IWC - Portofino Perpetual Calendar IW3444

IWC unveiled today the new Portofino Perpetual Calendar. Available in steel IW3444601 or red gold IW3444602 with prices starting from €25,300

IWC is bringing its legendary perpetual calendar back to the Portofino collection.

 

Unveiled today, the new Portofino Perpetual Calendar is offered in two versions, one in stainless steel with a silver-plated dial and rhodium-plated hands and appliques (ref. IW344601) and the other in 18-carat 5N red gold with a silver-plated dial and gold-plated hands and appliques (ref. IW344602).

With a case diameter of only 40 mm, the Portofino Perpetual Calendar is currently the smallest perpetual calendar watch in IWC’s collections. Offering water resistance to 5 bar (50 metres / 165 feet), the watch has a total thickness of 12.7 mm including the arched-edge sapphire crystal featuring an antireflective coating on both sides.

Developed in the 1980s by former head watchmaker Kurt Klaus and consisting of less than 100 ingeniously arranged parts, the IWC perpetual calendar mechanical program recognises the different lengths of the months and automatically inserts a leap day every four years at the end of February. It will continue to run without manual interventions until 2100, when the leap year is omitted due to an exception in the Gregorian calendar. All the displays are synchronized with each other and can be adjusted simply via the crown.

The calendar information are displayed by means of three subdials. The date is shown at 3 o’clock, the month at 6 o’clock, and the day of the week, together with the leap year, at 9 o’clock. 

The moon phase display is integrated into the month display showing the moon against the backdrop of a star-studded night sky. Thanks to a precisely calculated reductionist gear train, it deviates from the actual orbit of the moon by only one day after 577.5 years.

Advancing the calendar module with a single impulse during the night, the IWC-manufactured 82650 calibre beats at a frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour) and guarantees a 60-hour power reserve thanks to the efficient automatic winding system developed in the 1950s by IWC’s former technical director, Albert Pellaton. 

Components of the automatic winding system that are subject to high stresses, such as the heart-shaped cam and the clicks, are made of virtually wear-free zirconium oxide ceramic. 

The meticulous finishes and the openworked oscillating weight featuring the signature “Probus Scafusia” medallion in solid gold can be admired through the transparent sapphire-glass back. 

Both versions are fitted with soft blue straps made of traceable Swiss calf leather (lug width 20 mm). The steel version is secured to the wrist by a double folding clasp while the gold model features a pin buckle.

The IWC Portofino Perpetual Calendar has a suggested retail price of Euro 25,300 / US$ 24,000 in stainless steel (ref. IW344601) or Euro 36,000 / US$ 33,500 in red gold (ref. IW344602). iwc.com