IWC

Jubilee Collection Watches

Established in 1868, as one of the top Swiss watch brands, IWC is a familiar name to the watch lover all over the world. IWC invented the revolutionary Pallweber mechanism with the digital hours and minutes display in 1884. It was a milestone of the watchmaking history that should be honored. 

The year 2018 is a big year for IWC as the 150th anniversary for the brand. IWC Schaffhausen celebrated in a very grand way by releasing a total of 27 watches at once. The brand unveiled the IWC Jubilee Collection of 27 limited-edition pieces across its main four families: IWC Pilot, Portugieser, Portofino, and Da Vinci collections. 

Taking the inspiration of its early Pallweber pocket watch, the IWC Jubilee collection extracted the best of these timeless designs and unified it as its own striking collection. All of these 27 watches feature distinctive lacquered dials in blue and white colors as their common characteristic.

The journey of IWC all sprang up when the esteemed American watchmaker, Florentine Ariosto Jones, planned to explore the Swiss market with his American spirit of adventure, entrepreneurship, and engineering expertise. He founded the International Watch Company (IWC) in 1868 in Schaffhausen, producing high-quality pocket watches with the help of proficient Swiss watchmakers and the newest technology of that time.

In 1884, the legendary IWC Josef Pallweber invented the digital hours and minute timekeeping system for the pocket watches. These Pallweber watches are amongst the first watches in history to employ digital time display. It was one of the important progresses that led the brand to the top of the watchmaking industry. 

After producing countless masterpieces for 150 years to the world, IWC released a series of limited edition models at SIHH in 2018 and united them into a particular family called Jubilee Collection. There are 27 different models that consist of four classy collections i.e. the Portugieser, Pilot, Portofino and Da Vinci, and also new tribute models to the historical Pallweber watches. 

All the watches in this collection feature a few common design details. The dials of all of them are either blue lacquer or white lacquer. This blue and white color code was inspired by the enamel dials showcased on the original Pallweber pocket watches. There are a total 12 layers of lacquer coating on each watch before undergoing a brushing, polishing treatment and the printing process. For the watches with white dials, they feature all the markers in black and hands in blue, while the blue dials feature markers in white and rhodium-plated white hands.  

As for the bracelet, all of the Jubilee watches are equipped with black alligator straps. This arrangement added a sense of formality and elegance for the 150th-anniversary celebration. Finally, as a model release for the celebration, each watch displays a "150 Years" marking engraved somewhere on the watch. Let us explore some of these remarkable watches from the IWC Jubilee Collection:

IWC 150 Years Tribute to Pallweber Edition

The renowned Pallweber pocket watch was the first-ever timepiece carrying a digital jumping numeral display module. Reviving the design of this iconic watch, the IWC Tribute to Pallweber Edition exhibits the hours and minutes display windows using large numerals on rotating discs.

IWC 150 Years Portugieser Models

IWC 150 Years Portugieser Constant-Force Tourbillon Edition

The model is an unusually high-level luxury version that houses a hand-wound 94805 caliber with a power reserve of 96hours. It features a complicated constant-force tourbillon with a moon phase display at 1 o’clock position.

IWC 150 Years Portugieser Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon Edition

It was the first time that IWC combined a perpetual calendar with a tourbillon on a dial. You can see a moon phase display as well. The watch features a 18-carat 5N gold case, white dial with a lacquered finish, and blue hands just as the color theme of the collection.

IWC 150 Years Portugieser Perpetual Calendar Edition

This IWC Portugieser watch houses a Pellaton winding 52615 caliber featuring a power reserve of 7 days with two barrels and a gold rotor. There are months and leap years displays as well as a double moon display on the dial.

IWC 150 Years Portugieser Chronograph Edition

This IWC Portugieser Chronograph is a revised edition that incorporated the design elements of the Jubilee Collection. The watch features a stainless steel case, a white lacquered dial, blued hands as well as the sapphire-glass caseback that you can appreciate the beautiful movements of the watch.

IWC 150 Years Portugieser Hand-Wound Eight Days Edition

As suggested by the name, the watch is capable of an 8-day power reserve. Its display is placed on the rear side of the movement, and it can be seen via sapphire caseback. This watch is considered as the purist model in the collection. 

IWC 150 Years Pilot’s Watch Models

IWC 150 Years Big Pilot's Watch Annual Calendar Edition

This IWC Big Pilot watch is the only model in the Jubilee Collection with a numeral annual calendar. It features an American-format text display for the month, day, and date accordingly in three windows on the dial above its logo marking.

IWC 150 Years Big Pilot's Watch Big Date Edition

This watch is the fist Big Pilot's Watch featuring a large numerals date display. The window is placed beneath the triangular index at the 12 o'clock position. This stainless steel watch offers the options of blue and white lacquered dials.

IWC 150 Years Big Pilot's Watch Chronograph Edition

This is a classic IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph model incorporating the Jubilee design. It is encased by a stainless steel case with a white lacquered dial and blued hands.

IWC 150 Years Portofino Models

IWC 150 Years Portofino Hand-Wound Moon Phase Edition

This IWC Portofino is a luxury version that features a hound-wound movement with a 8-days power reserve and a moon phase. It offers 2 options of white and blue dials with a lacquered finish.

IWC 150 Years Portofino Chronograph Edition 

This watch is the unique interpreted model of the iconic IWC Portofino chronograph in the Jubilee collection. It also provides 2 variations of dials to suit different tastes. 

IWC 150 Years Da Vinci Edition 

Da Vinci Automatic Edition "150 Years"

This IWC Da Vinci watch houses the first IWC in-house manufactured Caliber 82200 movement. It features the round seconds display at the 6 o’clock position. 

Da Vinci Automatic Moon Phase 36 Edition "150 Years"

This is an especially extravagant model in the collection. The case and the lugs of this IWC Da Vinci Moon Phase watch are paved with 206 white diamonds of 2.26 carats.