Portugaise Tourbillon Mystère

Goddess of the Dawn Portuguese Tourbillon Mystère rose gold 5N with black dial  

Among the watches from IWC with grande complications, the Portuguese Tourbillon Mystère is without a doubt one of the most beautiful and most coveted at the present time. With a black dial and a case made from warmly shimmering rose gold 5N, it becomes a diva. To all those who consider a watch in a rose gold case with a black dial to be rather risqué from the point of view of taste: the Portuguese Tourbillon Mystère with its case made of rose gold 5N, the deepest rose gold Portuguese, takes this reluctant attitude in stride. And happily refers to its paler sisters in platinum, white gold or in a rose gold 4N case with a light dial – provided that they have not already been spoken for, which is quite likely. The Portuguese Tourbillon Mystère has evolved in the last four years, which is to say over the entire period of its existence, to become the most coveted IWC with a grande complication; with “the” grande complication, to be precise. For the escapement in a rotating carriage continues to be held in high esteem among master watchmakers and discerning watch enthusiasts alike. Even 207 years after its invention. Notwithstanding that today's tourbillon no longer has to compensate for the balance errors of the inferior balances that were commonplace at the time and were amplified even more by the gravitational attraction of the earth. The fact that all of this was only applicable to pocket watches, which were always worn in the same position, also does not deter true tourbillon aficionados. In a word: all of these practical and therefore fairly irrelevant arguments have failed to have an adverse effect on the fascination of the socalled “whirlwind” since it was invented in1801. Because, and especially because, such a masterpiece of precision engineering can only be achieved by the very best watchmakers, because at this level of horological proficiency the wheat really is separated from the chaff, and because it is simply enthralling to observe the cage, in which the balance pulsates, rotating slowly about its axis. And because, ultimately, not everyone can actually own such a horological work of art. Nor does everyone need one. Yet whoever possesses one is also keen to see it. This desire is met in a truly ideal fashion in the Portuguese Tourbillon Mystère. The tourbillon, embedded in a segment of the plate embellished with Geneva stripes, forms the “animated twelve” on the dial. What is more, a small optical trick allows it to appear to float freely in space before the void of the black background – mounted on bearings on one side, and literally “flying”. What a beautiful illusion – what more exclusive setting could one stage for this mechanical work of art, comprising eighty-one minute parts and weighing just 0.443 grams? In truth, one could not. And unfolding behind the small secret, behind the equally transparent sapphire glass back, is the big secret: the globally unique watch drive mechanism of the 50900 calibre. This is still one of the world's largest automatic wristwatch movements – with a Pellaton automatic winding system and a seven-day power reserve, which is indicated on the dial. It also tells the precise time with its elegant “feuille” hands in the typical Portuguese style. To conclude the practical section, the small seconds hand at “9 o'clock” can be stopped via the crown. And now, to all those who regard rose gold in conjunction with a black dial to be the classiest, most beautiful colour combination with which to set off such a masterpiece of Haute Horlogerie: congratulations! For red is not only a colour. It is a warm, vibrant tone – an emotion and a message full of feeling. The red hue actually depends on the admixture of other metals, in this case copper. IWC uses 18-carat rose gold of grade 4N in most instances. In this variant, a limited edition of 250 examples of the Portuguese Tourbillon Mystère with a silvered dial have already found their connoisseur owners. The unmistakeable, more intense colour elevates this watch to the status of a diva. The Romans had a name for her: Aurora – the goddess of the dawn. Although she made her spectacular entrance only once every morning – if the weather was good. The Portuguese Tourbillon Mystère in rose gold 5N is not subject to such temporal and meteorological limitations. And incidentally: it is also water-resistant to 3 bar.