Well known for their blue-themed special edition watches, Bucherer is perhaps the biggest watch retailer across the globe. As a part of their blue-themed special edition timepieces, Bucherer unveils a limited IWC Portugieser Chronograph. The marriage of these two iconic names is very momentous and we are very impressed with the outcome.
The Portugieser 3714 classic chronograph made its debut in the late 90s, and if you have kept an eye on it, then you will know that its remained largely the same. This is one of the biggest USP of a classic timepiece, you keep the base the same and then build on a feature or two, when you upgrade it. No drastic change is required and you have a swanky new piece to showcase.
The new IWC Schaffhausen Portugieser Chronograph Bucherer BLUE ref. IW371492 is an impressive timepiece that joins the ranks with brands like Blancpain, Moser, Breguet, Longines, Oris and Glashütte Original. It’s interesting that we finally see the Portugieser Chronograph make a mark in blue, with such fanfare.
Typically, for the Blue Series, we seldom see a drastic change in the collaborative timepiece. It’s basically limited to an update on the dial, color cues and strap options. The basic build remains consistent with the original model and with an iconic piece as the IWC one, we don’t expect to see much change.
Back in the days, when IWC had successfully introduced the Portugieser Chronograph Rattrapante “DoppelChronograph” Ref. 3712, the watchmakers brought in an automatic chronograph to crank things up and this is how the Portugieser line-up was developed. Almost 21 years ago we saw the splash made by its debut, and today we see the iconic piece – that has largely remained untouched in terms of an upgrade – get a new avatar.
The IWC Portugieser Chronograph hosts a 40.9mm case, which we think is an elegant size for most wrists. The dial is clean, despite the two subdials at twelve and six o’clock positions, and we think the color choices have a big role to play in how visually appealing this watch looks.
Blue is the color of royalty, and somewhere subconsciously it sets in that the watch is regal and meant for opulence. The movement of the watch is based on the 7750 and has some changes to it. As the IWC Schaffhausen Portugieser Chronograph Bucherer BLUE ref. IW371492 is built upon the reference IW371446, it sports a silver dial, which stands out due to the blue indexes and hands.
The evidence of change for Bucherer version can be picked up on the dial. The central area continues to be silver-plated with blue indexes, tracks and inscriptions. However, it is the rhodium-plated hands for the hours, minutes and small seconds juxtaposition with the blued-steel chronograph hands for better contrast, that mark the changes in design.
Even the inner flange with the seconds track is in blue. The Portugieser Chronograph Bucherer BLUE comes with a blue textile strap, giving it a very urban-casual look. The details include the Calibre IWC 79350 under the hood (providing power reserve of 44 hours) and only 365 watches for grabs, making it a very sought-after watch. It will be exclusively at Bucherer boutiques for about $8500.