Review: IWC Portuguese Tourbillon
Most people know the story of the Portuguese. Created by IWC for the Portuguese market in the 1930s, it was designed to be a wristwatch with the precision of a marine chronometer, and has since become a popular staple in the brand’s repertoire. The watch is now synonymous with elegance and high-end watchmaking—so with such a grand reputation, the challenge for IWC becomes how to keep new models in the series fresh and interesting.
A tourbillon is a pretty good place to start. Originally developed as a means of counteracting the effects of gravity on the escapement by Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1801, this complicated bit of micro-mechanics became a benchmark of technical artistry for watchmakers. For the Portuguese Tourbillon, IWC has gone straight for the knockout with a flying minute tourbillon located at 9 o’clock on the watch’s dial. The completely unobstructed whirring of this little mechanical marvel is truly a delight to behold.
The uncluttered nature of the rest of the dial only adds to the prominence of the tourbillon. Long, swordlike hands spread out over a silver-plated dial, bordered by delicate rose gold Arabic numerals. The only other distraction to be seen is the small seconds subdial that sits above 6 o’clock. You’re left to simply admire the classic, clean lines of the watch and the hypnotic spinning of the tourbillon, rotating around its own axis once every 60 seconds.
The watch’s movement also has an interesting heritage. The Portuguese Tourbillon makes use of a hand-wound calibre crafted in the tradition of the famous 98 series. This movement was originally used in the 1930s to power the brand’s exceptional hunter pocket watches. IWC has worked to continuously to improve the movement since its creation, refining its design and engineering.
This descendent of the 98 family is the calibre 98900, which has been updated to beat at 28,800vph to improve its precision—and of course, it also features that beautiful tourbillon. The movement is finished to an exceptionally fine level, which you can see for yourself through the exhibition caseback.
The watch sits comfortably on the wrist at 43mm by 11mm, and is available in both rose and white gold. It comes on a brown alligator leather strap, just to complete a feeling of classical refinement. Tourbillons typically result in a higher price-point thanks to the skill that goes into creating them, so this timepiece might cost a bit more than other models in the series—but it’s most definitely a showstopper, and an excellent addition to the Portuguese family.
###Watch Spec | IWC Portuguese Tourbillon Case: Rose gold Dimensions: 43mm Crystal: Synthetic sapphire Water Resistance: 30m Movement: 98900, manual Frequency: 28,800ph Power Reserve: 54 hours Strap: Leather Functions: Time, small seconds, power reserve, flying minute tourbillon | Shop Now
