IWC Portuguese Laureus Yacht Club Chronograph IW390213

Every year, IWC release a luxury watch in support of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. It's a charity that specialises in sports projects to improve the prospects of disadvantaged children worldwide. The caseback of the IWC Portuguese Laureus Yacht Club Chronograph – IW390213 has a feature that sets it apart from other annual limited edition timepieces: an engraving of a drawing that depicts a sprinter backed by cheering people. It was created by Hakkini Hasanga Sandumal De Silva, a 12-year-old boy from Sri Lanka. IWC run an annual competition in conjunction with the Laureus Foundation to support their projects. The judges loved Hakkini's response to the 'time to move' theme. They felt it perfectly illustrated the Laureus philosophy 'Sport has the Power to Change the World'. Hakkini's drawing was immortalised on 1,000 special edition IWC timepieces.
'Nautical' is the first word that hits you when you see this wristwatch for the very first time. The IWC Portuguese Laureus Yacht Club Chronograph – IW390213 bears a striking resemblance to a classic compass. The Laureus blue dial – a colour very similar to the Prussian blue of the deep sea – adds depth and weight. Teamed with the recessed subdials, it gives the dial an almost fathomless appearance. The seemingly uncluttered dial makes it look deceptively simple. Don't be fooled.
The IW390213 has a retro look and feel for good reason: the Yacht Club Automatic – launched in 1967 at Basel – was a massive success and became one of IWC's most popular luxury watches. This continues the grand design tradition but updates the look with clean lines, and adds features that make it resonate with a 21st Century audience that includes a whole raft of celebrity fans. Hollywood stars Bradley Cooper and Jamie Foxx to name but two.
The 42 mm case size is a good thing for two reasons: visibility and wrist presence. The stainless steel case prevents the watch from appearing too dark and adds a welcome, high sheen against the blue dial and the matte black rubber bracelet. Speaking of visibility, luminescent hands and luminous indexes are instantly visible in the dark. The bright red chronograph hands jumps off the dial. A date window is situated at 3 o'clock. The small seconds dial is at 6 o'clock. Add convex sapphire glass with anti-reflective coating on both sides and you have more than just a limited edition collector's piece.
This particular luxury watch is fuelled by IWC Calibre 89361, which bears 38 jewels and beats at 4 Hz. It's a flyback chronograph with a focus on precision. The flange has gradations for seconds and fractions of seconds. You'll also notice the combined hour and minute counter in one totaliser at 12. This gives up to 12 hours of aggregate timing. It also means the flyback will reset to 0 when the chronograph is activated so timing can be resumed immediately if interrupted unexpectedly.
Pushpieces sit up proud at 2 and 4 o'clock. Unlike the Rolex Yacht-Master, there's plenty of room between pushpieces and screw-down crown. A small touch but a user-friendly one nonetheless.
IWC describe the Portuguese Laureus Yacht Club Chronograph Edition 'Laureus Sport for Good Foundation' as a “ precision nautical instrument with added depth ”. In a world of often meaningless marketing straplines, this stands out for one reason: it rings true.
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