Buying Guide to the IWC Portugieser
Easily one of the more classic looks from IWC Schaffhausen, the Portugieser line is great for collectors new to the brand. This collection boasts a wide range of price points and offers simple to high complications. After a somewhat rocky road in the 20th century, the IWC Portugieser collection has enjoyed increased attention during the past 25 years. It is now a much-sought-after line by collectors.
IWC Portugieser History and Cultural Significance
The IWC Portugieser is often referred to as the IWC Portuguese. It was first created in 1939 when two Portuguese importers of IWC watches requested extra-large wristwatches housing a high-precision movement. IWC created a pocket-watch-sized wristwatch, Reference 325, inspired by a hunter-type pocket watch. By today’s standards, it wouldn’t be big, but in 1939, its case diameter of 43mm was considered huge, easily 7 to 10mm larger.
The dial was clean and beautiful and featured a simple chapter ring, Arabic numerals and long, slender hands. There was a large subsidiary dial at 6 o’clock for the second hand. The bezel was very thin, making the dial look even bigger. It was referred to as the Portuguese, and later IWC would name it the Portugieser (the German word for “Portuguese”). Today, customers around the world use both names as references, but Portugieser is printed on the dial.
During World War II, IWC Schaffhausen had to stop production because Schaffhausen was accidentally bombed by the United States Army Air Force in 1944 due to the town’s proximity to Germany. IWC’s workshops caught on fire, but firefighters put out the fire, and the company later resumed production. After the war, though, the IWC Portugieser watches resurfaced, but the fanfare in the 1950s was not as great as the brand had hoped, and they slowed production of this mechanical line.
Portugieser sales may have been further impacted by the onslaught of quartz watches in the 1970s that created a demand for smaller-sized watches. By the 1980s, production of the Portugieser had quietly stopped, but in the early 1990s, a customer visited IWC wearing an older Portuguese wristwatch, which inspired the brand to breathe new life into the line. For IWC’s 125th anniversary in 1993, the all-new Portuguese limited edition of 1,750 pieces made its debut. That was the start of the rebirth of the Portugieser.
IWC Portugieser Variations
Since its inception, the IWC Portugieser has held true to its original design codes: large case, clean looks, functional yet traditional appeal. It continues to boast that DNA today, no matter which new iterations emerge.
Following the debut of the limited-edition pieces in 1993 for the 125th anniversary, IWC pulled out all the stops and in 1995 unveiled the Portugieser Minute Repeater. That was followed by the manually wound Chronograph Rattrapante (IW371202) and later the Automatic Chronograph (IW371447), which became one of IWC’s more successful Portugieser watches of the 20th century.
In 2000, IWC unveiled the Portuguese Automatic with its own in-house movement that was nearly four years in the research and development stages. The Caliber 5000 had a bidirectional automatic winding system and offered seven days of power reserve. Later models included the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar, unveiled in 2003, and the Portugieser Tourbillon Mystery Retrograde watch with flying tourbillon and a retrograde date display, released in 2010. The brand also produced a sportier look in the Yacht Club Chronograph that same year. By 2015, an annual calendar with digital display was released, and in 2020 the Portugieser Automatic 40 made its debut in a surprisingly smaller 40mm case that closely resembled the original 1939 model.
IWC Portugieser Price, Value and Collectibility
The IWC Portugieser is definitely a collector’s watch. Over the years it has become a modern-day icon — customers are guaranteed to get top-notch watchmaking and a look that will never go out of style.
Prices for new IWC Portuguese watches vary greatly depending on the model. One of the most sought-after versions is the Portugieser Chronograph, which comes with a host of colorful dials and retails for about $8,000. Following the chronograph, the IWC Portugieser Automatic 40mm watch — the simple version with a single subsidiary dial for the seconds — is a strong contender among newbie watch collectors thanks to its price of about $7,250. The Automatic with power reserve display and date display on the dial is a great option at $12,700.
IWC Portugieser Chronograph, Yacht Club or annual calendar watch prices range from $13,000 to $30,000 depending on materials. Naturally, the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar and multicomplication watches run upwards of $40,000, with the grand complications costing several hundred thousand dollars.
If you want a preowned IWC Portuguese watch with an in-house-made movement, you should purchase a 21st-century watch. If you don’t care whether the interior is IWC-made, hunt for a good vintage IWC Portuguese watch because you will definitely get better pricing.
Generally, secondhand IWC Portugieser automatic watches can be found for $3,000 or $4,000 less than a new simple automatic. For a used IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar watch versus a new one, you can save as much as $10,000 or more. Savvy shoppers can snag a used Portuguese Perpetual Calendar in gold for about $20,000 online. Of course, the prices vary based on supply and demand, but currently, there's a strong supply on the secondhand market.