IWC Schaffhausen unveiled two limited-edition Da Vinci watches at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in Geneva as part of the jubilee collection to celebrate the company’s 150th anniversary. The Da Vinci Automatic Edition “150 Years” with small seconds at “6 o’clock” is the first watch to feature the new IWC-manufactured 82200 calibre.
The IWC Da Vinci 150 Years edition in 18 K red gold and white lacquered dial.
The case and dial
The Da Vinci automatic measures 40.4 mm in diameter and 12.1 mm in thickness. Three variants run in the collection with two in stainless steel and a third in 18 K red gold. As with the other 150th anniversary models, the Da Vinci collection too uses a lacquered dial and is available in white and blue dial variants.
The blue dial variant in a 40.4 mm stainless steel case.
Perhaps the most significant feature of this collection is the moving lugs design. Aesthetically, the moving lugs resemble design elements from the art-deco era, but with modern manufacturing finesse. The case is very well made, with multi axis lugs, step bezel to reduce the visual effects of a tall case, and a bright polish all round. Sapphire crystal is used on the front and back, with a raised box sapphire crystal being used at the front, congruent with the vintage look that the Da Vinci collection encapsulates.
A line up of all three pieces in the collection, with a 500 pieces limited edition for each steel variant and 250 pieces for the red gold model.
A lacquered finish is used on the dials, perhaps alluding to enamel dials of the past. The color hue and reflectiveness of a lacquered dial are similar with those on enamel dials, but at a fraction of production costs. A seconds at six counter is used with arabic numerals and a minutes track. The overall style of the dial resembles that of the pocket watch, and is frequently seen on classic range timepieces, like the 1815 from Lange for instance. Steel double faceted sword hands are used as the hour and minutes hands.
The pellaton winding caliber 82200.
The movement
The newly developed automatic IWC-manufactured 82200 calibre with a Pellaton winding system boasts a power reserve of 60 hours. Movement components in the system subject to particularly hard use, such as the pawls or the cam, are made of virtually wear-proof ceramic. The skeletonised rotor offers a view of the movement decorated with circular graining and Geneva stripes. The automatic movement beats at 28,800 A/h.
The numerals and indicators are printed onto the lacquered dial. The step bezel design is used to reduce the perception of a thick case.
A better fit on the wrist is one practical benefit of using a moving lugs design.
Concluding thoughts
The overall design of the watch is refreshing as it is antique. While the case is sized at 40 mm the dial size wears smaller given the larger bezel. The resulting visual appearance of the case dimensions then can be seen as more classic, with a leaner case height and diameter. The IWC Da Vinci Automatic is arguably well sized for a classic watch, uses a pellaton winding caliber and looks good with the lacquered dial. While the moving lugs design is not as conventional for a time-only watch, the design creates comfort for the wearer and is iconic of the collection. The price of the steel variant is 8900 euro or approximately US$11,000.
Technical Specifications and Price
WATCH
Ref. IW358101: Stainless steel case, white dial with lacquered finish, black printed indices and numerals, blued hands, black alligator leather strap by Santoni
Ref. IW358102: Stainless steel case, blue dial with lacquered finish, white printed indices and numerals, rhodium-plated hands, black alligator leather strap by Santoni
Ref. IW358103: 18-carat red gold case, white dial with lacquered finish, black printed indices and numerals, blued hands, black alligator leather strap by Santoni
- Glass: Sapphire, arched edge, antireflective coating on both sides
- Water-resistant: 3 bar
- Diameter: 40.4 mm
- Height: 12.1 mm
FEATURES
- Mechanical movement
- Pellaton automatic winding
- Small hacking seconds
- Rotor with jubilee insignia
- See-through sapphire-glass back
- Limited edition of 500 watches (Ref. IW358101/IW358102)/250 watches (Ref. IW358103) each
MOVEMENT
- IWC-manufactured calibre: 82200
- Frequency: 28,800 A/h | 4 Hz
- Jewels: 33
- Power reserve: 60 h
- Winding: Automatic
2 Comments
When these be in stores in Africa?
The size, positioning and kerning of 10, 11 and 12 on the dial remind me of a $25 quartz watch.