The Portugieser Tourbillon Mystère Rétrograde combines the magic of a floating tourbillon with the logic of a date hand that reverts to its starting position and the power of a 7-day in-house calibre. In 2015, this exclusive timepiece is even more attractive to look at. The Portugieser Tourbillon Hand-Wound with its delicate, flying “whirlwind” will remain a source of delight to connoisseurs of precision watchmaking.
Ref. IW504601: case in platinum, silver-plated dial, black alligator leather strap by Santoni, folding clasp in platinum
The tourbillon, which makes the “12” appear to come to life, gives the watch not only its name but also a touch of mystery.Setinamirror-finishedring,itformsthevisualcentrepiece of the entire dial. The complication is mounted ononesideonlyandthereforeknownasa“flying”tourbillon.
IWC-manufactured calibre 51900 Frequency 19,800 A/h / 2.75 Hz Jewels 44 Power reserve 7 days (168 h) Winding automatic Weight of tourbillon 0.635 g
To mark the 75th anniversary of the Portugieser watch family, IWC has given the Portugieser Tourbillon Mystère Rétrograde (Ref. 5046) an additional touch of luxury. The new arched-edge front glass makes the watch appear both slimmer and more elegant. The horns have also been ergonomically optimized to make the watch more comfortable to wear on a slimmer wrist. Another new feature is the exclusivealligatorleatherstrapbySantoni:afittingaccessory for the Portugieser Tourbillon Mystère Rétrograde. The dial of the platinum version is silver plated while the red goldmodel is fitted with a slate-coloured dial.The reverse side of the watch with its see-through sapphire-glass back is also more attractive. The narrower and partly perforated solid red gold rotor with its “Probus Scafusia” relief engraving provides a generous view of the IWC-manufactured 51900 calibre.
This creates the illusion that the balance is floating in midair against the deep black background but also allows us to see the “whirlwind”, as its name translates literally, at work.Originally,the tourbillonwas designed for use in pocket watches, where it offset the gravitational error inevitable in an oscillating system with a balance and spring, and the resulting deviation in rate. To achieve this, the balance, pallet and escape wheel are mounted in a tiny cage that rotates around its own axis once every minute. This filigree work ofart consists of82 parts and weighs 0.635 grams: a masterpiece of haute horlogerie, made in Schaffhausen.
FEATURES
Mechanical movement – Pellaton automatic winding – Power reserve display – Retrograde date display – Flying minute tourbillon – Glucydur®* beryllium alloy balance with high-precision adjustment cams on balance arms – Breguet spring – See-through sapphire-glass back – Rotor made of 18-carat red gold
MOVEMENT
IWC-manufactured calibre 51900 Frequency 19,800 A/h / 2.75 Hz Jewels 44 Power reserve 7 days (168 h) Winding automatic Weight of tourbillon 0.635 g
WATCH
Materials Ref. IW504601: case in platinum, silver-plated dial, black alligator leather strap by Santoni, folding clasp in platinum
Ref. IW504602: case in 18-carat red gold, slate-coloured dial, dark brown alligator leather strap by Santoni, folding clasp in 18-carat red gold
Glass sapphire,archededge,antireflective coating on both sides
Water-resistant 3 bar
Diameter 44.2 mm Case height 15.3 mm
