IWC: Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph Edition “Orlebar Brown”

Following the launch of its new Portugieser collection, IWC Schaffhausen has joined forces with partners Solaris Yachts and Orlebar Brown to make the nautical universe of the Portugieser tangible in a unique way. Together, the three brands have created a modern sailing experience which consists of a customised Solaris 55 sailing yacht, a special edition Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph and a nine-piece capsule collection of resort wear. 

Sheets trimmed tight, hands firmly on the wheel: the bow turns slowly through the wind, and the yacht begins to pick up speed. The IWC Portugieser is deeply rooted in the world of seafaring, sailing and navigation. The clear and functional design of the first Portugieser was inspired by the deck watches of the time, nautical precision instruments used to calculate longitude on ships. 

“A speciality of IWC is to build authentic and emotional worlds around our products, as we did, for example, with the first round-the-world flight of a Spitfire or with our motorsport team IWC Racing. For the launch of our new Portugieser collection, we teamed up with Solaris Yachts and Orlebar Brown to create a yachting universe that encapsulates the nautical heritage of our most iconic watch family and makes it tangible in a never-before- seen way,“ says Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen.

At the heart of this nautical world is a Solaris 55 from the Italian luxury yacht brand, Solaris Yachts, which has been carefully adapted to reflect the visual codes of IWC’s new Portugieser collection, with a dark blue and white colour palette and details in polished chrome. The yacht’s name, “DOUBLE MOON”, is reminiscent of the unique moon-phase display of IWC’s perpetual calendar which depicts the moon phase as seen both in the northern and southern hemispheres. 

But such a yacht would not be complete without a matching timepiece and outfit for the skipper. Therefore, IWC has launched the Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph Edition “Orlebar Brown” with a 44,6 mm stainless-steel case, marine-blue dial and a co-branded side-fastener buckle, featuring white and red colour accents, which are often used in Orlebar Brown’s product range. The nautical chronograph is worn on a blue rubber strap with textile inlay. The IWC-manufactured calibre 89361 with flyback functiondisplays the measured hours and minutes together on a subdial at 12 o’clock and has a power reserve of 68 hours. Thanks to its water-resistance to 6 bar, this nautical chronograph feels equally at home on deck and ashore. 

The Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph Edition “Orlebar Brown” is available from July in IWC boutiques and from authorised retailers at the price of € 12.400.