IWC Portuguese Yacht Club
- beautiful and well-thought manufactured movement
- a sportswear look but refined
- good value for money
- the finishing of the movement is nice but can be enhanced
- a water resistance a bit to light
- was the “Yacht Club” writing necessary ?
| Brand | IWC |
| Model name | Portugaise Yacht Club |
| Reference | IW390204 |
| Case material | Steel |
| Case diameter (without crown) | 45,4 mm |
| Case diameter (crown included) | 48 mm |
| Movement type | Automatic |
| Caliber | IWC 89360 |
| Base Caliber | IWC 89360 |
| Functions | Chronograph Date Flyback Hour Minute Second |
| Crystal | Dual-face crystal with anti-reflective coating |
| Power reserve | 68 h |
| Transparent back | Yes |
| Lug width | 22 mm |
| Length from lug to lug | 52 mm |
| Case thickness | 14,5 mm |
| Clasp type | Deployment clasp |
| Clasp material | Steel |
| Total weight | 134 grammes |
| Retail price USA at May 28th, 2010 | $9,800.00 |
| Comfort (/15) | 13.5 |
| Movement (/20) | 13 |
| Movement Optimisation / Garnishment (/5) | 4 |
| Ease of handling and adjustment (/5) | 4 |
| Movement control proceeded by the Manufacture / horlogical awards (/3) | 1 |
| Power reserve (/2) | 1.5 |
| Complications (/5) | 2.5 |
| Finishing (/20) | 17 |
| Dial finishing (/6) | 5 |
| Case finishing (/6) | 6 |
| Quality of garnishment / caseback engraving quality (/2) | 1 |
| Crystal quality (/4) | 3 |
| Clasp finishing (inner and extern) (/2) | 2 |
| Functionality (/20) | 12.5 |
| Diurnal legibility (/5) | 5 |
| Night legibility (/4) | 2 |
| Water resistance (/3) | 0.5 |
| Strap : ease of size adjustment + ease of substitution (/4) | 2 |
| Clasp : quality and safety (/4) | 3 |
| Additional items (/10) | 3 |
| Limited edition (/3) | 0 |
| Watch delivered with several straps (/2) | 0 |
| Quality of the watch box (/1) | 1 |
| Portability with shirtsleeves buttoned (/2) | 0 |
| Goodies included (/1) | 1 |
| Understandability of the brochure (/1) | 1 |
| Value for money (/15) | 14 |
| When to wear it ? | For a sunny weekend of regatta. Or for a drink back to the marina... |
Emblematic to IWC with its sober and refined models, the Portuguese brand has enriched itself in 2010 with a new variation of “Yacht Club”.
More massive and colorful, did the 2010 Portuguese watches give up their German harshness in order to become “fun” watches ?
A sporty and elegant style
We can first observe that the Yacht Club watches have gained stoutness : switching from 40,9mm to 45,5mm for 14,5mm thickness.
Forgotten the shy chronographs, these Portuguese watches are designed to be noticed !
The thick rubber strap and the new crown pad are strengthening the “sport” style of this beauty.
Some will see a concession to the fashion of body-built watches.
But the Yacht Club remains harmonious. It has gained muscles without becoming overdeveloped.
A high-end chronograph
The polished finishing of the case is excellent.
The dial conserves the classic Portuguese DNA but has been enlivened with some touches of quite pleasant color and luminescent hands.
The navy atmosphere is subtly suggested with the indexes of the chronograph’s counter, which reminds a rudder.
We can wonder why the designers thought it was useful to underline it by writing “Yacht Club” in the seconds index…
The movement: caliber IWC 89360
These novelties are quite pleasant, but the best is still to come.
The new manufacture caliber 89360 in itself is a pretty good reason to be tempted by this watch !
There are some highlights of the IWC calibers (the Pellaton winding system, the anti-shock, visible column wheel) that are matched with an original architecture.
The “Flyback chronograph” (you can settle it back to zero and start it again by pushing the push-button) counts the hours/minutes thanks to two concentric hands in order to preserve the traditional two-counter position of the Portuguese counters.
With a big diameter and quite thick, this movement is really nice looking with its well-hemstitched bridges : we feel like diving into the core of the mechanism.
The decoration is really pleasant, even if the finishing remains a little “industrial” (because of the absence of chamfering in particular).
What to remember
More than a simple variation of the classic Portuguese watches, the Yacht Club is an entirely new model.
With its high manufactured and high quality movement, also its dynamical looks, it has every elements to please those who think its older sister a little too wise.
With a price around 10.000 €, the first price is high but the watch making services are worth it.
In this range of price, lots of concurrent feel satisfied with less manufactured caliber, even more or less optimized ETA caliber!