iwc portuguese yacht club

The Updated IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide, the First IWC with a Silicon Hairspring

For the first time, iwc schaffhausen relies on innovative silicon material in one of its manufacture movements..

This year, IWC brings the emblematic Portugieser collection under the spotlight, introducing several stunning new additions to the collection, including the impressive Eternal Calendar and updates to several iconic models, such as the chronograph and the 7-day Automatic . On the occasion of Watches and Wonders Shanghai, the brand unveils a new version of its Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide . Now available in steel with an obsidian black dial, this sportier model debuts an updated movement featuring a silicon hairspring for the first time at IWC.

Originally presented in 2020, the gold Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide introduced a complication that could not be more appropriate for the nautical-themed “Yacht Club” sub-collection. The original, specific functionality of the model relies on two sub-counters linked to moon phases and tide calculations.  

The sub-dial at 6 o’clock displays the expected times for the next high and low tides. The interval between two high tides is consistently 12 hours and 24 minutes. After an initial calibration (via the crown) using tide tables for a specific location, the indicator remains highly accurate, with a deviation of only 10 minutes over 100 years.

The double moon phase display at 12 o’clock, featuring IWC’s signature double moon for both hemispheres, has been enhanced to indicate spring and neap tides. This provides valuable information about the tide’s strength. Spring tides, which bring particularly high water levels, occur during the full moon and new moon phases.

This new iteration of the Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide introduces a more modern, sportier aesthetic to the model. Now crafted in steel, the case is still 44.6mm in diameter but is now water-resistant to 100m. The Obsidian Black dial is subtly enhanced with red and blue accents, adding a dynamic touch to the overall design.

One of the key upgrades is related to the movement powering these two complications. The new calibre 82836, an evolution of the 82835, marks IWC’s first use of a silicon hairspring. Operating at 4Hz, the balance is visible through the exhibition caseback. The automatic winding mechanism employs a Pellaton system, enhanced with virtually wear-free ceramic components, and builds up a power reserve of 60 hours in the mainspring.

Although the brand hasn’t provided further details, this first model to feature a  silicon hairspring is likely not the last. While opinions on modern silicon hairsprings vary, this material offers undeniable technical advantages. This synthetic material is thermally stable, non-magnetic, lightweight, durable, and ideal for crafting hairsprings that outperform those made from traditional metal alloys. Silicon hairsprings have been around for about 20 years, initially restricted to a few brands by a patent held by CSEM as part of a collaboration between the Swatch Group, Patek Philippe, and Rolex (plus Ulysse Nardin). With the patent now expired, and despite new patents being filed, it was expected that more brands would start using silicon hairsprings. For more details, check out our article here .

The steel IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide (reference IW344002) is presented on a stainless steel bracelet with brushed H-links and polished centre links. A pair of pushers release its folding buckle and features a fine-adjustment system. The price is set at CHF 22,000 .

For more information, please visit www.iwc.com .

Technical specifications – IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide Stainless Steel

2 responses.

Good luck with an almost 45mm watch in this day and age. 41-42mm would be much nicer in my very personal opinion and much closer to the sweet spot of 40-42mm for a sports or sporty watch. 13.4mm height is very good for the complications this watch offers!

Size and price aside, this watch looks GOOD.

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Yacht rock: the new IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide boasts the brand’s first silicon hairspring

This year has been all about the Portugieser for IWC. At Watches & Wonders Geneva, the Schaffhausen brand unveiled a variety of new colourful dials and interesting designs for the collection – the highlight being the epoch-defining Portugieser Eternal Calendar . At Watches & Wonders Shanghai, the love continues, with IWC bringing the Portugieser back to its roots while also introducing its first movement with a silicon hairspring. For those that don’t know, the design of the original Portugieser ref. 325 from 1939 was inspired by deck observation watches – harking back to the glamour of seafaring and the Age of Exploration . The new IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide IW344002, however, is all about the glamour of recreational yachting, offering an innovative take on a tide indicator.

