Da Vinci Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph

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Da Vinci Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph  - IWC
This new timepiece combines on a single dial a tourbillon, a chronograph and a retrograde date.

The Da Vinci Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph’s precious 44mm red gold case with golden push-buttons and lugs has a carefully balanced appearance. The harmonious arrangement of the three complications on the silver-plated dial, with the chronograph function at “12 o’clock”, follows the typical IWC pattern.

The most conspicuous feature of the watch is the flying tourbillon. Its cage is bearing-mounted only at one end, on the underside, and is not connected to an upper bridge. The tourbillon also features a technically complex hacking function that guarantees down-to-the-second accuracy when setting the watch. When the crown is pulled out, two levers grip the balance rim and block the mechanism consisting of the balance, wheel train and hands. New geometry in the pallet and escape wheel (made of diamond-coated silicon) combined with diamond shell technology ensures that the watch’s 68-hour power reserve when fully wound is maintained despite the additional complications.

Da Vinci Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph

Second complication, the chronograph function at “12 o’clock” allows stopped times of up to 11 hours and 59 minutes, which can be read off as easily as the time of day. The central seconds hand measures stopped times to an accuracy of one-quarter of a second.

The third complication is the retrograde date display, located on the left-hand side of the dial. The hand shows the date from the 1st to the 31st of the month as it moves across an arc and then, at the end of the scale, reverts to its starting point. In months with fewer than 31 days or when the watch has not been used for a while, the date display can be advanced rapidly and conveniently using the crown. Compared with a traditional date window, the analogue display turns the passage of time into a much more vivid experience.

The watch, which is water-resistant to 3 bar, has a transparent sapphire-glass back that reveals the new IWC-manufactured 89900 calibre with its solid red gold rotor.

The movable horns ensure that the dark brown alligator leather strap by Santoni with its 18-carat red gold folding clasp fits perfectly around the wrist. 

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