Press Release: IWC Tribute to Pallweber and the Portugieser Constant-Force Tourbillon Edition “150 Years”

IWC Tribute To Pallweber Edition “150 Years”

IWC’s first-ever watches to feature jumping numerals in a digital display are one of the special highlights of the Jubilee collection. They show the hours and minutes in large numerals on rotating discs. IWC was already using this form of time display in pocket watches back in 1884; the display was a revolutionary development in its time. The IWC Tribute to Pallweber Edition “150 Years” (Ref. IW505002) has an 18-carat red gold case, a white dial with a lacquered finish, white display discs, and a blued seconds hand. The watch is available in a limited edition of 250. As a reference to the design of the historic Pallweber watches and a tribute to F. A. Jones – the American watch- maker who founded IWC – the windows of the digital display are labelled as “Hours” and “Minutes”.

When creating the IWC-manufactured 94200 calibre, the watch designers developed a new solution for the technically sophisticated digital display (patent pending). While toothed cogs moved the discs in the historic Pallweber pocket watches, the impulse that advances the single-minute disc now is supplied by a separate wheel train with a barrel of its own. A release mechanism that establishes a connection to the watch’s main wheel train unlocks the train every 60 seconds and then immediately locks it again. After 10 minutes, the single-minute disc moves the 10-minute disc forward by one position. Every 60th minute, the hour ring jumps to the next numeral. The fact that the flow of power in the main wheel train is unifluenced by the separate wheel train guarantees a precise rate and a high 60-hour power reserve.