The original ref. 325 was IWC’s first oversized watch intended for civilians, measuring up at an enormous-for-the-time 41.5mm. The Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide is big by modern standards, too, measuring 44.6mm in diameter and 13.4mm thick. That’s bigger than most pilot’s watches IWC offers – but in this instance, bigger is better, as it allows extra real estate for its namesake complications. More on those in a second. In any case, IWC’s modern Portugieser Yacht Club collection has been home to larger, brassier takes on the Portugieser ever since its introduction in 2010, and the Yacht Club Moon & Tide follows in that tradition.

The Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide was first introduced in 2020 with the red gold ref. IW344001 . This model in stainless steel brings the heft factor down somewhat, while also featuring a better water-resistance rating (100 metres versus the ref. IW344001’s 60 metres). Otherwise, the new stainless steel ref. IW344002’s case features an identical design to its red gold sibling, flaunting a beautifully polished bezel, stout lugs and a crown guard that almost looks like two pushers.

Fans of 2024 Portugieser novelties like the Hand-Wound Tourbillon Day & Night and its mesmerising obsidian black dial will be pleased to hear that the new Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide also sports this stygian tone. In fact, it’s one of only two regular-production Portugiesers to feature this combination of an obsidian black dial and a stainless steel case, the other being the Portugieser Chronograph.

At the 12 o’clock position, one can find a “Double Moon” moonphase indicator, which displays the moon phase as seen from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and is accurate for 125 years – not bad. Additionally, it also shows spring and neap tides. A spring tide (which has nothing to do with the season) is the greatest difference between how high the water is at high tide and how low it is at low tide. By the way, if you’ve ever heard the term king tide, that’s just an especially high spring tide. These typically happen at full moon and new moon. A neap tide is the smallest difference in tidal range. Make sense?

Speaking of tides, at the 6 o’clock position, you’ll find the tide indicator, which helps the wearer track the slightly shifting times for high and low tides. High tides occur roughly every 12 hours and 24 minutes – however, the Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide compensates for this thanks to a reduction gear with three wheels, converting the hourly rhythm of normal time-telling into the slower rotation of the tidal disc by rotating the tide disc by 24 minutes between high tides.

In typical IWC fashion, both the tide indicator and Double Moon display are minimalist but highly legible, with subtle pops of contrast provided by lettering in red and blue breaking up the dial’s otherwise monochromatic look. The seconds hand is also tipped in red, while a colour-matched date window can be found at 3 o’clock. It’s classically elegant Portugieser fare.

The movement

The clever display of this Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide IW344002 is all thanks to the new calibre 82836, which is identical to the 2020 model’s calibre 82835 save for one key change: the introduction of a silicon hairspring. To tell the truth, I was surprised to hear that this movement is IWC’s first with a silicon hairspring, considering how prolific the tech is even among brands and movements far less developed than IWC. Of course, the advantages of silicon hairsprings are manifold: silicon is inherently anti-magnetic, thermally stable, doesn’t deform like a traditional hairspring, and doesn’t require lubrication, among other properties.

Some traditionalists say the use of silicon removes some of the artistry from watchmaking – and silicon hairsprings can also be more fragile than traditional steel hairsprings – but I won’t wade into that debate. IWC reckons it’s worth it, otherwise they wouldn’t have updated this movement. Silicon hairspring aside, the calibre 82836 also features IWC’s Pellaton automatic winding system (which utilises ceramic parts – are they sacrilege too?), with a confidence-inspiring 60-hour power reserve.

The bracelet

The Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide IW344002 comes mounted on a three-link steel bracelet with a butterfly clasp. While we’ve seen bracelets of this design offered before on Portugieser models, it’s the first time a bracelet has been offered on this complication, as the ref. IW344001 came on a rubber strap.

