Last October, with a big event in Milan, IWC presented its new collections and the incredible Portugieser Eternal Calendar. Among the guests were members of L'Orologio Club.
For one evening in Milan the Moon has been at the centre of the universe. The event organised by IWC in the park of Villa Necchi CampiglioIn fact, it revolved around a large - and very realistic - reproduction of our satellite, a plastic demonstration of its starring role in the brand's latest stunning creation.
The Portugieser Eternal Calendar, awarded Italy's Watch of the Year 2024 in the Calendar category and in Geneva with the Aguille d'Or at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie 2024, set a new standard for haute horlogerie. This is thanks to its complication capable of indicating the correct date up to 3999 and the exact moon phases, with only one day's deviation, for the next 45 million years.
Nothing can compare
Something that is beyond fantasy, but at the same time very real, and which L'Orologio Club members, along with other guests at the Milan event, were able to observe closely and understand, with the guidance of a brand technician.
The secret lies in the so-called '400-year wheel', a single component that makes a complete turn every four centuries, skipping three leap years. Thus respecting the exceptions of the Gregorian calendar, which in any secular year that is not divisible by 400 does not include the 29th of February (and in fact the year 2000, divisible by 400, was a regular leap year).
Regarding the phases of the moon, the mechanism that allows the almost eternal precision of the indication consists of the insertion of a reduction gear between the base movement and the moon phase disc. The Moon's disc respects the duration of a lunar cycle, i.e. 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.88 seconds, with an accuracy of one hundredth of a second.
The IWC-manufactured 52640 calibre powering the Portugieser Eternal Calendar is the first IWC movement to be equipped with glass componentsas is the bridge of the two barrels that guarantee a power reserve of no less than 168 hours. Glass also for the white dial, obtained by frosting and lacquering the lower surface, and for the 4 counters, printed on as many glass discs.
With so much technology concentrated in a watch, it would be fair to expect abnormal dimensions, but the Eternal Calendar surprises even in this respect. Lhe platinum case has a diameter of 44.4 mm and a thickness of 14.9 mmconsistent with the Portugieser collection and less so than certain mid-range chronographs.
The IWC event was also an opportunity to see all the latest innovations in person. Like the new Portugiesers with light blue, champagne and obsidian black dials. Among the latter, the Tourbillon Day & Night caught the attention of the members of our Clubthanks to the unprecedented gold globe-shaped indicator positioned at 9 o'clock, which rotates on its axis to show its polished or black-painted side and indicates day and night.
