In 2015, the large digital date and month display becomes a dominant feature of the IWC Portugieser watch family. Limited to just 25 watches in platinum and 75 of each of the red gold editions, the new Portugieser Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month Edition “75th Anniversary” is equipped with a wealth of sophisticated complications that are available in this combination only from IWC Schaffhausen.
Ref. IW397202: case in 18-carat red gold, black dial, dark brown alligator leather strap by Santoni, folding clasp in 18-carat red gold
Ref. IW397203: case in 18-carat red gold, silver-plated dial, dark brown alligator leather strap by Santoni, folding clasp in 18-carat red gold
The digital perpetual calendar is one of the outstanding technological advances made by the Schaffhausen- based watchmaking company. With the new Portugieser Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month Edition “75th Anniversary” (Ref. 3972), the Portugieser watch family now includes a model featuring a digital display for the date and month. This exclusive timepiece packs a wealth of IWC watchmaking expertise into its 45-millimetre case: perpetual calendar, large digital date, leap year display, chronograph with flyback function and the IWC-manufactured 89801 calibre with its quick-action switch and efficient double-pawl winding mechanism. On the occasion of its relaunch to mark the 75th anniversary of the Portugieser family, the watch is fitted with an arched-edge front glass and Santoni alligator leather strap and has an attractive new calibre design. The watch is limited to 25 pieces in platinum and 75 pieces each in 18-carat red gold with either a black or silver-plated dial.
Where does the IWC-manufactured 89801 calibre get all this power? The secret is a second source of energy, the so-called quick-action switch. Every night, when the date display moves forward, the switch siphons off a little of the energy, stores it and then discharges it precisely at the end of the month or year when, in addition to the date and month disc, the leap year disc also needs to be advanced.
Ref. IW397201: case in platinum, silver-plated dial, black alligator leather strap by Santoni, folding clasp in platinum
To turn the “watch within a watch” concept into reality, a team at IWC worked for 4 years on the in-house 89360-calibre chronograph movement with its particularly efficient double-pawl winding mechanism. In this assembly, four pawls arranged diagonally to the pawl wheel – in other words two sets of double pawls – convey the push-and-pull motion from the rotor to the barrel. This solution eliminates dead spots during winding and boosts the system’s efficiency by a significant 30 per cent. The further-developed in-house 89801 calibre is now used in the Reference 3972. Like its predecessor, it features an integrated flyback function that enables the user to reset the running stopwatch hands to zero simply by pushing the button, and to start another timing sequence immediately.
FEATURES
Mechanical chronograph movement – Perpetual calendar – Large, double-digit displays for the day and month – Leap year display – Stopwatch function with hours, minutes and seconds – Hour and minute counters combined in a totalizer at 12 o’clock – Flyback function – Small hacking seconds – See-through sapphire-glass back – Rotor made of 18-carat red gold – Limited edition of 25 watches in platinum and 75 watches for each of the two red gold references
MOVEMENT
IWC-manufactured calibre 89801 Frequency 28,800 A/h / 4 Hz Jewels 51 Power reserve 68 h Winding automatic
WATCH
Materials
Ref. IW397201: case in platinum, silver-plated dial, black alligator leather strap by Santoni, folding clasp in platinum
Ref. IW397202: case in 18-carat red gold, black dial, dark brown alligator leather strap by Santoni, folding clasp in 18-carat red gold
Ref. IW397203: case in 18-carat red gold, silver-plated dial, dark brown alligator leather strap by Santoni, folding clasp in 18-carat red gold
Glass sapphire, arched edge, antireflective coating on both sides
Water-resistant 3 bar
Diameter 45 mm Case height 16.5 mm
