IWC Portuguese Synthesis

The ultimate irony about the Da Vinci perpetual calendar is that it was not born out of a tradition at IWC. While fine watchmaking has been synonymous with IWC’s heritage, until relatively recently very complicated watches were not. The rattrapantes, repeaters and Grand Complications that we see today were not part of the IWC real tradition –which was making good, solid, quality watches. Well engineered watches, absolutely –but not complicated ones. In that sense, the Da Vinci with its perpetual calendar really stood for everything that the original Portugieser was not.

Both traditions –innovation and complication, on the one hand, and classicism in the sense of thepocket watch heritage, on the other—today are integral to what "is" IWC. IWC is defined by its traditions and both lineages are important to understanding the company and its products.

It was natural to combine these elements in something new. This watch would be a synthesis of everything that IWC has stood for, and stands for today. It would represent the classical pocket watch tradition underlying International Watch Company. It would represent the trend towards innovative complicated watchmaking – a much younger tradition, certainly, but today one that has institutionalized itself in Schaffhausen.

Here, then, is the child of this evolution: the Portuguese Perpetual Calendar, Reference 5021. It has the new Calibre 50611 movement, which combines the basic design of the special IWC perpetual calendar module with the revolutionary –and still traditional—Calibre 5000. Yet, the movement is more than a simple combination. It uses the larger size of the Portuguese case, and the wider diameter of the Portuguese 5000 base movement, to enhance the perpetual module. There are more teeth on the moonphase gearing, so that the inaccuracy is now a mere one day in 577.5 years. There are now more bridges to facilitate assembly and service.

The Portuguese perpetual, from style to size to movement, represents two traditions. Yet, even if they are disparate, they co-exist in perfect harmony. Just as IWC as a company has both the Portuguese tradition and the Da Vinci tradition, this model reflects and expands upon both lineages. This is a watch of the past, the present and the future.

The Portuguese Perpetual Calendar is a beautiful watch. It is a functional watch –after all, a complicated dial of any perpetual is easier to read in a larger model. It is a useful watch. It represents a great movement –unique, but traditional, and produced with no compromise regarding quality. It is modern, but classic. It is an engineered watch, but still one that possesses a special grace and its own distinct charm.

Above all, this watch is a symbol. It is a symbol born out of synthesis. It represents watchmaking as a culture and IWC as a heritage. It is far more than a timekeeping device. The Portuguese perpetual calendar is truly a great achievement. It is a great watch, for what it is and for what it represents.