Home » IWC Watches » IWC Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Watch Edition Kurt Klaus
IWC Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Edition Kurt Klaus is a special series named in honor of one of IWC’s master watchmakers who spent fifty years with the Swiss company. This exclusive perpetual calendar chronograph timepiece provides an array of useful functions. Also, if for some reason the watch is not worn for some time, all the indications can be synchronously advanced by using the crown.
Kurt Klaus
Being a perpetual calendar, the functionality of this Da Vinci timepiece includes the indication of date, day, month and year in four digits, as well as moonphases for hundreds of years at a time, even remaining precise during leap years.
IWC-made Caliber 79261
This is all done via a self-winding chronograph movement that Klaus himself helped design it. The IWC-made Caliber 79261 produces 28,800 vibrations per hour and preserves a sufficient 44 hours of power reserve when fully charged. This highly complicated movement built on 39 jewels has been in existence for more than 20 years and it has stayed unchanged so far.
An Elegant Tonneau Shaped Case
Depending on a model, the Da Vinci Perpetual Calender Edition Kurt Klaus comes either in 18-karat red gold or stainless steel case. The tonneau shaped case measures 43.1 x 51 mm and it is 15.2 mm thick. The watch is shielded on both sides by convex scratch-resistant sapphire glasses with antireflective coatings and it is water resistant to 30 meters (100 feet)
IWC Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Edition Kurt Klaus Watch IW376207
Either black or silver dial has four sub-dials. A moonphase indicator and a 30 minutes chronograph share the same counter which is situated at the 12 o’clock position. The counter located at the 3 o’clock position displays the date, while the sub-dial at the 6 o’clock position displays the month and is used in conjunction with the 12 hour chronograph. The fourth sub-dial situated at the 9 o’clock position displays the right day of the week and 60 seconds.
The dial with a vertical tapestry pattern also displays the year in four digits in a small aperture located between 7 and 8 o’clock positions, whereas the signature of Kurt Klaus is situated between 4 and 5 o’clock positions.
The Two Versions of Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Edition Kurt Klaus
The Swiss manufacturer of luxury watches offered two models of this timepiece. The first luxury model IW376206 comes in an 18-karat red gold case and it can be purchased for approximately $40,000. This version is produced in the limited quantity of 1,000 pieces. Each of them boasts a black dial and the matching alligator leather strap with a folding buckle. The strap is elegantly attached to the case, leaving no free space between them.
IWC Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Edition Kurt Klaus Watch IW376206
A lower cost stainless steel model IW376207 sports a silvered dial and the same black alligator strap as the previous one. This version is also limited and it is produced in a series of 3,000 pieces. This watch is priced for a little bit more than $25,000.
The “Einstein from Schaffhausen”
The portrait of the brand’s chief engineer, Kurt Klaus, alongside with the limited edition serial number (from 1 to 1,000, or from 1 to 3,000, depending on a version) is engraved on the case back.
Klaus, who spent over 50 years at IWC is one of the company’s most influential designers. He invented Da Vinci’s revolutionary perpetual calendar module back in 1985. The success of this invention is explained by the fact that it was the first serial produced perpetual calendar timepiece which can be set by only the crown. IWC’s legendary master watchmaker also headed the design team for IWC’s in-house automatic Caliber 5000 that was introduced in 2000.
