Pre-SIHH 2018 – Hands-On with the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon Edition 150 Years
As part of the new “150 Years” collection, which includes already two superb watches, the re-edition of the Pallweber and the Portugieser Tourbillon Constant Force, IWC treats us with an unprecedented combination of complications, integrated inside the iconic Portugieser case. Using the classical nautical look of this model with the addition of the new lacquered dials, here is the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon Edition 150 Years, introduced as a Pre-SIHH 2018 novelty, and part of the 27 special watches that the brand will unveil at the 2018 Geneva watch fair.
At Time+Tide we typically focus on the new – the latest reviews and news. But there’s always a place for the stone-cold classics, which is why, when we had a bunch of Black Bays in the office (more on that later in the week), we thought we’d take the opportunity to have a look at the Black Bays that started it all: the red, blue and black versions. And while these versions (which we borrowed from friends – thanks guys!) are the older, ETA models, they’re still pretty indicative of what this retro diver is all about. So while you’re likely familiar with these colourful, core Black Bays, it doesn’t hurt to look at them in crisp HD. And even though the oldest model is now five years old, and the competition for heritage divers has hotted up, we still think it’s pretty hard to beat the original Tudor Heritage Black Bay. Tudor Heritage Black Bay Australian pricing Tudor Heritage Black Bay on leather, $4030, on bracelet, $4410
Editor’s note: We’re very much on the record as being proud members of team Drive, so it was with real excitement that we had a look at the new models shown off at SIHH at the start of this year. And while the Moon Phases probably has the edge in terms of everyday wearability, when it comes to class, it’s hard to beat the Drive de Cartier Extra Flat. One of the standout watches of last year was the Drive de Cartier. The collection impressed with its assured case shape — a pleasing blend of robustness and classicism that, for many, epitomised what Cartier is all about. Well, the Extra Flat takes things a few steps further, removing any and all extraneous elements from the Drive and making it even more sublime. What do we mean? For starters, the watch is, well, flat. At 6.6mm thick it’s some 40 per cent more slender than the regular automatic Drive — a feat achieved largely thanks to the manually wound caliber 430MC (based on the Piaget 430P). Cartier has also made the case a touch smaller (39mm), removed the small seconds and foregone their usual guilloche on the dial. The resulting watch is far more dressy,…
