IWC Portugieser Chronograph Yellow Gold automatic 41 mm Full Set 2016

The story

Portuguese. Every watch enthusiast knows this name. In 1939, IWC introduced one of the most popular and iconic watches on the market, the "Portugieser". Vasco de Gama, Bartolomeu Dias, Magellan... Portugal has provided Europe with its greatest explorers and navigators. And yet, the origins of this timepiece's name have nothing to do with these great men. To understand the history of the Portugaise, we have to go back to the 1930s, when two Portuguese businessmen, Rodrigues and Teixeira, visited the Schaffhausen offices of IWC, then still called the International Watch Company, with a surprising proposal: to develop a large steel wristwatch housing 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 Lépine-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, rather than 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 generally sport diameters of 33 mm. Going against the trend of the time, when small Art Deco-style timepieces flooded the market, the Portugaise announced itself as the forerunner of today's fashionable oversized watches.

Getting to know each other

Introduced to the IWC catalog in 1998, the IWC Portugieser Chronograph reference 3714 features a 41 mm case, leather strap and thin, almost non-existent bezel, giving the impression of wearing a bulkier watch.

The model we present to you today in this 10h10 is reference IW371480 first presented in 2015. It is distinguished by its 18-carat red gold case and silver dial. The clear, functional dial features applied Arabic numerals and fine leaf hands. Printed with a field graduated in quarter-seconds, the distinctive rehaut not only enables precise reading of the timed time, but also recalls the Portugieser's origins as a nautical precision instrument to be worn on the wrist.

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. This model features caliber IW79350, 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! Compared to its ébauche, the 79350 abandons the small seconds, date and day counters, and only a small number of the 7750's standard parts are used.

The package

This IWC Portugieser Chronograph reference IW371480 was sold in 2016. It is in very good condition and comes Full Set, with its case as well as all its documents. This IWC has been authenticated and tested by our watchmakers and as such benefits from the Lepage Vintage one-year warranty.