2012/11/15 - IWC The Boutique Exclusive Edition

 

Triple gold for IWC boutiques

 

The Boutique Exclusive Edition from IWC brings together three successful and stunningly beautiful models in red gold. The exquisite timepieces are available in strictly limited editions exclusively from IWC boutiques.

The Boutique Exclusive Edition is the crowning glory of 2012 for Schaffhausen’s traditionsteeped watch manufacturer. Three outstanding models – the Portuguese Hand-Wound Boutique Edition, the Ingenieur Automatic Boutique Edition and the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Boutique Edition – will be issued in red gold: a small but all-important difference.

All three models, as rare as they are beautiful, will be available exclusively from IWC boutiques from November 2012. Visitors to the stores, one of which opened recently at number 61 in Zurich’s famous Bahnhofstrasse, can look forward to professional expertise at the highest level, gain a fascinating insight into the world of IWC and savour a special type of exclusivity in the form of the Boutique Editions.

With a choice of three limited models in warm, 18-carat red gold cases, this year’s Boutique Exclusive Edition references some of the most exciting phases in the company’s long and wideranging history. The Portuguese Hand-Wound Boutique Edition comes in a 44-millimetre Portuguese case fitted with the 98295 calibre. Back in 1939, its predecessor was the first pocket watch-sized model designed for the wrist. With its unusual dimensions, unconventional movement and understated elegance, it established a whole new genre in watch design. The pocket watch movement of the Portuguese Hand- Wound Boutique Edition has seen further improvements but still includes many of the design cues found in the first movements developed by company founder F. A. Jones. These include an elongated index, which is used to set the effective length of the balance spring and extends from the balance cock over the threequarter plate. The watch, featuring a sapphireglass back, silver-plated dial, red gold Arabic numerals and slender “feuille” hands, will be limited to just one thousand pieces worldwide.

The Ingenieur Automatic Boutique Edition recalls another exciting era in IWC’s history: during the late 1940s and early 1950s, the company’s legendary Technical Director Albert Pellaton developed the first IWC automatic movement with a pawl-winding system. The mechanism was named after him and is still used by IWC today. The 80111 calibre, which replaced it several years ago and was developed specially for the modern versions of the Ingenieur, is now even more robust. It is also the driving force behind the Boutique Edition with its brown dial and red gold indices, and can be admired through the sapphire-glass back in the original Ingenieur’s 42.5-millimetre red gold case. This model is limited to 500 pieces.

The third model in the trio brings us even closer to the present day: the red gold Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Boutique Edition comes with a perpetual calendar and the original 46.2-millimetre case diameter of the Big Pilot’s Watch launched exactly 10 years ago. An impressive time machine with a gold-plated dial featuring the time as well as displays for the date, day, month, year in four digits and double moon for the northern and southern hemispheres.

The 51614-calibre automatic movement has a 7-day power reserve. The time remaining is displayed on the watch dial. Equally unique and typical of IWC is the independent, mechanically programmed calendar with its complete, fourdigit year display, which will require no correction until the year 2100 and can be advanced, together with all the other calendar displays, in one-day steps via the crown. The Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Boutique Edition, the biggest of the three models in this special edition, also comes with a sapphire-glass back. It is limited to 250 pieces.

IWC Boutique

 

Portuguese Hand-Wound - Boutique Edition

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Ingenieur Automatic - Boutique Edition

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Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar - Boutique Edition

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Technical Specifications

Portuguese Hand-Wound - Boutique Edition
Ref. : IW545409
Limited to 1,000

Features

Movement

Watch

Ingenieur Automatic - Boutique Edition
Ref. : IW323312
Limited to 500

Features

Movement

Watch

Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar - Boutique Edition
Ref. : IW502639
Limited to 250

Features

Movement

Watch