For Watches & Wonders 2020, IWC has taken the chance to drastically overhaul the cornerstone Portugieser lineup with an enormous array of latest fashions, variants, and colorways. Whereas these new iterations vary from the sedate to the dramatic, maybe none of those fashions is as viscerally spectacular because the limited-edition flagship IWC Portugieser Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph. Accessible in two separate colorways, this new mannequin provides some true haute horlogerie issues to the traditional Portugieser design.
The design of this new flagship begins with a hefty 43.5mm case measuring a full 16mm-thick. Whereas this goes towards a few of the elegant aesthetic the Portugieser line has cultivated over time, with a massively difficult motion it’s tough to fault. This new case is obtainable in IWC’s scratch-resistant 18okay Armor Gold for the Portugieser Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph Boutique Version, whereas the non-boutique Portugieser Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph is cased in shining platinum. Each fashions are outfitted with a sapphire show again, providing homeowners a view of the embellished motion at work.
The dials of the Boutique Version and normal Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph take sharply totally different paths, however each start with the traditional Portugieser components. The clean-polished leaf arms, railroad minutes monitor, and crisp utilized numerals are all right here, all the way down to the distinctive cutout marker at 12 o’clock accommodating the chronograph subdial. From there, the brand new visible components take heart stage, dominated in fact by the tourbillon at 6 o’clock. Whereas the dial of an IWC Portugieser chronograph often feels ethereal and spacious, the retrograde date at 9 o’clock and the mixed 60-minute/12-hour chronograph subdial at 12 o’clock give this one a extra compact look. The usual Portugieser Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph retains the look classically conservative with a sliver dial accented with utilized platinum numerals and blued chronograph arms however with a dramatically totally different dial stability than most Portugieser fashions — the extra theatrical navy blue sunburst and gold accents of the Boutique Version are extra becoming and enticing.
The IWC Portugieser Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph is powered by the in-house caliber 89900 computerized tourbillon flyback chronograph motion with retrograde date. Adorned with round graining across the motion plates and an 18okay gold skeleton rotor, this powerplant presents a hefty 68-hour energy reserve together with its host of issues.
Each variations of the Portugieser Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph are paired with a chic blue strap by Santoni, with the usual mannequin utilizing alligator leather-based for a traditional and dressy look, whereas the extra dramatic Boutique Version is mounted on a suitably placing woven leather-based mannequin.
Whereas just one a part of IWC’s large Portugieser marketing campaign for Watches & Wonders 2020, the Portugieser Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph could be the most spectacular of the bunch. Each variants are restricted to 50 examples every, with the IWC Portugieser Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph priced at 123,000 CHF and the IWC Portugieser Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph Boutique Version receiving an MSRP of 105,000 CHF. For extra data, please go to IWC’s web site.
