A time display in a mysterious shade of blue
Portuguese Perpetual Calendar Limited Edition 2010
The ingenious is not necessarily simple. But it has to be simple to operate. And the complicated, as embodied by the Portuguese Perpetual Calendar Limited Edition 2010, cannot be allowed to sacrifice purity of style to mere functionality. That, in essence, sums up a classical watch from IWC that has been one of the world’s outstanding timepieces since it was unveiled in 2003. Apart from the fact that it is now available in rose gold with an elegant blue dial. An irresistible combination destined for precisely one hundred fortunate owners.
From a watchmaking point of view, one could say it was a smaller version of the exceptional complicated watches crafted in Schaffhausen. But that would not entirely do justice to its technical sophistication. The Portuguese Perpetual Calendar Limited Edition 2010, which first appeared in the watchmaking firmament in 2003, not only features a perpetual calendar that has represented the state of the art for 25 years. It also boasts a perpetual moon phase display that replicates the course of Earth’s satellite with almost absolute precision: only after 577 years, and long after our time, will the minuscule deviation of 12 seconds per lunar cycle add up to a difference of one whole day that will then require correction. On the tiny stage below the “12”, where this celestial theatre is enacted in classic form, it will be virtually imperceptible. Nevertheless, we wanted to ensure that owners in the far-distant future would continue to appreciate the precision of our engineering. The Portuguese Perpetual Calendar Limited Edition 2010 combines the extra-large IWC manufactured 51613 calibre, whose Pellaton winding builds up a seven-day power reserve, with the fascinating displays found in a superb calendar: date, weekday, month, year in four digits and perpetual moon phase. These likewise require no correction or adjustment on the part of the future owner until a leap year in 2100. And even after this tiny correction, its programme and displays are designed to go on performing for what seems like an eternity: until the end of 2499. This “tour de force” is brought about with the help of a replacement century slide, which is delivered with the watch. If the owner fails to wear the watch for a few days and the movement actually stops, the mechanically programmed calendar display can be advanced swiftly and simply using the crown.
