A good design goes a long way: this is common knowledge but what makes a good design is far more difficult to pin down. With the Portugieser has IWC had a very strong design ever since it was first created in the 1930s. Because the brand understands the subtleties of its design it has been able to create several varieties on the theme that are so strong that they individually all have benchmark-status. Take for example the Portugieser Chronograph, the automatic, or the perpetual calendar.

A stroke of genius: sometimes there is not a better way to describe a certain creation, and one of the best examples of this in the world of watches is the IWC Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Chronograph. It is the brainchild of watchmaking legend Kurt Klaus, who designed a very innovative perpetual calendar module to fit on top of the ETA/Valjoux caliber 7750 automatic chronograph. His design gave new meaning to the term ingenuity as his perpetual calendar not only included the year in full as well as a moon phase that only needed to be adjusted one day every 122 years, but it can also be set just by using the crown.

Many brands have a perpetual calendar in their collection, yet few come close to the legendary reputation of the IWC Da Vinci. The reason for this is that the Da Vinci never was just another perpetual calendar. It pushed the limits...