The Portuguese Tourbillon F.A. Jones was launched in 2010 in a limited edition of 50 examples each in platinum, white and yellow gold and 500 examples in pink gold. The present example is no. 36 of the latter and preserved in excellent overall condition.

The tourbillon of ref. 5447 revolves on its axis at 9 o’clock, or, in nautical terms, at 270 degrees west; to its opposite, at 3 o’clock, is the stylized signature of IWC’s American founder F.A. Jones, paying tribute to his journey from Boston to Schaffhausen in the 1860s.

The hand-wound cal. 98900 tourbillon movement is a direct descendant of the caliber 98 originally developed during the 1930s and employed in the original IWC Portuguese Ref. 325 models. That movement, in turn, was developed from a continuity of pocket watch designs originated by F.A. Jones himself during the late 19th century.

As its predecessors, cal. 98900 is made of German silver and uses the three-quarter plate construction.