The Stars of IWC: The Portugieser, Portofino, & Da Vinci

by Kapoor Watch Company

If there is one thing that beats the pristineness of an original, it is a classic fusion of two originals. This is something that IWC has mastered pretty well. The Swiss watch manufacturer has established itself as a prominent player in the luxury watch industry with an armada of unique and exquisite timepieces.

He watchmaker is the perfect example of a fusion between conventional Swiss watch craftsmanship and American engineering. IWC’s legacy goes back to 1868 with the foundation being laid down by Florentino Ariosto Jones. F.A. Jones was an American watchmaker as well as an engineer who traveled all the way to Switzerland with the intention of making watches using technologies he acquired back in the States in addition to the traditional Swiss watchmaking techniques that were already making a name around the world at that time. Jones himself wouldn’t have fathomed that this would be the beginning of a journey that would eventually give rise to one of the world’s biggest names in luxury watches making.

Today, IWC flaunts a fleet of watches that display its brilliance concocted with timeless elegance. The watchmaker has numerous watches that do justice to the above-mentioned attributes. But none of them do it better than the IWC Portugeiser, Portofino, and Da Vinci collections.

The IWC Portugeiser

Created on the request of Portuguese businessmen Antonio and Rodrigues Teixera, the Portugeiser, at that time termed as the ‘Portuguese’ ref. 325, was IWC’s answer to the rising demand of men’s wrist watches in Portugal. IWC created a wristwatch that had the accuracy and movement of a marine chronometer. The first shipment of the ref. 325, however, was made to a certain watch wholesaler in Ukraine by the name L. Schwarcz on February 22nd, 1939. It wasn’t until 1942 that the Portugeiser was shipped to Portugal on February 2nd, 1942 and June 17th, 1942 to wholesalers Rodrigues & Goncalves, and Pacheco, respectively.

Unlike other flagships, the IWC Portugeiser always had limited production. The reason back in the day was the size of the case. The watch had a pocket watch movement of calibre 74 along with a case 43 mm in diameter, which was considered very big at the time. The 1950s marked the beginning of calibre 98 being included in watch production. In 1993, IWC launched the Portugeiser ref. 5441, also termed as the ‘Jubilee’. This was an iconic watch, as collectors could now see the brilliance of behind the timepiece via a glass back. Fast forward to the beginning of the new millennium and the Portugeiser collection welcomes the brand new calibre 5000 to its family. Since then, there has been no turning back. Watches like the Siderale Scafusia do an excellent job in proving that. The masterpiece is equipped with calibre 94900 along with 500 additional parts that truly make it the undisputed king of grand complications. The member of the Portugeiser family sports a constant force tourbillon that facilitates even distribution of power eliminating the effects of gravitational pull. To add to this technological genius of a watch, IWC added a map on the back panel of the watch that displays the exact placement of stars in the night sky based on the watch bearer’s position on the planet. In addition, the watch carries an integrated twilight display, daytime/nighttime indicators, sunrise/sunset indicators, solar time, and a perpetual calendar.

The IWC Portofino

Portofino is originally a small village near the Mediterranean which is known for its calm and serene lifestyle. It would be safe to say that the watch does justice to the name. The year was 1984 and the world was introduced to the elegance of the Portofino collection. IWC reckoned it was time to go back to the basics and came up with Portofino ref. 5251. The birth of the Portofino line of timepieces was essentially due to the growing demand of timeless watches in the continent. The year 1988 saw the Swiss watchmaker come up with hybrid movements such as the calibre 631 that accommodated both mechanical as well as quartz functions. Portofino ref. 3730 and ref. 3731 were fine examples of this experiment. 1993 saw the launch of the most delicate member of the Portofino collection in ref. 2010. The watch was merely 1.85 mm in thickness. It was only a matter of time that IWC Portofino collection got itself a perpetual calendar with Romana ref. 2050 being the pioneer.

One of the most redeeming qualities of IWC over the years has been that it has been attentive to feedback. This attitude led the watch manufacturer make the Portofino Vintage in 2008 embraced with calibre 98800. The Savonette movement enabled seconds display and lunar phase movement to be portrayed at 6 o’clock and 12 o’clock, respectively. The Portofino ‘Vintage’ collection also flaunted the hand wound ref. 5448. The watch was given a sapphire glass front replacing the conventional Plexiglas. 2011 came to be known as the year of the Portofino. IWC launched the flagship ref. 5101 ‘Hand-Wound Eight Days’. The IWC left no stones unturned in the making of this pristine timepiece as it displayed alligator leather straps from the celebrated shoemaker Santoni and the new calibre 59210 movement. IWC came out with moon phase displays in the Portofino Hand-Wound Eight Day line along with the in-house calibre 59800. The timepiece was the first of its kind. A year later, IWC celebrated its 150 years in watchmaking by releasing two thousand limited edition ‘Portofino Automatic 150 Years’ watches.

The Portofino collection has not only been pivotal in solidifying IWC’s position in the luxury watch industry but it also helped build the brand’s image of unrivaled elegance and class that we see today.

The IWC Da Vinci

Taking pride in masculinity and technological refinement, IWC launched the Da Vinci collection back in 1969. One of the features that pushed Da Vinci to popularity was its ability to keep time with ten times the accuracy of any chronometer movement at the time. The Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar made its debut in 1985. The watch went on to become one of the most sought after IWC timepieces of all times. 1988 turned out to be the year for the ladies as IWC introduced sophisticated technology mixed with undying beauty in the form of the Lady Chronograph.

By the beginning of 2000, the world of watchmaking took a turn for the better. Every watchmaker wanted to push their limits in order to welcome the new millennium. IWC answer to this was the ‘Tourbillon Four Seasons’. The collection was a melodious interplay of design and technology. In 2007, IWC launched its first in-house calibre 89360 chronograph movement. Surprisingly, IWC resorted to the classic tonneau shape for the case. On the technical front, this is the most advanced case IWC has ever made. 2017 saw the advent of the Automatic Moon Phase 36 and the Tourbillon Retrograde Chronograph. Among these, the Retrograde Chronograph proved to be a true symbol of watchmaking wizardry. The watch donned a calibre 89900 powered movement that accommodated a chronograph, a retrograde display for date, and lastly a tourbillon all in one place. In 2018, like all the other collections under the Swiss watch mogul, IWC delivered the 150 Years edition of the IWC Da Vinci Automatic. The watch flaunts a calibre 82200 along with a 60 hour power reserve and a small seconds display inside a luring red-gold case.

Over the years, IWC has built a successful empire which has made it nothing less than an icon in the luxury watch industry. And by the looks of it, the watch manufacturer has no plans to hang its boots anytime soon.