IWC Portugieser 18K Chronograph

About the Watch

The 1930s saw the creation of the iconographic style of the Portugieser family, which is characterized by its startling size, uncomplicated Arabic numerals, narrow feuille hands, and railroad minuterie. It was much ahead of its time back then. The original dial is still a style icon today due to its simplicity and reductionism which is shier impossible to copy.

IWC brought the portugieser line back for its 125th anniversary in 1993, with a chronograph version joining the collection 5 years later. The present model is a ref. IW371482, produced in 2011 and fitted with a chronograph with included small-second. The dark blue paired with the rose gold casing gives this watch an unparalleled elegance, with the complications not overcrowding the dial. A chronograph watch has never looked more simple than this Portugieser. At the heart of this watch beats the calibre 79350, like its predecesors based upon the Valjoux 7750.

The watch comes with its original box and papers.

About the Brand

The heritage of IWC is deeply rooted in American pioneering spirit and entrepreneurship. Florentine Ariosto Jones, a watchmaker from Boston, founds the International Watch Company in 1868. He draws on the help of eminently qualified Swiss watchmakers, modern technology, and hydropower sourced from the nearby River Rhine to manufacture pocket watch movements of the highest possible quality. The Rauschenbachs, an industrialist family from Schaffhausen, take over the company following Jones’ return to the United States. During its early years, IWC produces pocket watches with a digital “Pallweber” display, as well as wristwatches for women and men.