Swiss watchmaker IWC has collaborated with British swimwear firm Orlebar Brown to create a special edition of the Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph.
Finished in yacht club-appropriate marine blue with red and white detailing, the stainless steel timepiece blends a smart and sophisticated look, but with a rubber strap to make it as comfortable and practical as it is attractive.
The large 45mm case houses a pair of sub-dials for displaying elapsed hours and minutes, plus hacking seconds for the chronograph movement, controlled with buttons at the two and four o’clock positions.
There is also a date complication sat subtly within the lower sub dial, while the hour markers are rhodium plated and the case is water resistant to six bar (60 metres).
To give the watch its full name, the IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph Edition Orlebar Brown is powered by IWC’s own calibre 89361 mechanical movement, with 38 jewels and a long power reserve of 68 hours. The movement is displayed through the watch’s sapphire crystal case back.
Although the Orlebar Brown name doesn’t appear on the dial, the watch’s stainless steel buckle borrows its design from the adjustable side fasteners of the company’s luxury swim shorts, as worn by James Bond in Skyfall.
The collaboration between IWC and Orlebar Brown also includes a new nine-piece ‘Capsule Collection’ of men’s resort wear. The collection includes a white towelling blazer with blue piping, swim shorts depicting a Solaris 55 yacht, a white linen shirt, and navy polo shirt, among others.
The IWC x Orlebar Brown Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph is priced at £11,100 and available from Goldsmiths now.
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