IWC Debut’s The Jubilee Collection At SIHH 2018!

SIHH 2018 has officially commenced! I am excited to announce the newest novelties from IWC. This year IWC decided to celebrate their 150 anniversary with a NEW collection of watches called the Jubilee collection.

The first collection is the IWC TRIBUTE TO PALL WEBER pictured below.

In 1884, IWC manufactured the first so-called Pallweber pocket watches. These innovative timepieces showed the hours and minutes in a digital format with large numerals on rotating discs. In its anniversary year, IWC honours this pioneering achievement with the IWC Tribute to Pallweber Edition “150 Years”. The first model is limited to just 25 watches and has a platinum case, a white dial with a lacquered finish, and blue display discs. As a reference to the design of the historical Pallweber watches and a tribute to F.A. Jones – the American watchmaker who founded IWC – the windows of the digital display are labelled as “Hours” and “Minutes”. The IWC-manufactured 94200 calibre advances the display discs by using a separate wheel train with a barrel of its own. The fact that the flow of power in the main wheel train is uninfluenced guarantees a precise rate and a 60-hour power reserve. This retails for $57,800

The second model is limited to 250 watches and has an 18-carat red gold case, a white dial with a lacquered finish, and white display discs. As a reference to the design of the historical Pallweber watches and a tribute to F.A. Jones – the American watchmaker who founded IWC – the windows of the digital display are labeled as “Hours” und “Minutes”. The IWC-manufactured 94200 calibre advances the display discs by using a separate wheel train with a barrel of its own. The fact that the flow of power in the main wheel train is uninfluenced guarantees a precise rate and a 60-hour power reserve.

The third model is limited to 500 watches and has a stainless steel case, a blue dial with a lacquered finish, and white display discs. As a reference to the design of the historical Pallweber watches and a tribute to F.A. Jones – the American watchmaker who founded IWC – the windows of the digital display are labeled as “Hours” and “Minutes”. The IWC-manufactured 94200 calibre advances the display discs by using a separate wheel train with a barrel of its own. The fact that the flow of power in the main wheel train is uninfluenced guarantees a precise rate and a 60-hour power reserve.

Of course, I am more of a fan of watches with steel, platinum or white gold cases but in this instance, I really like the 18k red gold version the best. It’s the warmest and most sophisticated out of all three and has the most contrast.

The second group of watches within the Jubilee collection is the iconic Portuguese collection pictured below.

The Portugieser Constant-Force Tourbillon Edition “150 Years” stands out as one of the technical highlights in the Jubilee collection. This model has a platinum case, a blue dial with a lacquered finish, and rhodium-plated hands. It is available in a limited edition of just 15 watches. For the first time, the new IWC-manufactured hand-wound 94805 caliber, with a power reserve of 96 hours, combines a constant-force tourbillon with a single moon phase display. This moon phase display needs to be adjusted by only one day every 577.5 years. The patented constant-force mechanism disengages the escapement from the direct flow of power from the wheel train and transmits completely even impulses to the escape wheel. In conjunction with the tourbillon, which compensates for the negative influences of gravity on the watch’s oscillating system, this achieves a very high level of precision.

The second Portuguiser watch within the Jubilee collection has a platinum case, a white dial with a lacquered finish, and blued hands. It is available in a limited edition of just 15 watches. For the first time, the new IWC-manufactured hand-wound 94805 calibre, with a power reserve of 96 hours, combines a constant-force tourbillon with a single moon phase display. This moon phase display needs to be adjusted by only one day every 577.5 years. The patented constant-force mechanism disengages the escapement from the direct flow of power from the wheel train and transmits completely even impulses to the escape wheel. In conjunction with the tourbillon, which compensates for the negative influences of gravity on the watch’s oscillating system, this achieves a very high level of precision.

The third Portuguiser watch within the Jubilee collection is the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon Edition “150 Years” has an 18-carat red gold case, a white dial with a lacquered finish, and blued hands. The watch is powered by the IWC-manufactured 51950 calibre, an extension of the 51900 calibre with the addition of a perpetual calendar. To make the tourbillon visible at “12 o’clock”, the designers opened up the calendar advance ring and integrated the moon phase in the month display at “6 o’clock”. This tourbillon complication is made up of 82 individual components and weighs just 0.635 grams. With its solid gold rotor, the automatic Pellaton winding system generates a power reserve of 7 days. It’s limited to 50 pieces.

