IWC Portuguese Tourbillon Mystere Retrograde Watch Limited Edition
IWC Portuguese Tourbillon Mystere Retrograde Watch Limited Edition
It no doubt has something to do with its voluptuous proportions, the way it oozes class and the unconventional interpretation of the tourbillon escapement in this case a seemingly "living 12", against a deep black back- drop.The Portuguese Tourbillon Mystere has now metamorphosed into the IWC Portuguese Tourbillon Mystere Retrograde and features a date display that reverts to its original position at the end of the month: not only a technically interesting adjunct but also a feature that increases its every- day practicality. The pleasure of beholding an IWC Watch Reference 5044 on a daily basis, unfortunately, will be a rare one, limited to the lucky owners of 500 watches in red gold with a silver-plated dial and of 250 in platinum with a ruthenium black dial.
This, simply because the manufacture and assembly of a tourbillon a rotating cage encapsulating the entire escapement is one of the most demanding watch making exploits of them all. A small team of master watchmakers assemble these exceptional movements, together with the tourbillon, in their entirety, from the tiniest arbor to the hands traversing the dial. They precision- adjust balances to perfection using weight screws or tiny gold shims and finally, when the movement is finished to their satisfaction, secure it in its case. Watchmaking at this supreme level has its price, in the form of the enormous number of working hours. But in terms of precision, the result as the watchmakers who master the necessary skills would themselves swear can be compared with no other complication.
The watch that has been referred to as an "homage to the Year of the Portuguese" in 2010 and bears the suffix "Retrograde" differs from the Portuguese Tourbillon My- stere mainly in the eye-catching display that replaces the small seconds. Extending over the lower left-hand section of the generously proportioned dial (the watch is an imposing 44.2 mm in diameter) is a scale for the Retrograde date display, which has been integrated into the seven-day 51900-calibre movement. On reaching the end of months with 31 days January, March, May, July, August, October and December the date indicator automatically reverts to the first of the next month.
The date mechanism in the Portuguese Tourbillon Mystere Retrograde Limited Editon makes no distinction between long and short months because this would have considerably increased its height. The watch's designers therefore had to find a way of making the Retrograde date display easier to use in the five calendar months with fewer than 31 days, February, April, June, September and November, and hit upon a very elegant solution. In these shorter months, or if the watch has not been worn for some time, the display can be advanced rapidly to "31" and then jumps back to the beginning of the month. It is not even necessary to adjust the time. With the crown in a specific position, the slim date hand can be advanced smartly, a day at a time, until it reaches the end of the calendar month, and then snaps back instantaneously to the beginning of the month. At the risk of appearing facetious, we have a remarquable watch making great leaps backward, into the future.
The small seconds hand that used to be found in this position is no more. Small matter: the tourbillon is a more than adequate substitute and the tiny steel cage, with its three characteristic bars, takes this function in its stride. As in the watch's predecessor, a seven-day power reserve display on the right-hand side of the dial tells the wearer how much energy remains stored in the barrel. The power itself is transmitted very efficiently via the tried- and-tested Pellaton winding system featured in this family of calibres. The flying in other words, cantilever- mounted minute tourbillon consists of 81 parts and weighs just 0.433 grammes. It is the visual centrepiece of the entire dial and rotates against the backdrop of the black lower part of the cage: a wheel which revolves with the cage through 360 once a minute.
In the previous model, the tourbillon was highlighted against a background decorated with Geneva stripes. In the new IWC Portuguese Tourbillon Mystere Retrogradeit is set into the inner surface of a highly polished ring, in which the filigree parts of the tourbillon are reflected. For apart its technical sophistication, an escapement like this is also a feast for the eyes from the back, too, thanks to the see-through sapphire glass cover. The 500 Limited Edition watches in red gold have solid gold appliques on the silver-plated dial, while the red gold-plated feuille hands typical of the Portuguese show the time. The edition of 250 Limited Editon watches in platinum features a discreet, grey dial with rhodium- plated hands and appliqued indices. Both watches are supplied with leather straps and an IWC folding clasp in either red gold or platinum, with an inlaid red gold medallion bearing the Probus Scafusia stamp. Short Trip To Amsterdam Planning for Honeymoon tour in Kerala? Best places to visit in a honeymoon visit Luxury Beach Villa in Phuket Ensure Memorable Holiday Wembley Stadium: London's Legendary Theatre of Football Dreams Rental Luxury Villas Ensure Experiance for the Lifetime Jaipur Tour: Forts of Jaipur Summer 2010 in Liguria. Discovering the Cinque Terre Kerala Tour – The Land of Wonderful Attractions Autumn Driving Halloween Cookie Cutter Treat Ideas Agra City Tour Trip to 2010 Shanghai World Expo Kerala Beaches Leading Attractions of Kerala Tourism