It’s a big year for the Portugieser over at IWC, the iconic watch that was launched in 1939 and has become a perennial favourite among watch lovers. Along with the unprecedented Portugieser Automatic 40, there were two new Portugieser Automatic 42 models; one in steel and one Boutique Edition in 5N gold with a blue dial. […]
I guess I need to start this interview with an apology. Sorry, this interview is long, very long, comprising close to 3,000 words. However, the conversation with Chris Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen, was great and there was just so much to say about the new Portugiesers. We had the conversation two weeks ago, in the midst of the COVID-19 lock-down. Chris was in his office, in Schaffhausen, and the interview was done through a zoom-meeting. It’s weird, not sitting together for a talk, but it is what it is and I guess for the foreseeable future this is going to be the new normal.
The pocket watch… No style is more iconic and nothing has endured for as many centuries. These marvels of mechanical engineering have relayed status for elites, advanced transportation needs across land, air and sea, and just kept average folks on schedule. Outfits were even designed specifically to accommodate them. In the 21st century, three-piece suits […]
The chronograph, one of our favourite features and one of the most complex types of movement around, continues to be one of the most popular and practical complications. Chronographs can be started, stopped and reset to measure short (or longer) intervals of time. Over the years, these were adapted and rethought into specialized tools. Being […]
The IWC Portugieser was born in 1939 following a request from two Portuguese navigators and businessmen – Rodrigues and Teixeira – who wanted the precision of a marine chronometer in a wristwatch format. No need to say that this iconic IWC collection has strong ties to the nautical world. And to celebrate these roots, IWC […]
This year at IWC Schaffhausen the iconic Portugieser family is in the spotlight. One of the novelties is the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 42. Smaller in size with a simpler layout of the calendar information, the new Perpetual Calendar 42 is a toned-down, more moderate and less expensive younger brother of the existing 44mm Perpetual […]
A decade after its maiden voyage, the third-generation Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph (