IWC Schaffhausen Portugieser

The Portugieser collection from IWC Schaffhausen is one of IWC’s most iconic series and has established itself as a benchmark in luxury watchmaking. The watch collection originated in the late 1930s when two Portuguese merchants asked IWC to create a wristwatch that could match the precision of a pocket watch. The result was a large watch equipped with the pocket calibres 74 and 98, which was first launched in 1939. Its design, revolutionary at the time, remains today an example of aesthetic and technical perfection.

The Portugieser is characterised by a large case ranging from 40.4 mm to 44.6 mm in diameter and from 10.8 mm to 14.9 mm in height, offering an imposing yet elegant appearance on the wrist. The choice of case materials shows the diversity and exclusivity that defines this collection, from stainless steel to precious metals such as platinum, 18-carat white gold, 18-carat red gold and even the exclusive 18-carat Armor Gold®, a material that ensures great durability. The water-resistance of the watches ranges from 3.0 bar to 10.0 bar, depending on the model, providing sufficient water resistance for everyday use while maintaining design integrity.

A highlight of the collection is its domed sapphire crystal that is anti-reflective on both sides, ensuring both the watch’s protection and optimal visibility in all lighting conditions. In addition, most models feature a transparent sapphire-glass case back, allowing the intricate workmanship of IWC’s in-house automatic movements, such as the calibres 52640, 52616 and 69355, to be admired. These movements offer a power reserve that varies from model to model, in some cases reaching up to 7 days (168 hours).

The aesthetic simplicity of the Portugieser is deceptive, for beneath its minimalist dial, with clean Arabic numerals and slender lance-shaped hands, lie some of the most advanced complications in contemporary watchmaking. Models within this collection feature complications such as the perpetual calendar, which takes into account leap years, the perpetual moon phase, and in some cases, even a minute repeater or tourbillons. The flyback function, together with the stop-seconds mechanism, is added on some models, allowing precise control of the timekeeping.

The Portugieser models are also notable for their limited editions, which reinforce their exclusivity. Some of these watches are limited to 50 or 250 pieces, making them highly coveted collector’s items. The incorporation of technical innovations such as sidereal time displays, personalised star charts or horizon displays further underlines IWC’s dedication to watchmaking excellence. Particularly noteworthy is the perpetual calendar with a specific day of the year and leap year display, a technical feat that demonstrates the brand’s mastery in creating complex complications.

Ideal Joyeros is an authorised retailer of IWC Schaffhausen, where models from the iconic Portugieser collection are available for purchase.