The verdict

Most people who are actually part of yacht clubs probably don’t sail their own boats, but there’s something highly appropriate about having complications like a tide indicator and moonphase on a Portugieser Yacht Club. Being stainless steel, it makes it more suitable for ocean-going than its previous red gold incarnation (not that you’d really call this a tool watch). The addition of a silicon hairspring is a nice touch – it’s only something that real enthusiasts will get excited about, but it’s nice – but the big selling point for this watch in my opinion is that its movement compensates for the discrepancy between the tide cycle and the normal 24-hour cycle. This makes it a more user-friendly experience than other tide-tracking watches like the Baume & Mercier Riviera Tideograph .

IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide IW344002 pricing & availability

The IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide IW344002 is available now for purchase. Price: US$22,500, A$35,000, £20,500

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Introducing The IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph

Ahoy, matey a trio of sports chronographs are pulling into port.

IWC is putting the cal. 89361 to work in the third generation of the Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph, a take on the stainless steel sport watch that's in trend right now. The bracelet has an "integrated" look, blending seamlessly with the lines of the case. However, it's affixed in a traditional manner to the case; the lugs are just slightly more compact, lending an uninterrupted aesthetic to the whole package. The nautical flavor and the stainless steel trend are ripe for a blue dial, and the Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph (Ref. IW390701) delivers, with a sunburst navy blue dial and rhodium-plated hands. 

Continuing the lineup is an execution with a silver-plated dial (Ref. IW390702) done in the style of old pocket watches and marine chronometers. Visually, the watches feature elements that point directly to the maritime heritage. 

But there's one execution in this family that goes in another direction, and this watch, Ref. IW390703, is rendered in a glorious two-tone combination of 18k 5N gold and steel. All three models have a water-resistance rating of 60 meters, quite respectable for a flyback chronograph. 

Lest we forget, one of the early applications of mechanical watch and clockmaking was to aid in seafaring navigation. The Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph directly tips its proverbial hat to that heritage, but stays on-trend in 2020 with a look that's proven very popular: a svelte sports watch with an integrated bracelet. The cal. 89361 is a fitting movement for the platform, manufactured in-house, with flyback functionality and showing the elapsed minutes and hours in a single totalizer at 6 o'clock. The automatic chronograph movement comes in a 44mm case.  

The market segment that this watch plays in is crowded indeed, but the Portugieser name has a certain equity that makes it stick out in a way that other brands scrambling to make a stainless steel sports watch simply do not have. After all, the Yacht Club has been around for a decade now. 

Brand: IWC Model: IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph Reference Number: Ref. IW390701, Ref. IW390702, Ref. IW390703

Diameter: 44mm Thickness: 14.4mm Case Material: Stainless steel case for all three executions.   Dial Color: Sunburst Navy Blue (Ref. IW390701), Silver (Ref. IW390702), Silver(Ref. IW390703) Indexes: Arabic Numerals Lume: Super-LumiNova Water Resistance: 60 meters Strap/Bracelet: Stainless steel bracelet (Ref. IW390701, Ref. IW390702) and stainless steel and gold (Ref. IW390703)

Caliber: cal. 82835 Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, Power Reserve: 60 hours Winding: Automatic Frequency: 28,800 vph/4 Hz Jewels: 22  

Price: $13,100 (Ref. IW390701, Ref. IW390702) and $19,900 (Ref. IW390703) Availability: TBD  

For more, click here.

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Gentleman Sailor: Testing the IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph

11 Jun 2022

Watchtime Usa

Contributing Writer

The new IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph is a watch you can wear with confidence anywhere at the marina. A first glance shows that the third generation of the sportiest Portugieser model, our test watch, is designed to be both a nautical timepiece and a luxury accessory. The first impression of this IWC diving watch is confirmed upon closer inspection of its polished and satin-finish case, sunburst blue dial and brightly polished hands. Every component is flawlessly finished and worthy to be part of the supremely elegant Portugieser collection. 

