IWC Portugieser Ref. IW371438 41 mm automatic Full Set 2009

The short story

Portuguese. This name, all watch lovers know. In 1939, the IWC manufacture introduced one of the most popular and iconic watches on the market, the "Portugieser". Vasco da Gama, Bartolomeu Dias, Magellan... Portugal has provided Europe with its greatest explorers and navigators. And yet, the origins of the name of this timepiece have nothing to do with these great men. To understand the history of the Portuguese watch, you have to go back to the 1930s when two Portuguese businessmen, Rodrigues and Teixeira, went to the offices of IWC, then still called the International Watch Company, in Schaffhausen with a surprising proposal: to develop a large steel wristwatch with a movement capable of rivaling the precision of a marine chronometer. Perfect legibility and high precision, the only way to meet this demand was to integrate a pocket watch movement into a wrist piece.

To choose the right movement, IWC had a choice between the Lepine-type caliber 73 and the soap-type caliber 74. The Schaffhausen watchmakers opted for the savonnette because of its winding stem located at 3 o'clock, not at 12 o'clock as on almost all pocket watches. As an immediate consequence, the case of the very first Portuguese watch measures 43 mm, a monster on the wrist for the year 1939 compared to other timepieces that usually have diameters of 33 mm. Completely out of step with the trend at the time, where small Art Deco-style timepieces were flooding the market, the Portugaise announced itself as the precursor to the oversized watches in vogue today.

Getting to know each other

Introduced to the IWC catalog in 1998, the IWC Portugieser Chronograph reference 3714 features a 41mm case, leather strap, and a thin, almost non-existent bezel, giving the impression of wearing a larger watch. The clear, functional dial features applied Arabic numerals and fine leaf hands. Printed with a quarter-second graduated field, the distinctive bezel not only allows for accurate reading of the time, but also recalls the origins of the Portugieser, a precision nautical instrument to be worn on the wrist. This model features a black dial, as well as applied rhodium-plated hands.

Famous for remaining unchanged since its inception, the watch has remained true to its original, iconic design. The only notable change from the original is the movement. On this model we find the caliber IW79350, which is based on a heavily modified Valjoux/ETA 7750, for the Portugieser. But this caliber is not without interest! IWC's reputation for using and modifying ébauche movements speaks for itself; just think of Richard Habring's work on the Doppelchrono! Thus compared to its ébauche, the 79350 abandons the small seconds counter, the date as well as the day window, and only a small part of the 7750's standard parts are used.

The Package

This IWC Portugieser Chronograph reference 3714 was sold in 2009. It is in very good condition and is dressed in a black leather strap with its original folding clasp. This piece is delivered Full Set, with its case and all its papers. Only the box is missing. This IWC has been authenticated and tested by our watchmakers and as such benefits from the Lepage Vintage one year warranty.