THE YEAR of THE PORTUGIESER
Matthieu Dupont, IWC’s regional managing director, is driving business in Southeast Asia
Ten years ago, then 25, Matthieu Dupont opened a birthday present from his family, to surprisingly find a luxurious Portugieser Chronograph. Some months later, the Frenchman found himself working in London as a sales and marketing co-ordinator for IWC, the Swiss watchmaker of the Portugieser.
“I was later posted in the Middle East and am now in Southeast Asia, but whenever going to places I have never been, the Portugieser accompanies me,” he said. “I possess other IWC models and it’s difficult to choose your favourite child but the Portugieser Chronograph has a special place in my heart because it reminds me of my family when far away from home. Having it for 10 years, the watch has a very strong soul.”
Now as the brand’s regional managing director, Dupont is driving IWC business in Southeast Asia, where the challenge lies in strategically addressing the different level of maturity of each markets.
“The way you strike the tone will be different from market to market but the message remains the same,” he said. “For Thailand, we can go into more details because there’s already a brand awareness, with collectors and followers appreciating our heritage for fine watchmaking.”
IWC has a DNA for producing big watches, with the Portugieser celebrating its 75th anniversary this year along with a new collection launched at the SIHH 2015 in January.
Dupont’s treasured chronograph is one of the many models in the history of the prestigious product line. Other sophisticated complications i nclude minute repeater, perpetual calendar, tourbillon, and the Portugieser Sidérale Scafusia — the most complicated mechanical watch ever made by IWC.
Portugieser debuted in 1939 as a striking timepiece due to its large round case and purist dial compared to the rectangular Art Deco watches popular at that time.
“It was considered very big back then but immediately became an iconic design, making the Portugieser one of IWC’s strongest success stories,” noted Dupont. “We don’t do big watches for the sake of the size. The large dimension is justified by a technical objective to ensure precision.” The original model was ordered by two Portuguese businessmen, who demanded wristwatches with the precision of marine chronometers. At that time, the only way to achieve the requested accuracy was via a voluminous pocket watch calibre, which accordingly resulted in an oversized Portugieser. The watch’s avantgarde design elements also included a grooved bezel and straight strap horns while on the dial, Arabic numerals with simple hour markers harmonised with the narrow, leaf-shaped feuille hands.
A facet separated the centre of the dial while the chapter ring featured the “chemin-de-fer” (railway) style popular in pocket watches at the time. These graphic elements reappeared in the small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock.
The 2015 Portugieser collection include the Hand-Wound Eight Days Edition “75th Anniversary” evoking the original; and Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month Edition “75th Anniversary”, also featuring a chronograph with flyback function.
Portugieser Annual Calendar is IWC’s first take on this type of complication, with the month, date and day shown in three separate, semicircular windows at 12 o’clock. The newly developed 52850 calibre has twin barrels to supply the additional torque required to advance the three display discs.
“For 75 years, the Portugieser line has represented the epitome of precision and IWC’s art of watchmaking at its best,” said Dupont. “This watch family incorporates the most haute horlogerie complications. In line with the jubilee, the new collection comes with a host of technological and aesthetic enhancements, and the newly designed in-house 52000 calibre as an excellent addition to our portfolio of movements.”
The Swiss maison could have simply launched anniversary editions but six models have also been upgraded to mark the milestone.
Established in 1868, the maison is still based in Schaffhausen in northeastern Switzerland. IWC (International Watch Co.) was actually founded by an American, Florentine Ariosto Jones, who combined Swiss craftsmanship with progressive production techniques to offer quality timekeepers.
“From the beginning, we were different from other Swiss watchmakers, with the location in the German-speaking part of the country, allowing access to technical ingenuity that set IWC apart,” he said. “Over the years, we always look at our heritage and reinterpret our icons with a modern twist by incorporating new materials and technologies. What was already perfect then can be even better today to provide precision and reliability.”