IWC Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month Ref. 3761

Pallweber. Pallweber was the name given to watches that displayed the hours and minutes using numerals, while the seconds were shown in analogue form with a hand. IWC has been producing Pallweber watches since 1884. 

This year IWC is releasing a reinterpretation of this classic design. Instead of displaying hour and minutes using numerals, IWC has created a perpetual calendar watch which will display the  date and month in a pair of apertures located at just above the 3 and 9 o'clock positions. It is not original, and I have seen similar designs in the past. But a every perpetual calendar watch is always interesting.

Perpetual Calendars. Different people have varied opinions on what is the ultimate complication. For me, it has always been the perpetual calendar. How somebody conceived of putting together a mechanical device which designed to complete one full cycle in 12 hours, and another in 24, to be able to have triggers on 28th, 30th or 31st day of the month, and once every four years, to move the trigger from the 28th to the 29th of a month is beyond me. A perpetual calendar is truly a mechanical computer. It would be a true privilege to one day own a timepiece like this.

This watch actually also houses a second complication. It also Flyback chronograph into the perpetual calendar movement.

IWC Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month Ref. 3761. The watch has a 44 mm rose gold case and is presented in a brown leather strap. It is not a limited edition, but given that it is bound to be a very expensive watch, I can imagine not many will be produced.

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.

BaselWorld 2013: All Steel Rolex Yacht-Master II

Steel Yacht-Master II. Following up on the release of a Bi-Metal Yacht-Master II in 2011 Roles has released one in an all stainless steel case and bracelet. This is welcome new those waiting for a lower cost version of the Yacht-Master II.

The Yacht-Master I a large watch by Rolex standards, with a 43 mm case. It is also one of the two Rolex watches which would fit into the category of a complications watch.

Complication watch.  The Yatch-Master II was designed for regatta (boat racing) events featuring a programmable 10 minute countdown timer to keep track of the time that skippers have to get their boats into position before the start of the race.

The Yacht-Master II is Rolex's only true production complication watch, with a "Command Bezel" to control the countdown timer. Rotating the bezel 90 degrees counter clockwise and pulling out the crown to the first position will allow you to use the crown to set the countdown time. The watch can be set to countdown from 1 minutes to 10 minutes. When set on zero, the watch does not countdown. Once the countdown timer is set, the bezel is rotated back to its original position and the button at 2 o'clock can be used to start and stop the countdown timer which uses the main second hand and the short hand with a red and while triangle at the head. The button at 4 o'clock is used to reset the main second hand.

About Rolex. Rolex SA is a Swiss manufacturer of wristwatches and accessories founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis. Rolex is the largest single luxury watch brand by far, producing over 2000 watches per day. Rolex is the best known and most sought after watch brand in the world.

IWC Portuguese Tourbillon Hand Wound Ref. IW546301

IWC normally launches its watches at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie held in January of each year. IWC does release limited edition watches through the year. This year, IWC has announced to additional members to its Portuguese line-up outside of its regular release cycle: the Portuguese Chronograph Class and Portuguese Tourbillon Hand Wound.

IWC Portuguese Tourbillon Hand Wound. The design of Portuguese Tourbillon Hand-Wound revolves around a Tourbillon movement, with the balance, pallets and escape wheel  visible in a round window at 9 o’clock position. The tourbillon rotates around its own axis once every 60 seconds.

The watch comes in a 43 mm case, in either 18-carat while gold or rose gold. The white gold version comes with a slate-colored dial and silver-plated dial is supplied for the model in 18-carat red gold model. The case has a transparent sapphire-glass back which allows you to view the intricate movement. The Portuguese Tourbillon Hand-Wound comes with a dark brown Santoni alligator leather strap.

Inside the watch is IWC-manufactured 98900-calibre movement. The movement is hand wound and beats 28,800 time per hour resulting in a near fluid movement for up to 54 hours when fully wound.  

Tourbillon.  The Tourbillon was designed to counteract adverse effects the the pull of gravity on the balance wheel, that would adversely affect the watch’s rate and accuracy. The Tourbillon puts the balance, pallets and escape wheel in a tiny cage that would then rotate around its own axis once every minute. This is designed to distribute the additional wear and tear caused by gravity evenly.

