Last month, the IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar won the prestigious “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix at the 2024 GPHG. With its innovative complications, it’s a watch worth revisiting. However, you can also see the watch in person at the new IWC boutique in Amsterdam.
We took a quick look at the IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar presented at Watches and Wonders 2024. This watch impressed me with its amazing complications and design. It clearly impressed this year’s GPHG voters as well, as it won the Grand Prix. Let’s take another look at this stunning watch and share how you can witness its stunning construction and functionality ‘in the metal’.
IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar
This award-winning timepiece from IWC is a 44.4 mm platinum watch with an impressive spec sheet. Although the model name suggests a top-notch complication, the brand houses the movement in a stunning case and dial design.
IWC was kind enough to provide an exploded view of the Eternal Calendar and its construction. Both sides of the case feature dome-shaped glass box-like sapphire crystals. A domed internal bezel ring with minute track fits snugly over the crystal. But the dial is my favorite element. Made of white lacquered sapphire, it features three separate transparent sapphire subdials. All indexes are applied manually. Finally, IWC collaborated with renowned leather artisan Santoni to create a black alligator strap with a platinum folding clasp.
amazing movement
The Portugieser Eternal Calendar uses the new caliber IWC 52640. This special movement features new gears that go beyond the usual perpetual calendar classification. This clock, called a secular perpetual calendar, can handle leap year exceptions in the Gregorian calendar. For example, the year 2100 will not have a leap year, even though it follows a pattern of adding one day every four years. Normal perpetual calendars require adjustment, but this IWC requires no adjustment. This gear will ensure accurate day, date and time for the next 400 years. However, that’s not all.
The IWC 52640 caliber boasts a new double moonphase complication with a gearbox that guarantees accuracy to within a day, even after 45 million years. This is an incredible amount of time, but it shows the incredible innovation behind this watch. Best of all, thanks to the modular design, all displays can be adjusted via the signature crown.
Other specifications
In addition to displaying the day of the week, date, month, year, moon phase and time, the Portugieser Eternal Calendar also features a power reserve display. However, the movement has a 168-hour power reserve, so you don’t have to worry about setting the watch even if you don’t wear it for a short period of time. Furthermore, most watches with high-end complications such as perpetual calendars are delicate. IWC claims to stay true to its Portuguese roots with a 5 ATM water resistance rating.
Seeing is believing
The Portugieser Eternal Calendar is actually a watch that is rarely seen. However, IWC strives to share this beautiful object widely with as many enthusiasts as possible. After all, when you make something this cool, you scream about it, right? At IWC’s new boutique in Amsterdam, you can see the Portugieser Eternal Calendar in all its glory. In the boutique, visitors can see a large-scale working diorama of the movement and how it accurately calculates the once-every-100-year leap year exception. Additionally, we provide a visual explanation of the moon phase function. This experience allows you to fully engage with the intricacies that make Eternal Calendar so special. The boutique also offers a fully immersive customer experience, including the customization of Portuguese chronographs.
For the original launch at Watches and Wonders 2024, IWC commissioned world-renowned composer Hans Zimmer to compose a soundtrack specifically for the Eternal Calendar’s spectacular debut. For the debut of the Eternal Calendar at its Amsterdam boutique, IWC paired with Dutch countertenor and conductor Maarten Engeljes to draw parallels between classical music and fine watchmaking in a special video campaign.
The campaign video shows Maarten experiencing the Eternal Calendar at a boutique in Amsterdam, and the next part of the campaign video, shot at Amsterdam’s iconic Concertgebouw, shows Maarten wearing the calendar. Masu. The collaboration with Maarten Engeljes serves as a way for IWC to localize its global efforts, while also highlighting the Eternal Calendar and Perpetual Studio pieces currently on display in Amsterdam’s impressive boutique . The campaign video will be released on Instagram in late December.
conclusion
The Portugieser Eternal Calendar is a very exclusive watch priced at CHF 150,000. With this in mind, some may wonder why the brand is making this watch available for everyone to see. Frankly, it makes sense for many reasons. Firstly, this watch shows IWC’s capabilities and lends serious credibility to the rest of the collection. The watch also recently won the watch industry’s most coveted award. So why not share the watch with new and existing fans?Finally, it is the perfect complement to our beautiful and modern new boutique in Amsterdam.
What do you think about the IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar? As always, we encourage you to share your thoughts in the comments.
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