The fourth watch within the Jubilee collection is The Portugieser Perpetual Calendar Edition “150 Years” is available in a limited edition of 250 watches, featuring an 18-carat red gold case, a white dial with a lacquered finish, and blued hands. The IWC-manufactured 52616 calibre has an automatic Pellaton winding system; with its solid gold rotor and two barrels, it builds up a power reserve of 7 days. The perpetual calendar automatically recognizes the different month lengths and the leap years and needs no manual adjustment until 2100. The double moon phase display shows the moon phase for the northern and southern hemisphere and will deviate from the actual course of the moon by just one day every 577.5 years. I love this watch the most out of the first 4 Portuguiser models for the Jubilee collection because it’s the cleanest, most symmetric and useful out of all the complicated watches in this group.

The fifth watch is no stranger to IWC but it’s slightly different. This is the IWC Portuguiser Chronograph Edition “150 Years” but for the first time, it is equipped with a manufactured movement. This model is limited to 2000 watches and features a stainless steel case, a blue dial with a lacquered finish, and rhodium-plated hands. The IWC-manufactured 69355 calibre is a robust chronograph movement in a classic column-wheel design, made up of 194 individual parts. The bidirectional pawl-winding system reliably builds up a power reserve of 46 hours. The see-through sapphire-glass back provides a view of the decorated movement.

The sixth watch is also an IWC Portuguiser Chronograph Edition “150 Years”. This watch like the production version has a silver-white dial but for the first time is equipped with a manufactured movement. This model is limited to 2000 watches. The IWC-manufactured 69355 calibre is a robust chronograph movement in a classic column-wheel design, made up of 194 individual parts. The bidirectional pawl-winding system reliably builds up a power reserve of 46 hours. The see-through sapphire-glass back provides a view of the decorated movement.

The final two watches are my favorite out of the Portuguiser Jubilee collection. They remind me of the IWC Portuiguiser models that I sold when I started my watch career in the mid-to-late nineties. These are known as The Portugieser Hand-Wound Eight Days Edition “150 Years”. The first in 18k red gold. This model is limited to 250 watches and is housed in a noble 18-carat red gold case. The elegant timepiece has a white dial with a lacquered finish and blued hands. It is powered by the IWC-manufactured 59215 hand-wound calibre. The robust movement provides a high power reserve for 8 days, so the watch needs winding only once a week. The power reserve indicator on the back of the movement is visible through the see-through sapphire-glass back. Thanks to the Breguet spring and a frequency of 4 Hertz, the balance achieves a very high level of precision. The second is the stainless steel version which is limited to 1,000 pieces and otherwise still has all the same specs as the red gold version.

The third collection of watches within the IWC Jubilee collection is the Portofino pictured below.

This comprises three moon phase models; one in 18k red gold limited to 150 pieces, two in stainless steel one with a white dial, and one with blue dial limited to 350 pieces each. It also includes two chronograph models in steel one with a white dial and one with a blue dial limited to 350 pieces each. The final two pieces made are made in stainless steel and are time and date model one with a white dial and one with blue dial limited to 2,000 pieces each.

The fourth collection within the IWC Jubilee collection is the Davinci pictured below

This includes 5 watches. Two fully dressed versions with diamonds; one in white gold with white dial and moon phase complication and one in 18k red gold with white dial and moon phase complication. Both versions are limited to 50 pieces each. The last three watches within the Davinci Jubilee collection are hours, mins, and sub-seconds. Two in steel; one with white dial and one with blue dial both limited to 500 pieces. There is also an 18k red gold version with a white dial with hours, mins, and sub-seconds limited to 250 pieces.

The fifth collection within the Jubilee collection is the Pilot’s collection pictured below.

Three Big Pilot’s watches in steel. One with blue dial and annual calendar and seven-day power reserve complication limited to 100 pieces and two Big Pilot’s Big Date version; one with blue dial and one with white dial both limited to 100 pieces. The last piece within the IWC Jubilee collection is the Pilot’s Chronograph with a white dial which is limited to 1,000 pieces.

In general, I don’t think the Jubilee collection is that strong. The only collection I am excited about in the NEW IWC Jubilee collection, the NEW PALL Webber models because they are innovative, historic and interesting. I love the Portuguiser models but they weren’t really that hot. I wish they were different dials than the production versions on the chronograph versions. I really like the hand wound simple versions. Everything else was just kind of Blaah!