I don't have the pricing for this watch, but this type of watch normally hits the six figure range in US dollars. IWC does have very reasonable pricing for its complication watches, so I think we can expect it a fair bit below US$100,000.

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.

Officine Panerai Luminor 1950 Rattrapante 8 Days Titanio PAM00530

Chronographs. A few days ago we took a look at the new for 2013, Officine Panerai Luminor 1950 Regatta 3 Days Chrono Flyback Automatic Titano PAM00526 and the Officine Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days Chrono Flyback Automatics, the PAM00524 and PAM00525. Panerai has announced a fair number of chronographs this year, the last one being the Officine Panerai Luminor 1950 Rattrapante 8 Days.

Officine Panerai Luminor 1950 Rattrapante 8 Days. The Officine Panerai Luminor 1950 Rattrapante 8 Days is a splits seconds chronograph. It has two large second hands, allowing you to stop one of the second hands while allowing the other to continue. You can restart the stop hand which will rejoin the running chronograph second hand. This useful for measuring lap times.  Making this watch even more special than your typical is a 8-day movement. The in-house constructed P.2006/3 movement in this watch has a long 8-day power reserve with a power reserve indicator displayed on the dial. The dial has two sub-dials. The one on the left displays running seconds. The one on the right, is a 30 minute counter used in conjunction with the Chronograph.

The P.2006/3 movement is housed in a large 47 mm, constructed with Titanium, to keep the weight of the large case and heavy movement within manageable levels.   

About Panerai. Officine Panerai was founded in 1860 in Florence, Italy by Giovani Panerai. Panerai was acquired over by Swiss watchmaker Richemont S. A. in 1997.

Officine Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days Chrono Flyback Automatic PAM00524 and PAM00525

SIHH 2013. In addition to the Regatta themed PAM00526, Officine Panerai announced two more chronographs at SIHH 2013 which would form part of its contemporary collection, a pair of Luminor 1950 3 Days Chrono Flyback Automatics, the PAM00524 and PAM00525. The two watches are identical except the PAM 525 comes in a stainless steel case, while the PAM 526 comes in a rose gold case.

Officine Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days Chrono Flyback Automatic. Powering both watches is an in-house built Paneria P.9100 movement, which features a date display at the 3 o'clock position, running seconds displayed with a small hand at the 9'clock position  a three day power reserve and chronograph with flyback function. The movement is housed in a 44 mm Luminor 1950 case, with a clear case back allowing you to view the movement.

The PAM 525 and PAM 526 are probably the most minimalist chronograph watches you will find, with clean dials not cluttered with sub-dials. This is accomplished by using two large second hands for the chronograph function. The large blue seconds hand measure elapsed seconds, while the large steel colored hand measures elapsed minutes.  The chronograph also features a flyback function, so pressing the reset button while the chronograph is activated will stop, reset and start the chronograph with the press of a single button.

Both watches are presented on leather straps, with a black leather strap for the stainless steel model, and a brown one for the rose gold model.

Personally. I love the base model Panerai's, but if I ever got a Panerai chrono the PAM 524 would be my choice. It's as clean and minimalist looking as a chronograph can get.

About Panerai. Officine Panerai was founded in 1860 in Florence, Italy by Giovani Panerai. Panerai was acquired over by Swiss watchmaker Richemont S. A. in 1997.

Officine Panerai Luminor 1950 Regatta 3 Days Chrono Flyback Automatic Titano PAM00526

Regatta. At SIHH 2013, Officine Panerai announced as part of its contemporary collection, the Officine Panerai Luminor 1950 Regatta 3 Days Chrono Flyback Automatic Titano. The feature that makes a watch true "regatta" inspired design is a 10 minute countdown timer which is useful in keeping track of the time that skippers have to get their boats into a good position before the start of the race, getting as close to the start line as possible with good momentum, without crossing the buoys which mark the same before the start of the race.

