Just lately, my thoughts stumbled upon a brand new measure of greatness, or lack thereof, to search for in a potential buy. It really works within the context of vehicles, cameras, garments, and, I feel, watches, too. It’s a fairly easy query that goes one thing like: “Would I be pondering of or lacking some other merchandise when utilizing this one?” Hopefully, no less than a few of you may relate to the state of affairs by which you will have an intensive wishlist of watches or whatnot, and you end up leaping amongst all these choices, hardly discovering any one among them totally passable. Discovering one which solutions the aforementioned query eliminates the remainder of the listing, thus serving to you come to restful nights. I selected to evaluation the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44 In Armor Gold as a result of I needed to see whether or not it was a watch one may personal and never miss one other timepiece for good.
The idea of the go-anywhere-do-anything (or GADA) watch has been round for lengthy — too lengthy, maybe — which explains the plague-like unfold of built-in metal bracelet watches, a mode that has overruled watch design and watch buy selections in nearly each worth phase. The watch we’re reviewing at the moment, this large, heavy lump of gold matched to a stiff alligator strap and a dauntingly black dial, is, in a approach, the antithesis of your built-in bracelet, high-water-resistance GADA watch. So, right here is query #2 for us: Can it nonetheless represent the be-all and end-all for some?
For a begin, we must always state the apparent: The IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44 is a mature watch, and it’s not tough to argue additionally it is a mature individual’s watch. Sure, it’s in 18k purple gold — dubbed Armor Gold by IWC — however it additionally is available in 18k white gold for these in search of one thing a bit extra discreet. Armor Gold IWC is just not notably particular about, however it claims, “The gold is alloyed with different supplies and on this approach assumes the specified colour. The fabric is produced utilizing a complicated course of, throughout which the microstructure of the alloy is reworked. In consequence, the fabric is considerably more durable and extra wear-resistant as typical 5N gold.”
On condition that this reference IW503702 is overwhelmingly black — the dial, the strap, and importantly additionally lots of the reflections on the case and bezel — it seems to downplay its treasured nature and mighty price ticket no less than a bit. That is rapidly balanced out by the apparent complexity of the dial and the ensuing complexity of the motion beneath. Throughout its current replace, IWC has fine-tuned the proportions of the Portugieser assortment for 2024. In my hands-on debut, I known as it a “drop-dead attractive” watch. “Superbly proportioned, properly executed, and someway… Dense-looking. As when you took a lot of what was beefy, sturdy, engineered, and refined in a watch, put all of it in a mildew, and subjected all that to very excessive, very even strain.” By way of in depth put on, this sentiment continues to linger, whereas new-found touches of refinement additionally come out to play.
Extra particularly, the brand new Portugieser case is barely slimmer and total “much less” in quantity than its predecessors, with noticeably extra slender lugs and a bezel you need to actively search to search out in any respect. Upon nearer inspection, it reveals its crafty concave form, a uncommon and expensive-looking contact. The slender and skinny bezel has given approach to an enormous sapphire crystal on the entrance with one of many taller boxed edges round its periphery. A cool element: IWC went for a entrance crystal whose vertical edge doesn’t distort at all. That is very uncommon, for boxed crystals are inclined to introduce some kind of distortion round their edge, however the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44 provides a crystal-clear (pardon the pun) view, permitting the wearer to understand the flowery dial furnishings from a brand new and entertaining angle, a bit as if they have been an uncased dial.
Talking of the dial, it’s an impressive characteristic of the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44 watch — and never solely as a result of it’s wider than earlier than or as a result of it has as many indications as a ’90s Hello-Fi tower. Not each costly watch has an expensive-looking dial, however the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar definitely does, particularly right here, on this shiny black. It even performs a trick on the senses: IWC’s official product web page merely describes it as “black” which is without doubt one of the extra profound under-representations of an truly spectacular characteristic.
Actuality stands in stark distinction with the product web page in different, extra essential methods, too. The latter reveals a black dial with a sunburst brushed end with a metallic contact, whereas on the wrist this Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44 seems to have a shiny dial so even and glossy that it appears to be like extra like enamel than anything. It’s not enamel, however beneath nearly each lighting situation it has a glass-like floor with a reflective impact and superbly even glow — once more, similar to a dial coated with enamel or a number of layers of lacquer. Whereas this can be a matter of style, in spite of everything, I’ll exit on a limb that this lacquer-like, shiny impact is sort of objectively preferable to a harsher sunburst end.
This impact is complemented by a bevy of shiny golden dial appliqués and fingers, every meticulously crafted and put in, as they need to be. There isn’t any lume anyplace to be discovered on this IWC Portugieser, however even within the very faintest mild each Arabic numeral and hand is loads reflective sufficient to allow legibility. The typography and spacing are fairly strong, too, as even the smaller shows might be learn with relative ease — with an emphasis on “relative” as far-sighted wearers will probably be hard-pressed to learn nearly any perpetual calendar, and particularly the pointer date at 3 o’clock on this one.
