complete year display - taking leap years into account - and is fitted with a seven-day automatic movement. The year display shows all four digits. As a bonus, it is fitted with the Pellaton winding system and a power-reserve display.
The new Portuguese Perpetual Calendar watch , launched at Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) this year, has a case just 2mm smaller, but it will still satisfy watch collectors who are inspired by the classic moon-phase display. The 2003 model sparked off a debate about the best way to display moon-phases on the dial.