IWC Schaffhausen brings the iconic perpetual calendar back to its acclaimed Portofino collection.
No complication embodies IWC’s unique engineering approach quite like the perpetual calendar. Developed in the 1980s by former head watchmaker Kurt Klaus and consisting of less than 100 ingeniously arranged parts, the calendar is distinguished by its high level of autonomy and user-friendliness. In fact, the intelligent mechanical program recognises the different lengths of the months and automatically inserts a leap day every four years at the end of February. Pretty smart huh? Now IWC returns the perpetual calendar back into its Portofino collection, with two versions.
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Watch lovers can choose from one version in 18-carat 5N gold or another in stainless steel – marking the first Portofino with a perpetual calendar in this durable material. The stainless steel version features a case with a silver-plated dial and rhodium-plated hands and appliques while the gold version boasts an 18-carat 5N gold case, a silver-plated dial and gold-plated hands and appliques.
With a case diameter of only 40 millimetres, the Portofino Perpetual Calendar is currently the smallest perpetual calendar watch in IWC’s collections. Both versions are powered by the IWC-manufactured 82650 calibre movement, featuring automatic Pellaton winding with ceramic components and a power reserve of 60 hours.
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The calendar information is indicated in three subdials. The date is shown at 3 o’clock, the month at 6 o’clock, and the day of the week at 9 o’clock. The weekday display also contains a small leap year indicator: a red “L” signals a leap year, and the calendar will autonomously insert the 29th of February. Another highlight of this model is the perpetual moon phase display. Integrated into the month display, it shows the moon against the backdrop of a star-studded night sky.
In addition to displays for the date, weekday, and month, the calendar also features IWC’s perpetual moon phase indication, which will only deviate by one day from the orbit of Earth’s satellite in 577.5 years. Even better, the Portofino Perpetual Calendar will continue to run without manual interventions until 2100, when the leap year is omitted due to an exception in the Gregorian calendar.
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Both versions are fitted with blue straps made of traceable Swiss calf leather. The straps have a natural and soft finish and boast a contemporary, luxurious look.
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