Tribute to Portugal IWC Portuguese Automatic with Pictures.

I found this on FB today. Note the special rotor disk and inscription paying tribute to Portugal. Very nice. Sorry, if this has been posted previously.

I read about this elsewhere but had not seen any pictures. I like the rotor disk.

Very nice! Thanks for posting the pics!

It is such an elegant watch.Thank you Bill.

Argiris

Looks very beautiful. Rose or red gold with ardoise dial is the newest combination it seems. If I remember well, this one is the second one after the Yacht Club.

So, Facebook gets the scoop, Facebook gets the message of Mr. Kern, is Facebook becoming the primary Internet interface for IWC? It makes sense, didn't Facebook reach 500,000,000 members lately?

Kind regards,
Paul

I am a bit annoyed FB was able to post the pics first as well. One would hope a significant target audience of current owners of IWCs who are invested in the Brand via the Forum would get early info on new models / LE.

It's a bit of a stretch to claim this reaches 500M viewers as you have to Like the IWC site to have seen the post, but the principle is the same...post here first.

It looks very nice but I wonder what the jeweler Gassan will think of it. They had this limited edition (I believe 25 pieces) earlier this year:

There is more than just a slight resemblance.

Kind regards,

Clemens

Hi Clemens,

I cannot see it clearly: is this an ardoise dial too? Or is it black?

Kind regards,
Paul

Hi Paul,

I believe it was Ardoise, it certainly isn't black. It might be brown like on the St Exupery models but I am not sure anymore.

It's a bad picture because I scanned it from the newspaper where I read about it.

Update: I did a google search and found it has a chocolate brown dial and was indeed a limited edition of 25 pieces.

Kind regards,

Clemens

Bill, thanks for reporting this.
It is indeed very elegant, and having seen the Yacht Club in ardoise/red gold in person recently it is a striking combination of metal and dial color! Well done IWC.

Ditto on FB...

Cheers,
Evan

Ladies and Gents, I agree with the sentiment....it would have been nice for Schaffhausen to first post the pics here!

Bill, thanks for bringing it to us - time is of the essence in most of our daily schedules, and it probably would not have reached me, by way of FB alone, as I give preference when I have the time available, to visit this forum first.

Best regards
Mark

Since this watch is a tribute to Portugal, I believe I should explain the meaning of the emblem in the rotor.

It is part of the shield at the center part of the Portuguese flag. The five "quinas" in the center represent the five Moorish kings defeated by D. Afonso Henriques (the first king of Portugal, 1112-1185) in the battle of Ourique, a decisive battle during the Reconquista. The 5 white dots inside each "quina" represent the five wounds of Christ. The seven castles symbolize the 7 fortified cities D. Afonso Henriques conquered from the Moors.

For the shield in the center of the flag to be complete it ought to have included the armillary sphere, which represents the world that the Portuguese navigators discovered in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and the people with whom they exchanged ideas and trade.

Clepsydra,

Thanks for the explanation of of the rotor disk engraving. I asked MF about its symbolism and neither of us had knowledge at the time. Your information, once again, showcases the value of being a part of this community of Collectors and fellow Forum members.

Hi Bill,
Appreciate your kind words.
I wish, however, that IWC have included the armillary sphere, not only because without it the shield is incomplete, but also because it would have fit perfectly in that round space, where Probus Scafusia usually goes.
While this is unlikely to generate a diplomatic incident, it is IMHO a mistake.
The Portuguese discoveries of the XV and XVI centuries are the apex of Portuguese history, and an important part of IWC's marketing strategy. By eliminating the armillary sphere, which represents the discoveries, in favor of the inner part of the shield, representing the genesis of Portugal (some 400 years before the Portuguese turned to the sea) IWC is focusing on the wrong era, diverting from its marketing strategy.
In the end, this may not be at all important, as few people will know or care what the Portuguese shield represents. Somebody at IWC ought to have cared and known, though.

Hi Clepsydra,

Thank you very much for your explanation. I learned something about Portuguese history in connection to its flag. Your message also tells me about your love for your country, which is a good sign to me. What can I say, what you write is somehow a bit painful, I wish IWC would have checked. Maybe it can still be corrected, it is only the gold medallion. A Portuguese Portuguese should be flawless.

Kind regards,
Paul

You should send this info to Oliver Siiegle or someone else at IWC. Or hopefully they will read about it here. Having met you, I know you are passionate about the details in watches. And since you are living in Portugal your opinion should not be taken lightly.

Thanks for the explanation about the symbolism. I found it very interesting.