IWC Portugieser Hand-Wound Tourbillon Day and Night: poetics in black

Those who had the opportunity to visit the IWC stand at Watches and Wonders Geneva last April were treated to a rather rich offering in the Portugieser collection. After 2023 had seen the Ingenieur take centre stage with just a few dial variations, this year the Schaffhausen-based brand did not shy away from offering new references in one of its backbone collections. From 40- and 42-mm automatics to chronographs, from perpetual calendars to the incredible Eternal Calendar, the Portugieser was at its best in Geneva. And it did so with a surprising reference such as the Portugieser Hand-Wound Tourbillon Day and Night. A watch that combines two outstanding complications, one of which, the day-night display, is rendered by IWC in a fascinating and somewhat poetic way. The tourbillon in this reference is the only one in the new Portugieser collection.

A PRECIOUS CASE: IWC’S ARMOR GOLD

We won’t get into the history of this watch, which is now legendary among enthusiasts. You’ll have to re-read this article, also dedicated to the chronographs in the collection presented in Geneva last April. What makes the Portugieser Hand-Wound Tourbillon Day and Night by IWC interesting is a combination of unique and excellent features. It starts with the case material, moves on to the flying tourbillon, passes through the incredible colour of the dial, and arrives at the spherical day and night display. A journey into a small mechanical universe that can also create fascination thanks to its aesthetics.

Let us begin with the material of the case, which has important dimensions: 42.4 mm in diameter by 10.8 mm thick. These dimensions are also imposed by the calibre and the complications (which we’ll see later), thanks to which the case can make the Armor Gold shine to its fullest. It is made of 18-carat gold, 75% pure, but still a special metal that is much harder and more resistant to wear than ordinary red gold. It is produced by IWC through a complex process whereby the alloy’s microstructure is transformed and modified to give it the aforementioned strength. IWC first used it in the Big Pilot’s Watch Constant Force Tourbillon Edition Le Petit Prince.

The finishing chosen by the Maison for this case highlights its natural brilliance. The bezel and lugs are polished, almost mirror-like, to reflect the light as much as possible. The case side, on the other hand, is satin-finished, balancing the brilliance of the whole with a finish that slightly softens the gold’s impact, but without “powering down” the watch. Gold is also used on the hands and applied hour markers, and we find Armor Gold on the folding clasp.

PORTUGIESER MANUAL WINDING TOURBILLON DAY AND NIGHT: THE DIAL

The fact that the applied hour-markers are made of gold is functional to the seductive mood that the new Portugieser Hand-Wound Tourbillon Day and Night is intended to convey. Indeed, they stand out against the deep black of the dial, giving the ensemble depth and three-dimensionality. And here we come to the dial, known as the “Obsidian“, whose colour is reminiscent of the enveloping black of obsidian, a volcanic glass whose formation is due to the rapid cooling of lava. Above all, however, in IWC’s design code, the Obsidian configurations – with black dials, golden hands and gold applied elements – represent the night sky and golden city lights. The dial is lacquered in layers and brushed in a soleil pattern which catches direct light to give it a touch of brilliance, while it turns a deep, dark black when in the shade.

In our opinion, the watch’s dial is extraordinarily clean, thanks to the combination of gold and black and the clever arrangement of the two complications. Considering that Portugieser with tourbillons, in the past, have adopted dials whose architecture ranged from simple to complex (one for all, that of the Portugieser Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph), that of the Portugieser Hand-Wound Tourbillon Day and Night is more aligned with the simple references, and fits coherently into the long line of pieces including tourbillons in the collection. We are talking about a classic design, linear but bold at the same time, with a presence on the wrist that catches the observer’s eye without being intrusive. 

COMPLICATIONS IN PURE IWC STYLE

Precisely because the complications’ presence is not at all intrusive, the balance they create as they emerge from total blackness is not easy to achieve. Starting with the tourbillon, which, despite the fact that for some it represents an anachronistic complication which can be considered largely useless for a use that should be practical, it never ceases to fascinate with the hypnotic movement that keeps the dial alive. In the Portugieser Hand-Wound Tourbillon Day and Night even more so, because it is a one-minute flying tourbillon consisting of no fewer than 56 components and weighing just 0.675 grams. The tourbillon has an integrated stop system that allows the watch to be set to the exact second.

If we know practically everything about the tourbillon as a complication, there is more to discover about the way IWC has interpreted the day and night display which, on this watch, is pure visual tension. By moving the hands, the indicator is activated to signal whether the time set is morning or afternoon. And it signals this via a sphere, a small planet positioned at 9 o’clock, which has a dark side and a bright side and rotates around its axis once every 24 hours, offering an uncommon display of day and night. 

The beauty of this indication stands in its genesis. According to what they say at IWC, the idea of interpreting this special indication by means of a sphere came from a former apprentice watchmaker of the brand called Loris Spitzer. We do not know whether or not he was inspired by the design of any existing timepieces (it is somewhat reminiscent of Arnold & Son’s Luna Magna, although on that piece the sphere indicates the phases of the moon and not the day and the night); however, IWC is certainly right to emphasise that this story is significant of the virtue of the apprenticeship programme instituted by the brand.

THE IWC 81925 CALIBRE

This special day and night display is integrated inside the new IWC-manufactured 81925 calibre. It is a hand-wound movement currently used exclusively on this watch, but developed on the basis of the 81905 calibre powering the Portugieser Tourbillon, which IWC produces since 2021 and which also has a case in Armor Gold of the same dimensions. The IWC 81925 calibre operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour and has an 84-hour power reserve. From a purely technical point of view, this great power reserve is supported by the special treatment given to the silicon anchor and escapement wheel. Called Diamond Shell, it consists in a special diamond coating thanks to which friction between the escapement components is reduced, thus improving the energy flow within the movement.

As a hand-wound calibre, it has no oscillating weight. As a result, the small globe of the day/night indicator is visible from both the dial side and the case back, both of which are protected by a sapphire glass with double anti-reflective coating. The IWC 81925 calibre’s gold-plated mainplate has been partially skeletonized to provide an unobstructed view of the barrel and other movement components. The chosen finish is a classic Côtes de Genève, clearly visible through the transparent case back.

Having said that the strap of the Portugieser Hand-Wound Tourbillon Day and Night is signed by Santoni, in black alligator to coordinate with the deep colour of the dial, the price of the watch remains to be mentioned: 87,500 euros. A figure that places it in the very high end of IWC’s range, as is understandable for such a refined and sought-after piece. A piece that shows how the Schaffhausen-based brand is able to give an unusual touch even to collections, such as the Portugieser, that might seem complete by now. Not for everyone.

By Davide Passoni