The Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Chronograph is the brand’s first watch to combine the hour and minute counters with the moon phase in a single subdial. Achieving this called for a redesign of the IWC-manufactured 89630 calibre. A silver-plated or gold-plated disc depicts the full moon in all its glory. At the same time, the rounded, dark blue section of the disc – representing the earth’s shadow – rotates to show the waxing or waning moon. With white gold particles sprinkled across the dark blue background, the subdial has the appearance of a star-studded night sky.
DA VINCI PERPETUAL CALENDAR CHRONOGRAPH
REF. IW392101
FEATURES
- Mechanical chronograph movement
- Perpetual calendar with displays for the date, day, month, four- digit year and perpetual moon phase
- Stopwatch function with hours, minutes and seconds
- Hour and minute counters combined in a single counter at “12 o’clock”
- Flyback function
- Small hacking seconds
- Glucydur®* beryllium alloy indexless balance with high-precision adjustment screws on balance rim
- 18-carat 5N gold rotor
- See-through sapphire-glass back
MOVEMENT
- IWC-manufactured calibre: 89630
- Frequency: 28,800 A/h | 4 Hz
- Jewels: 51
- Power reserve: 68 h
- Winding: Automatic
WATCH
- Materials: 18-carat 5N gold case, silver-plated dial, dark brown alligator leather strap by Santoni, 18-carat 5N gold folding clasp
- Glass: Sapphire, arched edge, antireflective coating on both sides
- Water-resistant: 3 bar
- Diameter: 43 mm
- Height: 15.5 mm
INSPIRED BY KURT KLAUS
“Poor is the pupil who does not surpass his master”, Leonardo da Vinci supposedly said to the man who taught him his craft. These words were also at the back of the minds of IWC’s engineers as they set about redeveloping the perpetual calendar created by IWC master watchmaker and inventor Kurt Klaus. While creating the 89630 calibre, IWC’s present-day master watchmakers constantly referred back to the old design blueprints that were their source of inspiration. But there was a significant challenge, as the moon phase in the IWC-manufactured 52610 calibre normally used for the perpetual calendar is located at “12 o’clock”. If the chronograph’s hour and minute counters were to be placed there, the hands would go straight through the centre of the moon phase disc. The 89360 chronograph calibre, on the other hand, had no room for a moon phase. As a result, the engineers designed the 89630 calibre, combining the dual counters of the chronograph with the moon phase mechanism and displaying them on a single subdial.
A MODERN TIMEPIECE WITH A BALANCED DESIGN
With its 43-millimetre case diameter and case height of 15.5 millimetres, the design of the Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Chronograph is impressive yet carefully balanced. The crown and the two push-buttons are cylindrical and no longer as round as those of the Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar of 1985. Combined with the large lugs of the moving horns, they create an impression of overall harmony. Despite the many displays, the dial remains clear and uncluttered because the designers chose dark blue as the colour for the chronograph moon phase totalizer at “12 o’clock”. This firmly distinguishes it from the dial and three subdials of the 5N gold version (Ref. IW392101) and the stainless-steel model (Ref. IW392103), which are silver-plated and slate-coloured, respectively.
Poor is the pupil who does not surpass his master
In the 5N gold model, the case, horns, crown and push-buttons are all made of solid 18-carat 5N gold. A gold folding clasp holds the dark brown alligator leather strap by Santoni. In the stainless-steel version with its black alligator leather strap, the slate-coloured counters are equipped with rhodium-plated facets that once again emphasize the circle as an important design element. A glance through the transparent sapphire-glass back cover reveals the sophisticated design of the movement, which has blued screws, a 5N gold rotor and various types of decorative polishing on the bridges. The IWC-manufactured 89630 chronograph calibre with an automatic double-pawl winding system features a 68-hour power reserve.
ELEGANT SOLUTION FOR THE CHRONOGRAPH DISPLAY
For IWC's chronograph watches, the designers likewise made no concessions. The hour and minute counters are combined in a totalizer at “12 o’clock”, which enables stopped times to be read off as if they were the time of day. This is a significantly more elegant form of aggregate timing than two separate counters and therefore became, a popular design element in several chronograph watches later on.. The blue central chronograph hand shows stopped times to an accuracy of one-eighth of a second. The chronograph has two push-buttons, which are used to start, stop and reset the hands, as well as for the flyback function. The movement itself is designed in such a way that the stopwatch can run continuously without diminishing the 68-hour power reserve.
PRECISE COMPLICATION
IWC's perpetual calendar watches work with the utmost precision: in 577.5 years, the display will diverge by just one day from the moon’s actual course. The perpetual calendar displays the date, month and day of the week on three subdials of the same colour at “3”, “6” and “9 o’clock”, respectively. A small window in the bottom left-hand section of the dial reveals the four-digit year display. Mechanically programmed, the calendar takes into account the different length of the months and even the leap years. Nevertheless, every 100 years (2100, 2200, etc.) a leap day normally due is omitted, which means that a watchmaker will have to advance the calendar manually on 1 March. In 2300, another intervention will be necessary when the current century slide with the figures 20, 21 and 22 will need to be replaced with a new one for the years 2300 to 2599.
DA VINCI PERPETUAL CALENDAR CHRONOGRAPH
REF. IW392103
FEATURES
- Mechanical chronograph movement
- Perpetual calendar with displays for the date, day, month, four- digit year and perpetual moon phase
- Stopwatch function with hours, minutes and seconds
- Hour and minute counters combined in a single counter at “12 o’clock”
- Flyback function
- Small hacking seconds
- Glucydur®* beryllium alloy indexless balance with high-precision adjustment screws on balance rim
- 18-carat 5N gold rotor
- See-through sapphire-glass back
MOVEMENT
- IWC-manufactured calibre: 89630
- Frequency: 28,800 A/h | 4 Hz
- Jewels: 51
- Power reserve: 68 h
- Winding: Automatic
WATCH
- Materials: Stainless-steel case, slate-coloured dial, black alligator leather strap by Santoni, stainless-steel folding clasp
- Glass: Sapphire, arched edge, antireflective coating on both sides
- Water-resistant: 3 bar
- Diameter: 43 mm
- Height: 15.5 mm
CONTINUE READING
Veni, Vidi, Da Vinci
At the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) watch fair, IWC Schaffhausen celebrated the arrival of the new Da Vinci collection. Find out more.
Da Vinci Collection: Creating Pure Beauty
IWC Schaffhausen revisits the iconic design of the 1980s and presents the 2017 Da Vinci collection, once again with its classic round case. Find out more.
Chronograph Meets Tourbillon
The Da Vinci Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph - on a single dial, it features a combination of a classic tourbillon, a chronograph and a retrograde date display. Find out more.
