Pre-SIHH 2018: IWC - The Jubilee Collection "150 Years"

2 0 Friday, 1 December 2017 Edit this post

Founded by American watchmaking pioneer Florentine Ariosto Jones in 1868, IWC will celebrate 150 years of history in 2018.

To celebrate this milestone, the company is set to unveil a special Jubilee collection at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) watch fair in Geneva (15-19 January), comprising a total of 27 limited-edition models from the Portugieser, Portofino, Pilot’s Watches and Da Vinci families. To mark this occasion, IWC is also launching its first-ever wristwatch to feature the original digital hours and minute display as it appeared on the Pallweber pocket watches back in 1884.

The one aesthetic element all these timepieces share is their imprinted dial in white or blue, an effect that is achieved by a process of applying several layers of lacquer, reminiscent of heritage enamelled finishes.

The watches with a white dial have blued hands, while those with a blue dial have rhodium-plated hands. The idea for the imprinted dials and blue hands came from the first Portugieser models, Reference IW325, from 1939.

A Portugieser (or Portuguese) reference 325
From our article "History of the IWC Portuguese"

All the watches in the collection bears the Jubilee insignia “150 Years”, either as a medallion or as an engraving.

We offer here a preview of some of these new models that will be presented in more detail in the coming days.

Tribute to Pallweber Edition “150 Years” Ref. IW505002

IWC’s first-ever wristwatches to feature jumping numerals in a digital display are one of the special highlights of the Jubilee collection. They show the hours and minutes in large numerals on rotating discs. The company was already using this form of time display in pocket watches back in 1884 when International Watch Co. secured the rights to the display system developed by the Salzburg watchmaker Joseph Pallweber.

The IWC Tribute to Pallweber Edition “150 Years” has a 45 mm red gold case, a white dial with a lacquered finish, white display discs, and a blued seconds hand. The watch will be available in a limited edition of 250 with a price of Swiss Francs 38,000.

Portugieser Constant-Force Tourbillon Edition “150 Years” Ref. IW590202

Housed in a 45 mm platinum case framing a white dial with a lacquered finish and blued hands, the Portugieser Constant-Force Tourbillon Edition “150 Years” will be available in a limited edition of 15. For the first time, the new IWC-manufactured hand-wound calibre combines a constant-force tourbillon with a single moon phase display. Price: Swiss Francs 255,000.

Portugieser Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon Edition “150 Years” Ref. IW504501

Another first for IWC comes with the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon Edition “150 Years” with the combination of a perpetual calendar with a tourbillon. The 45 mm 18-carat red gold case frames a white dial with a lacquered finish and blued hands. It is available in a limited edition of 50 watches. Price: Swiss Francs 110,000.

The Da Vinci Automatic Moon Phase 36 Edition “150 Years” Ref. IW459304

Taking up IWC’s former tradition of elaborately decorated jewellery watches, the Da Vinci Automatic Moon Phase 36 Edition “150 Years” features a 36 mm red gold case covered by 206 pure white diamonds amounting to 2.26 carats, a white dial with a lacquered finish, moon phase display at 12 o’clock and blued hands. It will be available in a limited edition of 50 watches at the price of Swiss Francs 31,000.

Da Vinci Automatic Edition “150 Years” Ref. IW358102

With its small seconds at 6 o’clock, the Da Vinci Automatic Edition “150 Years” is the first watch to feature the new IWC-manufactured 82200 calibre, an automatic movement with Pellaton winding and a power reserve of 60 hours. The watch has a stainless-steel case, a blue dial with a lacquered finish, and rhodium-plated hands. Available in a limited edition of 500 watches, it has a price of Swiss Francs 9,900.

All these models are expected to be available from April 2018. iwc.com