Portuguese Automatic

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Portuguese Automatic - IWC
The Portuguese Automatic collection is rounded off with five new models, powered by the Calibre 52010.

Hardly any other watch from Schaffhausen is as well known as the Portuguese Automatic: thanks to its classic, balanced design and 7-day power reserve it has come to epitomize the Portuguese line.

To mark the watch family’s 75th anniversary in 2015, the Portuguese Automatic has been equipped with the newly developed IWC-manufactured 52010 calibre and optimized strap horns. The dial remains unchanged: the simple railwaytrack-style chapter ring, the appliquéd Arabic numerals, the slender feuille hands: for three-quarters of a century, these have been the design cues that have made the Portuguese unmistakable. The guilloché subdials for the small seconds on the left and the power reserve display on the right are the same colour as the dial and as unobtrusive as the date display at “6 o’clock”.

The polished lugs, the bezel and the case back encircling the transparent back cover all gleam while the sides of the case are satin-finished.
From the rear of the watch, the lightly curved lugs and the strap horns shaped to fit the case are clearly recognizable.

 

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Thanks to its ceramic components, the self-winding mechanism of new IWC-manufactured 52010 movement is practically wear-free. With two barrels instead of just one, it has a 7-day power reserve. The bidirectional Pellaton winding system has been further improved: the pawls, automatic wheel and rotor bearing are now made of ceramic, giving the mechanism a special status in modern watchmaking technology. The white-or-black-coloured zirconium oxide reduces abrasion to virtually zero. The indexless balance has an increased frequency of 4 hertz (28,800 beats per hour). Combined with the Breguet spring, this guarantees even greater precision.

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The Portuguese Automatic is water-resistant to 3 bar and available in two 18-carat red gold - with silver-plated or slate-coloured dials - and three stainless-steel versions - with black or silver-plated dials.  It is supplied with a dark brown or black alligator leather strap which complements the dials.

 

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