Motoring News

The Perfect Perpetual Calendar Timepiece

In time to celebrate the end of 2010, IWC introduces an updated version of their ever-popular Portuguese Perpetual Calendar timepiece in rose gold with an elegant blue dial.

In 2003, IWC launched a perpetual calendar timepiece with a new look, the Portuguese Perpetual Calendar. A perpetual calendar refers to a calendar which doesn’t need correction at the end of each month (including leap years).  The in-house IWC caliber 51613 self-winding movement is constructed in such a way, you don’t have to adjust it until the year 2100. During that leap year, it will need to be reset after which it will run perfectly to the year 2499.

7 years later, IWC celebrates this successful model with a 2010 Limited Edition that is restricted to 100 pieces only.  In addition to the perpetual calendar complication as explained above, this 2010 edition features a perpetual moon phase display that is capable of demonstrating the course of the moon with the utmost precision.  Keep in mind, that after 577 years, the moon phase display will need another correction of one whole day, as every moon cycle (approximately once per 29.5 days) adds a deviation of 12 seconds.

The dial of the watch hosts a lot of information:

  • hours, minutes, seconds;
  • date;
  • day of the week;
  • month;
  • year in four digits;
  • perpetual moon phase;
  • power reserve indicator.

The IWC Portuguese Perpetual Calendar has it all. It might be the watch you want to have when you are in pursuit of buying that one perfect timepiece that will join you the rest of your life. However, being a watch aficionado (otherwise you would have stopped reading this article after a few sentences) you know that’s impossible of course.

One of the things we like most about IWC’s moon phase timepieces is the moon display. The big gold moon disc surrounded with bright gold stars looks amazing. The new blue dial serves as a perfect backdrop for the contrasting 18 carat rose gold case, hands and numeral hour markers.

IWC’s caliber 51613 movement has – like all in-house IWC movements – a Pellaton winding system and a power reserve of 7 days. This means that even when this timepiece doesn’t get daily wear, you don’t have to spend half a Sunday morning correcting the movement. If the Portuguese Perpetual Calendar won’t be in your weekly rotation program of timepieces, do consider investing in a decent watch winder when buying this model.

Price is not available (yet).

IWC Portuguese Perpetual Calendar

Comments

Fan Faves

To Top