Looking back to look forward.
Time travels one way – forward. Yet, we cannot deny the benefit of hindsight and learning from it, even as we look towards the future. As the end of the year approaches, IWC Schaffhausen invites you to look back, not just at the year that has passed but at the illustrious history of a watch that built its time-telling empire.
The Portugieser’s beginnings in sailing and navigation paved way for IWC to develop a watch family which, today, incorporates so many of the technical facets of haute horlogerie that our company is known for.
– Stanislas Rambaud, Managing Director of IWC Southeast Asia
Ref. 325 – Portugieser Wristwatch – 1939.
From 17 October to 8 November 2020, the “IWC Portugieser – Navigating Through Time” exhibition will showcase nine prominent creations denoting significant moments in the lineage of the Portugieser family at IWC’s ION Orchard and Marina Bay Sands boutiques. This is by far, the most extensive display of historical Portugieser timepieces in Southeast Asia. The line-up, curated by the IWC Museum in Schaffhausen, navigates you through the rich history of the iconic collection.
This is also the first time that an observation watch IWC built for the British Royal Navy in 1943 – the Calibre 52 T.S.C – will be showcased in this part of the world. These “deck watches” were manufactured and sold by IWC from as early as 1917, and being military time-telling devices used on the decks of warships, submarines or aircraft carriers, they sported a clean design that allowed for legibility under all weather conditions. The clean lines and functionality also inspired what has become an icon of the watchmaker – the Reference 325, the first IWC Portugieser wristwatch from 1939, also featured in this exhibition.
Ref. 5441 – Portugieser – Hand Wound – Edition 125 Years IWC – 1993.
Other noteworthy timepieces in the line-up include the Yacht Club Ref. 811 from 1967, with its robust and sophisticated spring-mounted movement, and the 42.5mm Portugieser Anniversary Edition from 1993 that set the trend for larger watches. Not least of all, the Reference 3714 that debuted in 1998 and went on to become one of the most popular, celebrated watches in IWC’s legacy, with its combination of the chronograph mechanism and Portugieser design.
Over 80 years on, the Portugieser continues to exude the same classic, functional appeal that first got it noticed. It is that timeless modernity which we invite visitors to discover at the exhibition, as they trace the roots of this extraordinary collection.
– Stanislas Rambaud, Managing Director of IWC Southeast Asia
Ref. 3714 – Portugieser Chronograph – 1998.
Public admission to the exhibition is free:
17 to 25 October (11am to 9pm), IWC Schaffhausen ION Orchard boutique (#02-06)
26 October to 8 November (12pm to 9pm), IWC Schaffhausen Marina Bay Sands boutique (#B2-210)
For private walkthroughs, appointments can be made at https://watches.iwc.com/NTT.
Images courtesy of IWC, artwork by Curatedition. All rights reserved.
Related Links:
IWC Portugieser: An Endless Sea of Dreams
A Retrospective: Inside IWC History Exhibition
The Case of the IWC Portofino 34
IWC: New Pilot’s Watches Take Flight
