This year, the IWC Replica brand caught our attention with a new piece from its Portugieser collection. The brand has unveiled a veritable selection of excellent new models, including this 42.4 mm diameter watch (and yes, IWC is no joke) with a perpetual calendar.
The older model of the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar has been one of my favorite perpetual calendar watches for a long time now. I love its design, its dial but also the arrangement of the 4 subdials as well as their size. The only small problem for me remains its size. Indeed, it is a relatively imposing and massive watch with a case measuring 44mm in diameter and a thickness of 15mm.
Old model of the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar
IWC is therefore back with a new model, the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 42. The brand’s new timepiece is 42.4mm in diameter and 13.8mm thick. A slightly smaller and thinner size than its predecessor, although this new IWC still remains very imposing.
DIAL
The IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 42 still presents its large dial with a refined style that has made this collection famous. However, due to its slightly smaller width, the fourth sub-dial has disappeared. This new model only has three subdials in the conventional layout at 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock and 9 o’clock. The year indicator and the power reserve indicator have also disappeared, so you will no longer have an indication of the current year or the power reserve you have left.
On each side the date and day indications with leap year are balanced at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock. On the dial below 6 o’clock, the month combines with a beautiful moon phase dial. We will also find 3 leaf hands (name due to their shape) for the hours, minutes and seconds as on the old version of the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar.
MOVEMENT
Fans of IWC watches know the brand well through their creations of complex calendar watches. However, watches with a lot of complications require complex and thick movements. To equip this edition of IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 42 with a smaller, thinner case but keeping these famous complications, IWC had to use its caliber 82000 family. And more particularly the caliber 82650.
The calibers of the 82000 range from IWC are precise and robust automatic movements. The components subject to the greatest stresses are made of ceramic to make them almost indestructible. This movement has 326 components for a power reserve of 60 hours. And yes, you heard correctly, only 60 hours of power reserve. This is 108 hours less than the old IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar model which comes with almost a week of reserve.
As for the rest of this magnificent IWC Portugieser model, the watch is water resistant to 3 ATM, certainly it is not much but it is once again not a sporty diving watch. You will have the chance to appreciate in detail the caliber 82650 on the back of the watch which has a transparent sapphire crystal back. Personally I can’t do without this kind of background on a mechanical watch with automatic or even manual winding.
The IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 42 will be available in three different models. The model presented and sold only in stores features a blue dial and an 18-carat pink gold case. The other models have a silver dial, one with a silver case and the other with a gold case. They will be available from authorized IWC retailers. For the bracelets, these are all in alligator leather of course.
This IWC timepiece will give you the time, date, day, month as well as the moon phase for the next 577.5 years and all this taking into account leap years. Count on €20,550 for the stainless steel version and €32,350 for the rose gold and gold versions.
