Four years ago, IWC Schaffhausen became the sponsor of the extremely challenging Volvo Ocean Race. This year’s round-the-world race starts in October in Alicante, Spain, and terminates in Gothenburg, Sweden, in June 2015. As the Official Timekeeper of the prestigious event, as well as the partner of the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team and a sponsor of the 24-hour speed record, the Swiss manufacturer unveiled the Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph “Ocean Racer” Special Edition Watch.
IWC Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph “Ocean Racer” Watch Front
The new IWC PortugueseYacht Club Chronograph “Ocean Racer” (ref. IW390216) is housed in a distinctly masculine stainless steel case which measures 45.4mm in diameter and 14.5mm in thickness. The watch which is equipped with the IWC-manufactured caliber 89361 self-winding movement offers 68 hours of autonomy when fully wound and ticks at the rate of 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz). The mechanism is built on 38 jewels. The water resistance of the case is assured down to 60 meters (approximately 200 feet).
Underneath the front sapphire glass lies a silver-plated dial with blued Arabic numerals, hands and indices coated with Superluminova which preserve perfect legibility in all kinds of lightening conditions. The dial displays hours and minutes, as well as a small seconds in a counter which is located at the 6 o’clock position. The chronograph sub-dial which displays both the minutes and hours is situated on the opposite side at the 12 o’ clock position. A flyback chrongraph is capable to measure time up to 12 hours. The sporty dial also features a date window which is located at the 3 o’ clock position.
IWC Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph “Ocean Racer” Watch Dial
The reverse side of the watch features a see-through sapphire crystal case back which reveals the 360-degree rotor which is modelled on a ship’s wheel. The case back ring features engraved inscription “IWC PORTUGIESER YACHT CLUB OCEAN RACER • ONE OUT OF 1000” noted that the watch is produced in the limited series of 1,000 pieces. You may wonder why it is engraved PORTUGIESER when the watch is a part of the Portuguese collection. It is due to German language which is the spoken language in Schaffhausen.
IWC Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph “Ocean Racer” Watch
IWC Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph “Ocean Racer” is teamed with a black rubber strap with an alligator leather inlay, fitted with a folding clasp in stainless steel. The retail price is €12,500 (about $15,800).
IWC Schaffhausen is the Official Timekeeper of the world’s toughest offshore race for the second time and this year the Swiss watchmaker is also consolidating its partnership with the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team which is taking part in the event for the second time, too. Furthermore, IWC will provide a special prize to the team that will achieve the greatest distance over the 24-hour period.
This year’s Volvo Ocean Race sees the first appearance of a one-design boat class: the Volvo Ocean 65, which measures over 20 meters in length. In addition, for the very first time in more than a decade, an all-female crew will be taking part in this round-the-world race which is considered one of sailing’s toughest challenges. The race will cover the total of 38,739 nautical miles, or 71,745 kilometers.
