As it turned out, their fellow countrymen were eager to find men’s wristwatches with the precision of marine chronometers. Approaching IWC in the late 1930s, they explained that watch demand was high in Portugal, and not just for the standard pocket watch or women’s dress watch. The second piece of the puzzle arrived in the form of two Portuguese wholesalers named Messrs. This would provide the foundational aesthetic for their newest wristwatch. However, the brand was also experimenting with the Bauhaus style, a modernist theory of design out of Germany. That led them to create a series of distinguished pocket watches and wristwatches in the reductive Art Deco style, which was popular at the time. Like so many other Swiss watchmakers, IWC was forced to adapt or perish. On the other hand, I understand the reason for this, given that it would be hard to overlay a sub-dial atop an applied numeral.From the late 1920s through the 1930s (aka The Great Depression), times were tough all around the world. ( It is almost ubiquitous in pocket watches.) Here, however, I found this wasn't so much an obscuring of the numerals, as much as they appear to be sliced (note the gaps between the numerals and sub-dials). In fact, it is something which has been done in watchmaking, and watch design, for years and years. Now, cut off numerals – or dial text – on a chronograph is nothing new. Speaking of room to breathe, let's focus on the 12 and six applied numerals. There is ample room to breathe on this dial. Here, with the sloped configuration, there appears to be no space lost, and in turn, nothing feels overcrowded. Internal scales (meaning, not printed on an external bezel) often result in a shrinking of the surface area of the dial and therefore decrease the legibility of the important functions of the watch. Something which I came to appreciate more in person was the angled chapter ring configuration. Issues with the clasp function aside, it certainly keeps the watch secure to the wrist when closed, and everything wears comfortably. Once the initial clasp segment is opened, it is actually not clear that a second segment needs to be undone as well (I recall spending about five minutes in a Rodin-type state trying to figure this out). This clasp, being a double deployant, requires the opening of two segments in order to put the watch on, or take it off. A clasp should open and close – no need to reinvent the wheel. It is an object of affection, and I tend to be quite affectionate. Conversely, I take great enjoyment – at various intervals of my day – in taking off my watch, staring at it, engaging with the crown, etc. For me, a watch is part of my person – something I don't have to think about. The strap itself is attached to a double deployant clasp system, which is one of the few gripes I have with this piece. The version I had the chance to wear came on a blue alligator leather strap, which matched the blue accents on the dial. I mean, if you have a new movement, why hide it?Īs has been the case for about 22 years, the watch is affixed to a leather strap (although recent updates have seen a change there as well). Whereas the watch sported a closed caseback for two decades, this new model got the full exposition treatment. That, of course, would be the sapphire caseback. Just like Robert Mitchum, this watch remains true to form, save for one other thing – the leading lady. The new movement is the differentiator between this watch and the others which came before, but the overall design – unchanged – is the star. Consider this change the new title of the film in the Hollywood analogy referenced earlier. This is a column-wheel, vertical-clutch chronograph movement made by IWC, keeping with a recent trend by the brand to bring much of its movement making in-house. This was the same watch I had come to know, only there was a significant change under the hood: The brand new in-house caliber 69355. Literally nothing – at least at first blush – had changed. I will admit, when I saw the photos, I was blown away. In January of this year, IWC announced the release of an updated Portugieser Chronograph.
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