Dark Is Cool, Dark Is Fast: The IWC Portugieser Chronograph Ceratanium Goes All-Black
A bold new Portugieser, in all-black Ceratanium, has been literally thrust into the limelight on the wrist of well-known watch enthusiast Ed Sheeran while in concert at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, which is a surprising way to launch a watch known for classic elegance and minimalism. It was also just seen at the Grand Prix in Japan on the wrist of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team Principal and CEO Toto Wolff. The new watch has gotten around in all the right circles, it seems.
The IWC Portugieser has always had an important place in both the history of IWC and the history of watchmaking itself. The story begins in 1939, when Portuguese merchants approached IWC Schaffhausen for a wristwatch with serious accuracy. Normally this was the reserve of marine chronometers and pocket watches, not those that would go on the wrist. So the rather large wristwatch was created and named after those that requested it: the Portugieser.
The family continues to this day, which can be somewhat challenging: The elegant and clean dial, the large case size, and the somewhat architectural look are all very classic, but also tend to appeal to a very specific type of buyer. Yet, when it first came out, the watch was indeed a game-changer.
The watch family changed over the years and added a chronographChronographA watch complication that incorporates a stopwatch function, controlled by pushers on the case and displayed on small subdials. Originally developed for timing events, the chronograph remains popular for itsGo to Chronograph Glossary complication in 1998 that indeed expanded its fan base. It had two vertically arranged subdials and an inner flange with a quarter-second scale. Still though, the watch was classically elegant and looked more towards history than the modern world.
The brand new Portugieser ChronographChronographA watch complication that incorporates a stopwatch function, controlled by pushers on the case and displayed on small subdials. Originally developed for timing events, the chronograph remains popular for itsGo to Chronograph Glossary Ceratanium (Ref. IW371631) is the first all-black version in the model’s history, and it arrives as a limited edition of just 1,500 pieces. The key point of this new edition is Ceratanium, IWC’s proprietary material that fuses the lightweight robustness of titanium with the scratch-resistance of ceramic, fired at high temperatures to achieve a distinctive dark metallic finish. The 41mm case, crown, and pushers are all rendered in this advanced material. It is light, virtually indestructible, and visually stunning.
Creative Director Christian Knoop says IWC intended the all-black execution to reduce the watch to pure form. The black dial, black applied Arabic numerals, black hands, and black appliqués create a study in monochromatic discipline. The quarter-second scale and indices add a visual feel that seems almost tactile. The strap that accompanies it is black rubber with a square pattern.
Inside the watch is the IWC-manufactured calibre 69355, a mechanical chronograph movement with a column-wheel control mechanism for precise pushbutton feedback and an automatic double-pawl winding system, good for 46 hours of power reserve.