Like the original 1930s Portugieser, the Automatic IW5007 is large, simple and reliable. The design of the Portugieser Automatic was presented in 2000, and in comparison with the previous version, the IW5007 remains unchanged in terms of dial design. What changes is the movement, now the 52010 calibre, part of the 52000 family of movements…
This watch is one of the two new products in this year’s Portugieser collection by IWC Schaffhausen (the other is the Portugieser Annual Calendar). It is the outcome of a lot of design thought, with the most important information – time functions, date and month, chronograph time – displayed as clearly as possible in the…
This is a classic Portugieser in every way. A comparison with the 1942 Portugieser Reference 325 (on the left in the photo below) shows that while the design of the numerals, logo and chapter ring has changed, the overall layout is very similar. The 2015 Portugieser Minute Repeater, reference IW5449, is made in two versions,…
As you can see from a comparison (above, the 2015 version on the left, the 2010 version on the right), the new reference IW3776 presented at SIHH in January by IWC Schaffhausen is not all that different from the previous version. The movement is the same 79091 calibre used in the 2010 Reference IW3774. The…
One day, a manufacturer like IWC will make a watch that is truly double-sided, one that you can wear with either the dial side or the movement side upwards. This is a piece that looks superb from both sides, and it would just take an extra pair of hands on the movement side and swivelling…
Today, IWC can look back over 150 years of history, from its privileged position as a brand with a powerful image and identity. But, as often happens in watchmaking, the IWC story is long and complex, with several changes in ownership, economic crises and brilliant turnarounds. Company profile: IWC began with an American, a watchmaker…
The Portughese Perpetual Calendar Double Moon, presented at SIHH 2015 as the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar Double Moon reference 5034 (on the right above), is a good example of how a watch is redesigned. The 2010 version (on the left in the photo above) was very popular, and considered as perfect. How do you improve on…
IWC love springing surprises. In a preview presentation of the new watches to be presented at SIHH beginning on 18 January 2015 in Geneva, the brand has presented a new watch, and announced that the Portuguese family will change name to Portugieser. This was in fact the name (Portuguese in German) given to the family…
To celebrate the opening of their first UK boutique, at 138 New Bond Street in London, IWC have introduced the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar London Edition, reference IW502805, limited to 38 pieces. The watch is available exclusively from the IWC London boutique, tel. +44 (0)203 618 3900. The watch is in stainless steel, and…
With their latest model in the Pilot’s Watch family, IWC Schaffhausen continue their series of watches that are tributes to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The Big Pilot’s Watch Edition “Le Petit Prince,” reference IW500908, confirms IWC’s status as one of the few high-end brands still making watches that recall the German wartime B-Uhr watches that have…
The people at IWC certainly know how to keep a secret. Forever IWC Schaffhausen has been a men’s brand. The news that they are making watches for women, announced today, 29 September 2014, comes as much as a surprise as George Clooney getting married to Amal Alamuddin at just about the same time. Up until…
The IWC Schaffhausen Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition JU-Air. Occasionally in the skies of Europe, you see a large, slow, three-engined aircraft with a corrugated-steel fuselage, usually flying low, and with three letters painted large on one wing: IWC. It’s a Ju-52, a German aircraft whose long history earnt it a reputation similar to that of…