IWC Schaffhausen recently launched The Portuguese Sidérale Scafusia, the most exclusive and complicated watch ever created by IWC. "The Portuguese Sidérale Scafusia is a universal work of art and the result of ten years' research by a team of engineers, watchmakers and scientists," explains Georges Kern, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen. "They have succeeded in combining solar time and sidereal time on a single dial. From the front, this fascinating masterpiece is a classical Portuguese watch, from the reverse side an astronomical instrument and, on the inside, a milestone in the art of Haute Horlogerie." But perhaps even more fascinating than the number and combination of the complications is the notion that every single watch is unmistakably unique. 

The Portuguese Sidérale Scafusia will not go into series production. Every single watch will be produced exclusively to order by the customer and is an individual project in itself, since the star chart and horizon as well as sunrise and sunset times have to be calculated and displayed for a precise location specified by the customer. This means that every customer is not only wearing a unique watch on his wrist but also his own personalised constellation of stars, as seen in the night sky from the location of his choice. 

The range of case and strap materials, together with the choice of five different colours for the dial, as well as various colours for the appliqués and straps, results in over 200 possible combinations. In view of this individuality and the highly demanding design work involved, buyers will have to wait approximately one year for delivery. But as IWC Schaffhausen say: special features require time.

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