Introducing The IWC Portuguese Perpetual Calendar Digital Date 75th Anniversary Edition

February 18, 2015

Continuing the 75th anniversary of its Portuguese family, here we have the Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month from IWC. The name gives a pretty apt description of the watch itself, and if the Hand-Wound is a contemporary throwback, the Perpetual Calendar is a modern adaptation of recent design trends seen in the Portuguese family. The digital date and month display are nothing new to IWC, but this is their first appearance within the Portuguese line. Oh, and what is hardly mentioned in the press release, this is also a chronograph, meaning this is our favorite combination of complications there is. The Portuguese Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month Edition 75th Anniversary packages a familiar complication set C?in fact, just last year we saw this very same movement come packaged in an oversized Aquatimer limited edition. However, the caliber 89801 feels a little more appropriate within the context of the Portuguese. In its latest guise, the Portuguese Perpetual Calendar is sized at 45 mm (vs?49 mm as seen in the Aquatimer), and will get the option of either platinum or red gold. The new Perpetual Calendar gets prominent digital display apertures to display the month and the date. IWCs use of such a digital display dates back to 1884, in what?were known as Pallweber watches. Its a handsome display technique, and its something weve seen before from the likes of A. Lange & Sohne to great effect. Unlike Lange, however, IWC has chosen to label the apertures with date and month.?Aligned vertically on the dial are dual sub-dials, housing the chronograph timing hands at 12 oclock, and the running seconds at 6 oclock, which also incorporates the leap year indication. One of the great things about IWCs caliber 89801 is how easy it is to set and manipulate, as its all done via the crown. Thanks to the movement's exceptional precision, you wont need to adjust anything until the year 2100. The movement itself is visible through the exhibition case back. The IWC Portuguese Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month Edition 75th Anniversary will be offered in both platinum and red gold. The latter will give you the choice between a silver-plated or grey dial. Just 25 examples will be built in platinum, while the red-gold variants will be limited to 75 examples. The price in platinum is $66,800, and in rose gold, $52,700.Learn more this watch at IWCs website, right here. DID YOU KNOW?