Officine Panerai Luminor 1950 Regatta 3 Days Chrono Flyback Automatic Titano PAM00526. Panerai's solution to measuring this crucial ten minutes with the PAM 526 is an elegantly simple solution I have ever seen. The organge push-button at four o’clock position moves the central orange chronograph minute hand back one minute at a time, until it is at the correct position in relation to the length of the countdown. Once the correct countdown time is set, starting the chronograph by pushing the chronograph stop/start button at ten o’clock position, the large orange hand will indicate indicating  the minutes, the the large blue second hand, seconds remaining until the start. When the countdown has finished, the chronograph movement continues to function, now displaying the time elapsed since the start of the race will be displayed. Panerai created an all new movement to accommodate the unique requirements of a Regatta watch, which it dubbed the P.9001.R. 

The P.9001.R movement in the PAM 526 has a three day power reserve and also incorporates a flyback function. Pressing the reset button at the 8 o'clock position will stop, reset and restart the chronograph function with a single key press.

The watch is built on a 47 mm Luminor 1950 Titanium case. Two sub-dials are found on the dial. The sub-dial to the left displays running seconds. The dial to the right is used in conjunction with the chronograph function, and displays elapsed hours. The tachymeter scale on the on the edge of the dial is expressed in knots. Consistent with it maritime nature, the watch is presented on a black rubber strap.

About Panerai. Officine Panerai was founded in 1860 in Florence, Italy by Giovani Panerai. Panerai was acquired over by Swiss watchmaker Richemont S. A. in 1997.

IWC Ingeneiur Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month

Complication Watch. The IWC Ingeneiur Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month is a complication watch the impresses in the most ostentatious and subtle of ways.

The complicated dial hints at the complicated movement inside. The date is displayed in the sub-dial on the right with the month being displayed by the sub-dial on the left. In a Windows at sub-dial the bottom you will see either 1, 2, 3 or L displayed. "L" signifies that the year is a leap year during which time this watch will skip recognize the existence of the 29th of February, which keeps the calendar display correct.  

In addition to the perpetual calendar complication, this watch also features a chronograph function, with hours and minutes measure by two hands in the sub-dial at the 12-o'clock. The chronograph also incorporates the flyback function which allows you to stop, reset and restart the stopwatch with a single button press.

Titanium aluminide. Despite all the complications, the most unique feature of this watch is less apparent. The case of the watch is made from Titanium aluminide. Aluminum is combined with Titanium which results in case which is lighter and more robust Titanium. The inspiration for the use of this material on this watch came from Formula One and motor sports.

The case is 46 mm wide and 17 mm tall, making it a fairly large watch. The self-winding calibre 89802 movement inside has a long 68 hour power reserve. The intricate movement of this watch can be viewed  through a clear case back. 

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.

IWC Ingenieur Constant-Force Tourbillon Ref. 5900

Constant-Force Tourbillon. It would seem no display of a new IWC line these days is without some unique mechanical marvel, like the IWC Portuguese Sidérale Scafusia Ref. 5041 announced in 2011, and IWC Pilots Watch Worldtimer Ref. 3262, in 2012.  For SIHH 2013, we have a Tourbillon, a common enough, though expensive Mechanism with a twist. 

A tourbillon mounts the escapement in a rotating cage to distribute the wear and tear, which is augmented by gravity, evenly. This was particularly important for clocks which had a definite up and down orientation. With wrist watches, the users arm movement does some of the job of distributing wear and tear. IWC new take on the tourbillon integrates a patented constant force mechanism. I would love how to describe how the whole thing works, but really it is a fair bit beyond my level of comprehension. Hopefully, a reader will chime in. Let's go to the part I can understand.

IWC Ingenieur Constant-Force Tourbillon Ref. 5900. In keeping with the modern theme of the 2013 IWC releases, this watch comes in a case constructed from a traditional precious material, platinum, and uses it conjunction with a modern material, ceramic. The case is all of 46 mm in diameter and the watch is presented on a black alligator leather strap. 

