IWC Portuguese F.A. Jones Limited Edition Skeleton Dial Brown Leather Strap Steel Watch #IW000274

"Heroes of the sea, noble people..." is the opening line of the Portuguese national anthem. It is the expression of a collective memory through which Portugal's great seafarers-Vasco da Gama, Bartolomeu Dias or Ferdinand Magellan-remain alive to this day. Above all, it was their outstanding sailing skills, their precise nautical charts and the use of instruments such as the astrolabe and Jacob's staff to determine their latitude on the high seas that enabled them to embark on their daredevil voyages of discovery to West Africa and across the world's oceans. The pioneers of Portuguese seafaring managed to reconcile seemingly incompatible opposites: their hot-blooded temperament with cool calculation; outstanding courage with respect for natural forces; and historical tradition with all that was new in science and technology. The Portuguese watches from IWC are a distant echo from that glorious past. They combine the tradition of nautical instruments with contemporary design and forward-looking mechanics.