IWC has a long history of revamping entire collections during SIHH, and alongside this norm, the brand often previews most of the watches months before the actual show. Yet this year the Schaffhausen-based brand has broken from its tradition to commemorate 150 years of watchmaking, and in the process has released 27 limited-edition models across four of its collections. Most notably for this article, the brand revived a vintage pocket watch design for the Tribute to Pallweber Edition ?150 Years? wristwatch. This watch is actually four different pieces, with three models in platinum or rose gold with white lacquered dials, one in steel with a blue dial, and a rare pocket watch design produced in rose gold with a white dial.

The design of each watch is based on the antique Pallweber pocket watch first produced in 1884 (above). These watches were best known by their rare digital watch displays, a trait that, while fairly common today in mechanical pieces (jumping hours and minutes), has never really experienced a ?golden age.? The original Pallwebers also had white enamel dials, which have assisted in maintaining those few examples that have survived in pristine aesthetic condition, and rose gold cases, a feature itself somewhat rare in an era of case materials dominated by yellow gold, brass, and later, steel. The wristwatch designs use a 45-mm case available in one of the three metals, limited to 25 examples in platinum, 250 in rose gold, and 500 in steel. The case is wide ...