Angus Davies gets “hands-on” with the IWC Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph replica watch Laureus 2013, a very handsome chronograph with a stunning blue dial. Admiring a bright blue sky or swimming in a calm blue sea evokes a sense of wellbeing. The blue hue promotes optimism and imparts a feeling of contentment.
Often we associate the word, “blue” with sadness. Indeed, we talk about “singing the blues” or “feeling blue” when melancholy rears its head. However, when I think of the word, “blue” I feel a sense of happiness.
Getting “hands-on”
However, it is only recently that I got “hands-on” with the timepiece blessed with an alluring blue dial.A few months ago, I received a press release from IWC detailing its Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph Edition Laureus 2013. The images which arrived in my mailbox looked very attractive. In truth, no images can adequately convey the appeal of this handsome rendition of the Yacht Club Chronograph.
The Yacht Club can trace its lineage to the 1960s but, in its current form, it has a modern persona complemented with a hard wearing rubber strap. Its styling seems to portray a robustness with its capstan like chronograph pushers, ideally suited for a seafaring life.
The Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph has been reviewed on ESCAPEMENT previously and the silver-plated dial version is a model I would dearly love to own. The model features a flyback chronograph and houses the brand’s 89361 calibre.
“Harnessing the power of sport”
Since 2005, IWC has created a limited edition timepiece each year, with a blue dial, in support of the “Laureus Sport for Good Foundation”. The organisation, with its global reach, endeavours to help children who are victims of poverty, homelessness, illness, war and violence through “harnessing the power of sport”. The foundation was founded in 2000 and has raised €60M to date, supporting 140 projects worldwide and helping 1.5 million children.
There have been several Laureus models over the years which have been particularly engaging, including the Portofino model of 2012. However, the Yacht Club Chronograph Edition Laureus 2013 is, without doubt, my favourite.
It is not just the dial that is different
Normally, I would lament the absence of a sapphire crystal appearing on the posterior of the watch, denying my eyes the view of the mechanical heart within. But, in the case of this limited edition model, a heart-warming engraving features.
Whilst the dial is clearly the most obvious point of differentiation, there is another non-standard element to this limited edition model. The caseback on the standard IWC Portuguese replica Yacht Club Chronograph watch features an exhibition caseback, affording a charming view of the 89361 calibre within. Those who share my passion for pleasingly presented movements have been able to enjoy the spectacle of an open-worked oscillating weight enhanced with circular Côtes de Genève motif. However, the caseback of the limited edition model has a solid caseback.
Children from around the globe were invited to enter a drawing competition by IWC to design a motif to feature on the caseback of this model. The winning entry was created by a Sri Lankan boy, 12-year-old Hakkini Hasanga Sandumal De Silva, and this provided the basis of the design adorning the back of this limited edition model. As a father of two, I found the innocence and honesty of the childlike depiction, delightful. Furthermore, the images of an athlete and spectator with outstretched hands, grants a sanguine joy typical of many children.
The ultimate Yacht-Club?
This is not the first time IWC have used the Yacht Club Chronograph as the basis of a limited edition model. The brand launched the Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph Edition “Volvo Ocean Race 2011–2012” in the latter part of 2011. This model had a carbon-fibre weave dial and included an exhibition caseback. I recently saw it gracing a gentleman’s wrist in Switzerland and must admit it looked very dapper, courtesy of its testosterone-rich aesthetics.
Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph Edition “Volvo Ocean Race 2011–2012”
Technical Specification
- Model: IWC Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph Edition Laureus 2013
- Reference: IW390213
- Case: Stainless steel; diameter 45.40 mm; height 14.5 mm; water resistant to 6 bar (60 metres); sapphire crystal to front; solid caseback.
- Functions: Hours; minutes; subsidiary seconds; date; flyback chronograph.
- Movement: 89361 calibre, self-winding movement; frequency 28,800 vph (4Hz); 38 jewels; power reserve 68 hours
- Strap: Black rubber strap on a stainless steel deployant.
So, which is my preferred model from the Yacht-Club line-up? There is no need for prolonged contemplation, the Yacht Club Chronograph Edition Laureus 2013 wins with its blue dial imparting a joy I could never tire of. The engraved caseback acts as a metaphor for the childlike optimism we all experience in youth and with some of the proceeds from the sale of the IWC Portuguese watch replica helping a worthy cause, the model provides hope of a better world.