A very good contact is a golden ring positioned proper on the base of the central fingers. Precisely crafted and put in, and likewise beveled and polished, it’s a crafty little element that IWC makes use of to disguise the elevated positioning of the principle fingers. That is necessitated by all the opposite shows on the dial, as the principle fingers should go over the various appliqués and subdials, particularly the 2 stacked fingers of the three and 9 o’clock subdials. Fortunately, the beastly 52616 caliber can transfer these lengthy and extensive, leaf-shaped primary fingers with ease.
Talking of the machine inside the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44 watch, IWC’s in-house caliber 52616 is a real powerhouse. First, it is a gigantic motion with a whopping 38.20mm diameter — many widespread watches measure this a lot, or much less, all cased up — and all this house is put to good use. It has two series-coupled mainspring barrels that present 168 hours of energy reserve, replenished by the model’s well-known Pellaton winding system with ceramic pawls and wheel, all seen by means of the sapphire crystal caseback. Fortunately, this bi-directional self-winding system works quietly — not as silently as Rolex’s Perpetual system, however discreetly sufficient for it to not be noticeable or annoying even for someone like me, cursed blessed with bat-shaming listening to.
For reference, the complete listing of options consists of bi-directional self-winding, hacking seconds, an influence reserve show, a perpetual calendar with shows for the date, day of the week, month, “digital” yr, and part of the moon, plus an openworked self-winding rotor in strong 18k 5N gold and, after all, hours and minutes. The watch leaves IWC with all indications aligned completely, so all you need to do is pull the crown to its first place, begin adjusting the date, and all indications will comply with. Sadly, setting backward is just not doable, so when you overdo it, you’ll have to depart the watch stopped till the precise date catches up with the shows or, when you overshoot by a lot, it must return for a service. Ideally, this must be a set-and-forget affair, additional assisted by the handy 7-day energy reserve.
Aesthetics-wise the IWC Caliber 52616 is, above all, an imposing motion. It’s so not simply due to its sheer dimension and large self-winding rotor — the dimensions of a Wealthy tea biscuit — but additionally its nauseating labyrinth of bridges and cutouts. A better look reveals a really constant and excessive, however not hand-finished high quality throughout all parts. There’s a lot that the 52616 places on present, and it’s all the extra entertaining a motion for it. It’s not unusual for watches even on this elevated phase to go away a bit an excessive amount of to the creativeness, both with a quite uninspired base motion structure or with giant and strong plates blocking a lot of the view. With the Portugieser Perpetual, you may dive deep into the motion and indulge within the enjoyable of determining how torque is distributed from the barrels, how the Pellaton system works in both path of the rotor’s motion, and the way difficult it will need to have been to make all these plates and bridges seem to fall into place so simply.
On the wrist, the 44.4mm extensive and 14.9mm thick IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44 is imposing and daring, however not inelegant. On a wrist wider than my 6.75″ it would look higher proportioned to the wearer and thus all of the extra elegant. Regardless of its gold and black outfit, it received’t go as a gown watch within the eyes of many — they may argue that might take a narrower and thinner Portugieser — however the extensive dial and its quite a few indications implement the picture of a extremely sophisticated watch. In different phrases, the Portugieser Perpetual is a kind of few giant watches that doesn’t look like giant only for the sake of it however justifies its beneficiant proportions by means of performance and complexity seen each from the back and front.
It additionally appears to be like fairly darn costly. Like a lot of you on the market, I’m surrounded by family and friends with a really restricted (or zero) curiosity in watches, particularly luxurious watches. I have a tendency to hunt their enter as yet one more fascinating reference level on what they assume appears to be like costly, and what doesn’t. Arguably unbeatable for the remainder of eternity on this sport is this CIGA Design watch that I reviewed final yr, however it’s protected to say that this gold and black IWC seemed not solely costly however luxurious, to everybody I requested. Whether or not that could be a optimistic, or the opposite, is all as much as you, after all. The identical goes for the heft that comes with such a big watch fitted with a gold case and heavy motion.
Personally, I view the Portugieser Perpetual as a watch trade staple, a poster baby of contemporary high-end watchmaking. I contemplate it to be immediately recognizable as a sophisticated Swiss timepiece not only for us, watch nerds and lovers, but additionally for the broader public, and as such, I imagine it ought to, by all means, feel and appear costly and opulent. IWC managed to keep up this impression even with noticeably much less gold (within the bezel and lugs) begging for the onlooker’s consideration and has additionally succeeded in preserving this an imposing and noticeable, however not brash or overly ostentatious bundle. And, once more, you may play it down additional by selecting white gold that disguises itself as metal.
In closing, allow us to reply the query we requested within the first paragraph: Can this be a watch to make you set all others apart? Having worn it extensively, I imagine that, sure, it may be. Not a blanket assertion, removed from it, however I do imagine that this smart- and grand-looking Portugieser Perpetual has what it takes to impress and entertain from each facet, be it on or off the wrist, or from a technical or aesthetic method. It’s also a mixture of performance and presentation that’s unlikely to ever exit of favor — particularly when you’ve got a wrist extensive sufficient to put on it like a traditional watch, and never as a late joiner to the large-watch development.
The IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44 watch is priced at $46,500 USD as seen right here, as reference IW503702, in 18k Armor gold with a black dial. You can learn more at the brand’s website.
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