The dial of the watch gives a clear view of the Constant-Force Tourbillon. On the opposite side a double moon display depicts moon so realistically that even craters can be recognized. A countdown scale shows the number of days remaining until the next full moon. A power reserve display between “4” and “5 o’clock” indicates the energy remaining in the mainspring. The entire movement can be viewed through a clear case back. 

Undoubtably, this watch will be rather expensive. While there is no indication of how many will be made, it will be a very limited production watch.

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.

IWC Ingenieur Double Chronograph Titanium Ref. 3865

Double Chronograph. If anything from IWC at SIHH 2013 could have been considered an inevitability it is the IWC Ingenieur Double Chronograph Titanium. With IWC's partnership with Mercedes-Benz in Formula one, IWC has to come up with an ultimate racing fans watch. 

The double chronograph, or "rattaprante", is the ultimate in mechanical chronograph watch technology. The double chronograph features two main seconds hands. When the chronograph is started, the two hands move together, and together with information in sub-dials will allow to measure, hours minutes and seconds. A third chronograph button on the watch allows you to stop one second hand, while the other continues to move. Pressing the third button again links both hands. This useful for measuring intermediate times, like lap times or how fast a care negotiates a certain portion of the track.  

In truth I am a bit disappointed because, to truly make this the ultimate chronograph, the flyback function should also have been incorporated. Still, maybe best not to include it. It would add to the cost of what will inevitably be a very expensive watch already. The flyback function is of more practical useful at the regatta than at at Hockenheimring anyway.

IWC Ingenieur Double Chronograph Titanium.  As its name indicates, the IWC Ingenieur Double Chronograph Titanium has a titanium case and is presented with a rubber strap. The watch is 45 mm in diameter. The dial is beautiful in its complexity. At the 3 o'clock you have two windows, one for the days and the other for the date. At the 6 o'clock you have a sub-dial which is used in conjunction with chronograph function to measure hours. At the 9 o'clock you have a sub-dial that displays running seconds. At the 12 o'clock you have a sub-dial which is used in conjunction with chronograph function to measure minutes.

The watch comes in two variants. One with a silver dial and one with a black dial. The model with a black dial, with blue highlights is particularly stunning.

If these pair don't get your engines, nothing will. 

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.

IWC Ingenieur Chronograph Silberpfeil Ref. 3785

Silver Arrows. In 1934 the Mercedes-Benz team arrived for a Grand Prix race at the the Nürburgring. The Mercedes-Benz W25 race car weighed in at 751 kilograms. This was one kilogram more than the allowed limit set that year by the international governing body of motor sport, which set maximum a weight limit of 750 kilograms for Grand Prix racing cars.  Racing manager Alfred Neubauer and his driver Manfred von Brauchitsch, came up with the idea of scraping all the paint from the bodywork of the cars, than adorned in white, exposing the shining silver aluminum bodies of the Mercedes-Benz beneath. This was enough to get the W25 within the 750 kilogram limit. Brauchitsch won the race, an the W25 earned the nickname Silver Arrow (or Silberpfeil). Some dispute this account. Whether that is history which has now become a legend, or legend which has become part of history, I don't know. It is a nice story. Sometimes that is enough. 

IWC Ingenieur Chronograph Silberpfeil.  IWC has released the Ingenieur Chronograph Silberpfeil in commemoration of the legendary Silver Arrow W25. This watch comes in two versions, one with a with a silver dial and another in brown.  The Ingenieur Chronograph Silberpfeil is a limited release with only 1,000 to be produced of each variant.

The dial of the watch has two sub-dials. One at the 12 o'clock is used in conjunction with the watches chronograph function and displays elapsed hours and minutes, with the large center seconds had displaying elapsed seconds.  A second sub-dial at the 6 o'clock displays running seconds and the date.

The case has a large 45 mm diameter and features a the new modern design we have seen on several IWC Chronographs of late. Needless to say, it is over only in brushed stainless. Any kind of coating on the steel case would be inappropriate.  