For the first time in its 10-year history, this Portugieser Yacht Club boasts a steel bracelet rather than a rubber or leather strap — a sturdy but elegant IWC steel bracelet with brushed outer links and polished inner links. Shortening the bracelet involves simply pressing a button on the back of each row of sturdy links to remove it. Unlike simpler bracelet designs, using screws or hammering is not needed. 

Inside the safety folding clasp of this IWC  diving watch, there is also a quick extension piece that quickly and easily lengthens the bracelet by up to 7 mm.  Pressing the polished ‘IWC’ button on the outer bar of the clasp extends the bracelet in seven increments — without ever removing the watch from your wrist. Two safety buttons round out the sturdy and well-designed folding clasp. 

Detailed Modifications 

In addition to the bracelet, the dial has also been updated. The central chronograph hand is now steel-grey instead of red, and the date window has been shifted from the 3 o’clock position to the small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock. Both changes enhance the elegance of the Yacht Club and were well received by our editorial staff. 

The elegant impression is diminished, however, by the enlargement of the already considerable stainless-steel case from 43.5 mm to 44.6 mm.  Our editorial staff admitted that no one among them had a wrist to match its substantial dimensions. 

Even so, the large, heavy watch is quite comfortable to wear thanks to ergonomically shaped sloping lugs and a supple steel bracelet. Unfortunately, the flexibility and adjustability of the IWC’s bracelet results in relatively large gaps  between the links, which can catch and pull hair. 

Proven Technology 

Components taken from earlier generations of the Yacht Club include the sturdy and powerful in-house movement, Calibre 89361, with many excellent features like a 68-hour power reserve; a traditional column-wheel control mechanism; the brand’s own exceptionally efficient Pellaton dual-pawl winding system; a free-sprung, temperature-resistant Glucydur balance wheel; and a flyback function for the direct restarting of the running chronograph. It can also show off beautiful decorative finishes, gold-enhanced engraving and a gold IWC medallion on the skeletonised oscillating rotor.

Another feature of the in-house movement of  IWC diving watch  is the combined 12-hour and 60-minute counter in the upper half of the dial, which is intended to show elapsed time intuitively, as on a clock. The combined counter is too small for everyday use, however, and its markings are too fine to read elapsed time to the minute quickly and easily. The chronograph seconds track around the dial is also extremely fine, and the central chronograph seconds hand is insufficiently long to fully reach it. In sum, it’s a mixed bag, with clearly legible time and date, and elapsed time that is much more difficult to read. 

Accurate Rate 

Our rate test revealed more about the Swiss movement. The electronic timing machine showed a negligibly small daily rate of +0.8 seconds, a maximum deviation between the positions of only 4 seconds and almost the same values when the chronograph is engaged. A two-week wearing test confirmed the small daily deviation with values between zero and +2 seconds — making our test watch a reliable partner for everyday use. 

In addition to the movement, another feature of the Yacht Club that hasn’t changed arouses mixed feelings — the pressure resistance of six bar that corresponds to water pressure at a depth of 60 metres. Although this may sound like a lot at first, the water resistance as it is tested under laboratory conditions is rather low for a nautical luxury sports watch linked to the world of sailing. Coming in contact with spray or waves means a watch should be resistant to at least 10 bar or 100 metres to ensure a certain degree of security in a variety of different environments. And even though this still isn’t a lot, it is the current standard for any water sports watch not explicitly designed for  diving . 

Advice for boat owners is simply this: It’s better to wear this watch in the evening, below deck, or to dinner at the marina, and either take it easy onboard during the day or rely on a sports watch that is clearly defined as such. The new  Portugieser  Yacht Club Chronograph is well equipped for normal everyday wear and light sports activities — and is the perfect gentleman sailor for social events on or below deck.

This story first appeared in WatchTime US, and was then carried in WatchTime India. To subscribe, click  here .

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