IWC Makes 2020 The Year Of The Portugieser And Introduces Exciting New Models

IWC has crowned 2020 as the year of the Portugieser, and that means that we can welcome quite a few new additions to this collection. Some are just revamped versions of old favorites, but many are entirely new watches, some with innovative complications.

One of the revamped watches it the Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph. This watch has always been the most sportive member of the Portugieser family, and it continues this tradition with the 3rd generation. The 44mm large watch is powered by Caliber 89361, an automatic manufacture movement which can be admired through the glass caseback. IWC is offering this model initially in three versions; a stainless steel one with a stainless steel bracelet with either a blue or a silver dial, or in two-tone, as pictured above, combining stainless steel with rose gold for both the case as well as the bracelet.

We are very excited about the Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide. This watch features a subdial at six o’clock where it indicates when it is high and low tide. It combines this with a double moon phase display at twelve o’clock, in the same fashion as we already know from the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar. A date function at three o’clock offers the finishing touch to this new, innovative yet very sportive model. IWC is currently offering this watch only with a rose gold case, but we expect this complication to be so popular that other models might follow soon after.

The Portugieser Perpetual Calendar has always been one of the most successful watches with this complication on the market. IWC is now building on to this success with a Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 42. As the name already indicates has this watch a slightly smaller diameter, but its most noticeable difference is that the layout of the perpetual calendar is more traditional. The moon phase indicator is integrated into the subdial that indicates the month at six o’clock, and the watch lacks the full year indicator, yet tells you through a small window if it is a leap year or not. It results in a more classic, understated timepiece, yet one that still has that unmistakable Portugieser-pedigree.

For those who enjoy even more complex watches, does IWC also introduce the Portugieser Tourbillon Retrograde Tourbillon. Or actually, we have to say re-introduce as the brand has already made this watch in 2017 as a piece unique in platinum with a blue dial for the 11th Laureus Charity Night. Now it is available in platinum with a silver dial, or as a boutique edition which combines a blue dial with a case made of Armor Gold. This is an alloy proprietary to IWC, which looks like rose gold, yet is more resistant to scratches. Both versions are limited to 50 pieces and combine a flying tourbillon with a chronograph, and a retrograde date indicator.