Swiss luxury watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen revisits the iconic design of the 1980s and presents the 2017 Da Vinci collection, once again with its classic round case. The Da Vinci Automatic 36 and the Da Vinci Automatic Moon Phase 36 are tailored to women, while the Da Vinci Automatic is a unisex model. Two Da Vinci timepieces feature newly developed IWC-manufactured calibres that innovatively combine and integrate complications.
With the new Da Vinci collection, IWC Schaffhausen has returned to the round case that was so successfully established by the Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar in 1985. It means we are bidding farewell to the tonneau case and reaffirming our commitment to the classic proportions the brand stands for,” explains Georges Kern, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen. “With the Da Vinci Automatic 36 and the Da Vinci Automatic Moon Phase 36, we are also re-establishing an old tradition of creating selected models from the Da Vinci line specially for women and adding diamonds or fashionable straps and bracelets as features. I am particularly pleased about the launch of the Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Chronograph and the Da Vinci Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph because they truly embody our manufacturing expertise.”
With the round cases, harmonious forms, rounded crowns and diamonds on single models in the new collection, IWC Schaffhausen establishes a link between the Da Vinci of the 1980s and today’s pure designs without denying the family’s heritage. The twin-frame bezel with the peripheral groove is a reminder of this period. Newly designed, movable horns with curved lugs ensure that straps and bracelets fit perfectly around the wrist and make the watches more comfortable to wear. All Da Vinci, Da Vinci Automatic 36 and Da Vinci Automatic Moon Phase 36 models are equipped with the new butterfly clasp. The clasp has three fold-out wings so the wearer can put on and take off the watch without fully opening the strap or bracelet. Two Da Vinci watches are fitted with a pin buckle: the Da Vinci Automatic Moon Phase 36 has an 18-carat red gold clasp, the Da Vinci Automatic one in stainless steel. The two models with Haute Horlogerie complications – the Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Chronograph and the Da Vinci Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph– feature a folding clasp with two wings.
THE 2017 DA VINCI COLLECTION: AN OVERVIEW The Da Vinci Automatic 36 and the Da Vinci Automatic Moon Phase 36 are not only smaller and slimmer, but also have a more feminine design: with rounded crowns and a recessed inner circle on the dial, as previously found in the Portofino 37 mm collection. Gold cases, diamond-set bezels and alligator leather straps by Santoni in the colours raspberry, bronze, dark brown and dark blue specially developed for IWC underscore the watch’s aesthetic appeal. To achieve the nuanced grad ations of colour on the strap, the surface of
Swiss luxury watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen revisits the iconic design of the 1980s and presents the 2017 Da Vinci collection, once again with its classic round case. The Da Vinci Automatic 36 and the Da Vinci Automatic Moon Phase 36 are tailored to women, while the Da Vinci Automatic is a unisex model. Two Da Vinci timepieces feature newly developed IWC-manufactured calibres that innovatively combine and integrate complications.
FEMALE TARGET GROUP IS MAIN FOCUS OF INTEREST
“With the new Da Vinci collection, we are consciously trying to anchor the brand in the minds of women, who account for a significant proportion of watch lovers,” explains Franziska Gsell, CMO at IWC Schaffhausen. “Here in Schaff hausen, the company has been manufacturing watches for women since the very beginning. In that sense, we are remaining true to our heritage.” The design of the new Da Vinci collection follows in the vein of this characteristic style. The design team, for instance, took inspiration from the solid horns that were a characteristic feature of the Da Vinci models made back in the 1980s. “We thought long and hard about the shape of the case for the new Da Vinci,” adds Christian Knoop, Creative Director at IWC Schaffhausen. “Eventually, we came to the conclusion that a modern interpretation of the round shape established in the 1980s would be most in keeping with IWC’s overall portfolio. For example, we took our cue from the twin-frame bezel with its peripheral groove, but made it slightly narrower and a little less pronounced. We also adopted the large Arabic numerals from the round Da Vinci together with the slim, lancet-shaped hands.”