IWC Schaffhausen Portugieser Chronograph Ceratanium®
After Hours: IWC Reveals the Darker Side of Its Portugieser
The collection gets the all-black treatment thanks to the brand’s proprietary Ceratanium.
By Cait Bazemore
Contributor
When it comes to material innovation, IWC has long been ahead of the curve. Back in the 1980s, the brand was one of the first to use ceramic in a wristwatch, with a unique Da Vinci model featuring a perpetual calendar. Decades later, IWC further advanced the material in 2017 with the introduction of its own proprietary composite, Ceratanium.
Ceratanium combines two of the most performance-driven materials on the market: ceramic and titanium. The result of combining the lightweight structural integrity of titanium with the scratch resistance of ceramic is a sturdy, reliable building block for the case.
The material made its initial debut in a special-edition Aquatimer celebrating the model’s 50th anniversary. Since then, the robust composite has appeared in IWC’s other core collections, including its pilot’s watches, specifically the popular TOP GUN line.
Today, the brand expands its use to another staple of its catalog with the new Portugieser Chronograph Ceratanium. And this latest addition brings Ceratanium to the line for the first time.
Stealthy Sport Chic
At the base, you have the Portugieser Chronograph, a sportier version of the icon launched in 1998. However, this particular Portugieser Chronograph is rendered in a 41mm Ceratanium case, which lays the foundation for an all-black design (another first) thanks to its distinctive dark finish.
Ceratanium also extends to the crown and pushers, creating continuity across the entire case. This cohesiveness sweeps through every detail of the model, from the black dial to the black hands and indices. The watch is topped off with a textured black rubber strap, completing the monochromatic look. Here, you get another dash of Ceratanium on the pin buckle.
At the heart of the new Portugieser Chronograph Ceratanium is IWC’s own in-house movement, the 69355 calibre. This column wheel chronograph provides clearly defined phases in the switching sequence and offers distinct tactile feedback when the buttons are pressed. In addition, the movement features an automatic double-pawl winding system that reliably banks a power reserve of 46 hours in the mainspring.
All Black Everything
The all-black trend has been going strong for years, and it doesn’t seem like it’s slowing anytime soon. And while fully blacked-out watches have come under some scrutiny for their legibility, IWC seems to have made deliberate design choices to maintain the aesthetic integrity of this all-black model without compromising its readability.
Against the deep black abyss of the dial, the Arabic hour markers, hands, and sub-dials each get contrasting finishes to distinguish them from the backdrop. Even the small IWC logo and the designation “chronograph automatic” remain legible at 3 and 9 o’clock, respectively.
From the photos, it looks like these juxtaposed treatments across the dial details will play beautifully in the light, making this a fully blacked-out execution that can actually tell the time or measure a lap.
Pricing & Availability
The new IWC Portugieser Chronograph Ceratanium, priced at US$ 14,600 (VAT excluded), is available today in a limited run of just 1,500 pieces.
For more information, head over to the IWC website.