In 1936, two Portuguese merchants, Rodrigues and Texeira, visited IWC in Schaffhausen, Switzerland where they made some unusual orders. Contrary to the custom of the time, which called for small watches, the two men wanted a larger sized wristwatch that would have the specifications of a marine chronometer: perfect readability and high precision.
The ‘Portuguese’ was thus born.
In the beginning, IWC put into the Portuguese its proven pocket watch calibre 74, then the improved design model, the Calibre 98.
The ‘‘Portuguese’ traversed easily the 20th century. Now, at the beginning of the 21st century, they are attracting additional attention because of the current trend for large watches.
At the 2004 SIHH, IWC presented three superb new Portuguese that are now on sale in the marketplace: the ‘Portuguese Automatic, the Portuguese Mystery Tourbillon and the Portuguese Skeleton Minute Repeater.




THE PORTUGUESE AUTOMATIC



THE PORTUGUESE TOURBILLON MYSTèRE



THE PORTUGUESE MINUTE REPEATER SQUELETTE


The Portuguese Automatic is equipped with the Calibre IWC 50010, the second largest automatic movement in the world, and features a working reserve of seven days, date, classic design, and sapphire crystal. Highly precise, with its Breguet spiral and its fine regulating cams on the balance, it is wound by a Pellaton system. Its working reserve of seven days stops exactly after 168 hours in order to avoid all loss of precision following the decrease in tension of the spring.
The tourbillon of Portuguese Mystery Tourbillon is drawn straight from the famous watch, Il Destriero Scafusia. The cage, with its integrated balance, pivots on its own axis every minute. This mechanism, which is attached only on the lower face, can be seen, as if it were flying, in a window at 12 o’clock on the dial. It was produced in a limited edition of 250 pieces!
The Portuguese Skeleton Minute Repeater is a living synthesis of exceptional handcrafted decoration and modernity in its construction. “We are not converting an existing movement into a skeleton one,” explains the piece’s designer, “but we are producing a skeleton movement using the most advanced techniques.” A veritable feat of prowess, this watch is not only beautiful to look at, with the superb mechanical fairyland that it reveals, but is also wonderful to hear, thanks to the two chimes that mark the hours and minutes on demand.


Click here to subscribe to Europa Star Magazine.