First launched in 1939, the IWC Portugieser has become an iconic piece of horological design thanks to its long and storied past as one of the first "big watches" to make it to market. Forging a reputation as a large and robust timepiece that straddles the line between a sports watch and dress watch, it features a large case, vintage-style pump pushers in its chronograph variants, immensely legible Arabic numerals, and clear subdials – all elements that combine to create an aesthetic that is timeless as IWC remain rooted to the collection’s original design brief. Relaunched in 1993, the Portugieser became an immensely popular collection within IWC’s arsenal, and so it was expanded upon to include then perpetual calendar variant that we have here, in 2006. Offered here, we have an 18kt rose gold silver dial variant of the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar ref. IW502213 with charming rose gold applied Arabic numerals and matching rose gold hands that contrast their bright backdrop with a stunningly luxurious effect, much in keeping with IWC’s theme as a luxury watchmaker. Featuring a quartet of subdials at 3 , 6, 9 and 12 o’clock for each of its displays, the ref. IW502213 features a bevy of information such as the day, month, date, leap year, a power reserve indicator and even the year itself.

Classically inspired thanks to its complication, yet modern in its execution thanks to its robust 18kt rose gold construction, the IW502213 is the perfect embodiment of where IWC has gone in terms of their modern strategy as a luxury watchmaker.