The Portugieser Chronograph has its origins entangled with the lives of the seafarers of the 1930’s. Originally designed as a precision nautical instrument for the wrist, IWC Schaffhausen’s Portuguiser chronograph is one of the watchmaker’s most timeless pieces. The modern-day rendition, Ref. IW371610 was recently announced to continue the legacy.
The slim profile of the watch (13mm thick) when combined with a rather compact 41mm diameter case, means that this watch will fit snug and cozy on almost any wrist. The slate colored dial features Arabic numerals and a printed quarter second scale. This when combined with the réhaut allows for precision reading of the dial.
A Modern Take on A Classic Design
Atop the dial there are slender Feuille, golden hour and minute hands. The dial also features a seconds sub-dial above 6 o’clock and a date sub-dial below 12 o’clock. The Portugieser comes with a convex, antireflective sapphire crystal covering both the front and the caseback.
The case itself is made of 18k 5N gold and the construction is robust enough to be water resistant up to 3 bars (roughly 30 meters of 100 feet).
IWC Schaffhausen Take Great Pride in Their In-House Made Movement
The movement consists of 194 components and 27 jewels that are painstakingly assembled in-house. The movement in question is a 69355 Caliber, automatic self-winding movement. The designers at IWC Schaffhausen seem to be pretty proud of their work as it is on full display in classic column-wheel design via the caseback.
The movement features a respectable 46-hour power reserve and operates at 4Hz. The case is paired beautifully with a 20mm wide black alligator leather strap made by Santoni. The watch will retail at around $18,400.
