IWC Portuguese Perpetual Calendar Ref. IW5021 & IWC Portuguese Minute Repeater Ref. IW5449

SIHH 2010. This year at SIHH 2010, IWC launched a very ambitious grand complication a Portuguese case, the IWC Portuguese Grand Complication. This watch combines a perpetual calendar, minute repeater and chronograph watch all in one. IWC also launched new Portuguese watches offering these complications separately.

IWC Portuguese Perpetual Calendar Ref. IW5021. The IWC Portuguese Perpetual Calendar is very similar in design to its sibling, the IWC Portuguese Grand Complication. With a case diameter of 44.2mm and a height of 15.5mm, the Perpetual Calendar is marginally smaller than the Grand Complication. The Perpetual Calendar displays the day, date, month and year using three sub-dials in the same way Grand Complication and has a moonphase display. For the Perpetual Calendar function, the date is displayed at the 3 o'clock, the month at the 6 o'clock and the day at the 9 o'clock positions. The year is displayed in a aperture at the 8 o'clock position.

But the IWC Portuguese Perpetual Calendar is not just the little brother of the Grand Complication. In some ways, it is superior. The Grand Complication has a typical 2 day power reserve, while Perpetual Calendar has 7 day power reserve, with a power reserved indicator at integrated into the sub-dial at the 3 o'clock position. The moonphase in the display on the Perpetual Calendar display both the phases of the moon for both the northern and southern hemispheres. It also comes in one more variation, being offered in white gold in addition to red gold.

Note: IWC also released a IWC Portuguese Perpetual Calendar Ref. IW5022, which is virtually identical to the Ref. IW5021, except for a difference in the moonphase display.


IWC Portuguese Minute Repeater Ref. IW5449. For those who just want a minute repeater, IWC offers the Portuguese Minute Repeater. A repeater is a complication in a mechanical watch that audibly chimes the hours and minutes at the press of a button. This complication originated to allow the time to be determined in the dark, and were also used by the visually impaired. The minute repeater chimes the time down to the minute, using separate tones for hours, quarter hours, and minutes, usually with low tones for the hours, a sequence of two tones for the quarter hour and high tones for minutes.

IWC Portuguese Minute Repeater watch has a 44mm diameter case, which is available in platinum and red gold. Production of the watch is limited to 500 pieces for each version.

About IWC. IWC or the the "International Watch Co. Schaffhausen" was founded by an American engineer from Boston, Florentine Ariosto Jones, in Schaffhausen, Switzerland in the year 1868. IWC Schaffhausen is notable for being the only major Swiss watch factory located in eastern Switzerland, as the majority of the well-known Swiss watch manufacturers are located in western Switzerland.