IWC Schaffhausen redefines the boundaries of what is possible in horological complication with the Portugieser Eternal Calendar.
Since the company was founded in 1868 by American watchmaker and engineer Florentine Ariosto Jones, IWC Schaffhausen has built a reputation not only for its unique approach to watchmaking, but also for combining the best of old-school craftsmanship and creativity with cutting-edge technology and manufacturing processes. Even better is how IWC manifests this artisanship by not reserving it exclusively for one-of-a-kind pieces and limited-editions. The Swiss luxury watch manufacturer also perpetuates its horological skills across the whole spectrum of watchmaking, from elegant dress watches to sports watches.
A prime example of IWC Schaffhausen’s watchmaking philosophy is the new Portugieser Eternal Calendar, the brand’s first secular perpetual calendar boasting a moon-phase with an accuracy of 45 million years. Since launching its perpetual calendar nearly four decades ago, IWC has continually refined the precision of this complication. The journey began in 1985 with Kurt Klaus’s Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Chronograph (Ref. IW3750), which offered a moon-phase indicator with an accuracy of 122 years. This quest for precision took a major step forward in 2003 with the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar (Ref. 5021), which achieved an accuracy rate of 577.5 years.
And now, the new Portugieser Eternal Calendar clearly sets a new benchmark. Chris Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen, says it best: “Since Kurt Klaus developed his legendary perpetual calendar in the 1980s, IWC Schaffhausen has accumulated unique expertise in mechanical calendars that are ingeniously efficient in their design and easy to use. With the new Portugieser Eternal Calendar, we now venture further than ever before, touching the limits of eternity.”
The focal point of the watch is the exquisite and extremely precise moon-phase display on the glass dial. This marvel is displayed on the dial using the Double Moon indication, which shows the moon seen in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The display consists of two super-imposed discs. A celestial disc with two small, circular openings rotates above an immobile lower disc with two dots, giving the impression that two small moons are waxing or waning. The lower disc is made of titanium and decorated with a guilloché pattern, while the upper disc is made of glass.
An exceptionally beautiful watch, the Portugieser Eternal Calendar has plenty of charm in addition to its exceptional movement. Housed in a platinum case with polished and brushed surfaces, the newly developed IWC-manufactured 52640 calibre features a highly efficient Pellaton winding system and boasts a power reserve of up to seven days (168 hours). “Our first secular perpetual calendar automatically takes into account the Gregorian calendar’s complex leap-year exception rules by skipping the leap year three times over 400 years. True to the spirit of engineers who are always pushing the boundaries, we have also fitted this technical marvel with a moon phase display that will only deviate from the moon’s orbit by one day after 45 million years,” Chris Grainger-Herr elaborates.
The moon-phase display is one of watchmaking’s most enchanting complications, capturing the celestial dance of the moon with remarkable precision. It displays the moon’s current phase on the dial, ensuring no full moon is missed even when there’s plenty of cloud cover to restrict our sight of the heavens. And with the watch is officially recognised by Guinness World Records as the “world’s most precise lunar phase wristwatch.” This acknowledgement further underscores how the Portugieser Eternal Calendar is more than just a timepiece.
This marvel of art not only embodies IWC Schaffhausen’s dedication to innovation and precision, but also pushes the boundaries of what is possible in watchmaking. For those who appreciate the art of watchmaking, it represents a timeless masterpiece that will be cherished for generations.
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