IWC Schaffhausen has unveiled the Portugieser Hand-Wound Monopusher Edition “Laureus Sport for Good”. With this special edition, the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer continues its support of the social sports projects run by its partner, Laureus Sport for Good.
IWC Portugieser Hand-Wound Monopusher Edition “Laureus Sport for Good”
Limited to just 500 watches, the Portugieser Hand-Wound Monopusher Edition “Laureus Sport for Good” (Ref. IW515301) is the 14th Laureus special edition from IWC and the first Portugieser with a monopusher chronograph.
The Case and Dial
The timepiece is enclosed in a 46-millimetre stainless steel case, with a characteristic Laureus blue dial and rhodium-plated hands. It measures 13.9 mm thick taking into account its raised dome sapphire crystal. The small seconds dial is at 6 o’clock and the power reserve display is at 9 o’clock. The watch is fitted with a black alligator leather strap by Santoni.
The larger case size – 46 mm by 13.9 mm and an extended crown to fit the monopusher hints at a rather large watch. Almost Big Pilot category, less the thickness. This is in part due to the double barrel eight-day power reserve caliber that is rather wide, to store said power.
The downside of a larger case is a wide dial with potentially too much empty space. IWC fills it up with a PR indicator, a logo and a date display. Understandably, the larger case size is in line with IWC’s pocket watch movement cases, namely the FA Jones 44 mm Portuguese. 46 mm, however, for an otherwise classic design is pushing the brand into the pre-Kerns Breitling era.
Engraved on the back of the watch is the winning design from the annual IWC drawing competition for participants of Laureus projects. This year, the jury selected a drawing by 15-year old Yi Xin from China as the winning entry with a moving portrayal of friendship. Yi is a participant in the “Special Olympics China” programme. This Laureus-supported project offers training in Olympic sports disciplines for children and adults with mental disabilities.
The Movement
The IWC-manufactured hand-wound 59360 calibre has an eight-day power reserve. The monopusher chronograph can be started, stopped and reset with a single push- button that is integrated in the crown. The recorded time is displayed on the subdial at 12 o’clock.
Concluding Thoughts
The Laureus line is IWC’s benchmark CSR collection over the past decade. The unique blue sunburst dial and limited editions are attractive but lack the collectibility of IWC’s other iconic models.
Not many other brands if at all, have a high power reserve monopusher movement. So if the combination of a monopusher complication with high power reserve and the convenience of a date window is what one seeks, then this watch is ideal for him. However, for those who would rather a lower power reserve in exchange for a smaller case, they may want to look elsewhere.
To note, the monopusher movement and configuration was also previously used in the Portofino collection. IWC’s Portugieser Hand-Wound Monopusher variant is notably the dressed down version of the Potofino, more sporty in design thanks to the arabic numeral markers and a beefier case profile. The watch is priced at US$16,100.
