A Week On The Wrist: The IWC Portugieser Hand-Wound Eight-Days Edition '150 Years'

Watch brands love celebrating anniversaries. A quick walk around the halls of SIHH or Baselworld will yield countless chances to mark "historic moments" and "groundbreaking innovations." For my money though, a minor product marking its 35th year in production or a brand touting its all-important 115-year anniversary falls a little flat though. Now, the 150th birthday of a company – that’s an anniversary that deserves a proper celebration.

To mark that milestone, IWC has launched a massive "Jubilee Collection" that includes dozens of watches from the brands simplest and most accessible to some with crazy new complications. All are limited editions of varying quantities and the idea here is that fans of the brand can buy a milestone piece regardless of budget. It’s actually a very respectful way of thanking those who have made the brand successful, not to mention a savvy commercial move.

Of all the pieces in the collection though, one immediately stood out to me above the rest: the Portugieser Hand-Wound Eight-Days Edition "150 Years." This is a modern interpretation of IWC’s most classic model and it is both faithful to the original and interesting on its own merits. I knew I needed to get my hands on one as quickly as possible, and after a week with the watch I can say that the latest Portugieser might just be the very best of IWC, past and present.