With its striking appearance, high-quality manufacturing and interesting history, the IWC Portugieser has become one of the most successful model families for the Schaffhausen-based manufacturer. The symbiosis of past and present in a luxury watch appeals to a wide range of people.
History of the IWC Portugieser
The name comes from two Portuguese traders who wanted a wristwatch with very accurate pocket watch calibres. This was in the 1930s and the IWC Portugieser has since become one of the brand's most successful model families. Reissued in 1993 as a special edition with a transparent back, the watch combines historical elements in its design with state-of-the-art technology on the inside.
Design of the IWC Portugieser
Despite all the consistency and tradition, watch brands are designed to keep adding visual changes to new collections. This is less the case with the IWC Portugieser, as the fundamental elements of the watch have always been retained. This is exemplified by the case size, which has varied between 40 and 45 mm for decades, making it one of the larger wristwatches on the market.
The applied Arabic numerals, the uncluttered dial and the slender feuille hands can be found on almost all Portugieser watches. The Schaffhausen-based manufacturer has not experimented much with the colours, as black, white and blue are the dominant colours for the design. The traditional design of the watch means that IWC Portugieser watches have a high recognition value and are therefore highly valued. The materials used are primarily stainless steel, platinum and gold, which has always proved its worth with this watch.
Special models of the IWC Portugieser
If you are looking for a special edition of the IWC Portugieser, you are sure to find it. The Portugieser Chronograph with a small second at 6 o'clock and a minute counter at 12 o'clock is particularly popular. There are several limited editions of the chronograph, such as the Portugieser Chronograph Rattrapante or the Portugieser Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph, which can achieve high collector's values. The Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph is certainly also exceptional as a sports model in this watch family, featuring a crown guard and red colour accents.
Many enthusiasts particularly like the Portugieser Automatic 42 and the Portugieser Automatic 40, which offer more eye-catching colours in particular. These luxury watches can be purchased with dials in silver, blue, black, ardoise and burgundy red.
The Portugieser Hand-Wound with manual winding is a speciality and draws on old traditions. Collectors in particular appreciate this model. The same applies to the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar with the perpetual calendar and the Portugieser Annual Calendar with the annual calendar. More than 10 years of development time were invested in the Portugieser Sidérale Scafusia, resulting in one of the most complicated watches made by IWC. Everything is surpassed by the Portugieser Grande Complication, which boasts 20 functions and can fetch very high prices when sold.
Price of the IWC Portugieser
Tradition and modernity come together again in the price. Younger models can be purchased for as little as 4,000 euros. However, there is no real price range for the IWC Portugieser, with prices varying from €7,000 to €16,000 and more. The Grande Complication (IW377601) in platinum, which can cost up to 160,000 euros, seems unrivalled. The prices for the Annual Calendar are usually over 20,000 euros, but here too it is always worth doing extensive research.