Flyback. The self-winding mechanical movement Caliber 89361 movement in this watch has one more trick up its sleeve. It has a flyback mechanism. This allows the two stop watch buttons to perform three functions. The first button is used to start and stop the stop watch. The second button resets the stop watch to zero after it is stopped. However, if you press the second button while the stopwatch is running, it will reset the stopwatch to zero and restart it instantaneously. That is what is called Flyback. 

The movement also has a long 68 hour power reserve, which gives it a good amount of stored energy which can come in handy when using the stopwatch to measure events which last several hours.

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. 

Officine Panerai Luminor 1950 Rattrapante 8 Days Titanio (PAM00530)

A teaser. While SIHH 2013, where Officine Panerai will present it line-up for the year is still a few weeks away, the company has already presented one of its offerings for 2013. This is the Officine Panerai Luminor 1950 Rattrapante 8 Days Titanio, or PAM00530. The PAM00530 is a split-seconds chronograph powered by an in-house designed and built P.2006 movement.

Officine Panerai Luminor 1950 Rattrapante 8 Days Titanio (PAM00530). The PAM000530 has a brushed titanium case 47 mm in diameter, fitted with the classic Panerai patented lever device which seals the winding crown to ensure water resistance. On the back of the case, is a sapphire crystal window through which the the P.2006 movement can be seen.

The bezel is made of polished titanium and surrounds a large black dial. The structure of the dial is a pancake dial which consists of two superimposed discs with a layer of Super-LumiNova between them.

Rattrapante, refers to the split-seconds function. The watch has two large seconds hands used in conjunction with the chronograph function. The first is controlled by the button at 8 o'clock, which starts, stops and resets the chronograph hand. The second hand, controlled by the button at 10 o'clock, is used for measuring partial times or a second event simultaneous with the first. Basically, it is like a lap timer. You can stop one second hand while allowing the other one to continue moving.

Continuous seconds on the left, 30 minute counter on the right,
and power reserved indicator at the bottom.

To make elapsed minutes easier and clearer to read, the hand of the small minute counter moves in jumps instead of continuously. The P.2006 hand-wound movement has a long power reserve of eight days. This is achieved by means of a special patented system of three spring barrels. The remaining power reserve can be read on the dial from a linear indicator above the number six.

The PAM00530 is limited edition, and is part of the of the Officine Panerai Specialities collection.

About Panerai. Officine Panerai was founded in 1860 in Florence, Italy by Giovani Panerai. Panerai was acquired over by Swiss watchmaker Richemont S. A. in 1997.

Ingenieur Chronograph Racer Ref. IW378507, IW378508, IW378509 and IW378510

SIHH 2013. 2013 looks like it will shape up as a pretty interesting year for IWC Schaffhausen. It is pretty much a certainty that the Ingenieur lineup of IWC watches will be refreshed this year. The Ingenieur is IWC's line of though watches. It is also in my opinion, the line-up of IWC watches that lacks focus.

Ref. IW378507

Ingenieur which is German for "Engineer". Engineering watches in the past have been most closely related to accurate and durable watches designed for used by Train Engineers and Operators and more contemporarily watches suitable for use in factories and other environments where magnetic fields can result in inaccurate timekeeping. With IWC, the Ingenieur line has covered Anti-magnetic watches, chronograph watches and even a watch commemorating a maritime expedition, the later probably having been appropriate for the IWC Portugeuse line of watches. Among IWC's neatly defined watch families: pilots, maritime, divers and formal watches, the Ingenieur line lack a soul or point of focus.

Motorsports. IWC is set to enter the motor-racing season in 2013 as the Official Engineering Partner of the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team. This partnership will most likely define what Ingenieur Family will be most associated with in the coming years.

To mark their cooperation, IWC is launching a line of Ingenieur Chronograph Racer watches: Ref. IW378507, IW378508, IW378509 and IW378510.

Ref. IW378509

These watches are all chronograph watches with a flyback function and a tachymeter scale on the chronograph’s bezel, used for measuring speed. The dial features two sub-dials, one at the 12 o'clock and the other at the 6 o'clock. The sub-dial at the 6 o'clock is used for displaying running seconds and has a date display in a window. The sub-dial at the 12 o'clock has two hands, and used in conjunction with main second hand will display measure time in hours, minutes and seconds. 

The Ingenieur Chronograph Racer is available with a slate-coloured dial and black totalizers or with a silver-plated dial, silver-plated totalizers and blue hands and appliqués.   The red “60” in the chapter ring was inspired by the digital display on the steering wheel of the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One racing car, which shows the selected gear, oil temperature and lap times during the race. A engraving of a Formula One racing car decorates the case back. The case of the watch is 45 mm in diameter.

Ref. IW378510

The flyback function of this watch differentiates it from the typical chronograph. This allows the stopwatch hand back to zero and immediately restart by pressing the reset button. 

The watch is powered by the 89361 calibre which beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour and has a 68 hour power reserve.

The four variants of the Ingenieur Chronograph Racer 

• Ref. IW378507: stainless-steel case, slate-coloured dial, black rubber strap with textile inlay, pin buckle in stainless steel
• Ref. IW378508: stainless-steel case, slate-coloured dial, stainless-steel bracelet with fine-adjustment clasp
• Ref. IW378509: stainless-steel case, silver-plated dial, black rubber strap with textile inlay, pin buckle in stainless steel
• Ref. IW378510: stainless-steel case, silver-plated dial, stainless-steel bracelet with fine-adjustment clasp

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.

Rolex Sky-Dweller Pricing

The Rolex Sky-Dweller which was announced at BaselWorld 2012 should now be showing up at you local Rolex Authorized Dealer. The Sky-Dweller is a dual time watch with an annual calendar mechanism, making the movement on this watch the most complicated movement in the current Rolex line-up.  

The Rose Gold version of the Sky-Dweller with a leather strap will set you back US$39,550. The yellow gold version, with a matching gold bracelet, will set you back US$46,150. The white gold version, with a  matching gold bracelet, will set you back US$48,850. 

About Rolex. Rolex SA is a Swiss manufacturer of wristwatches and accessories founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis. Rolex is the largest single luxury watch brand by far, producing over 2000 watches per day. Rolex is the best known and most sought after watch brand in the world.

IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Boutique Edition Ref. IW502639

The third IWC Boutique Exclusive Edition watch of IWC is the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Boutique Edition, which is the most exclusive of the three, with a production run of only 350 pieces.

Like the Portuguese Hand-Wound Boutique Edition and the Ingenieur Automatic Boutique Edition, the   Big Pilot’s Watch has a case crafted from 18-carat red gold case. It is a fairly large watch with a 46.2 mm case.

The watch features a mechanically programmed perpetual calendar with four-digit year display, double moon display for the northern and southern hemispheres, automatic movement with Pellaton winding system, 7-day power reserve, hour and minute display, small hacking seconds, power reserve display, date display, display for day, month, year and moon sequence, rotor with an 18-carat “Probus Scafusia” gold medallion.

A second look at the Spitfire Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month Ref. 3791

We already took a look at the IWC Spitfire Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month Ref. 3791 a few months ago. For technical details we will refer you to that post. The subject of this post is aesthetics, well really just to share some really nice pictures. Thanks to Ace Jewelers, we can give you real life renders of IWC's new creation.

The new Spitfire Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month Ref. 3791. 
Photo is from the Ace Jewelersand is used with their permission. 
All rights to the use of this picture is reserved by Ace Jewelers and no republication of the same should be made without permission from Ace Jewelers. Ace Jewelers is a family run 
company with three stores located in the City of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Ever since seeing the original rose gold IWC Pilots chronograph I found the rose gold and brown leather combo with the stark black and white dial pleasing. It has a nice balance of bling contrasted by a business like dial. The Spitfire Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month has decidedly more bling with gold outlines on the hour markers and hands. I am not too much of a fan of the big windows for the day and month display. But, aesthetic matters are always a subjective thing. And given the large array of pilots chronograph watches which IWC unveiled this year, it does seem right that this one be designed to be a flashier model.

At the back, the rotor of the watch has an a Supermarine Spitfire engraved on it. A really nice touch, I think. 

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.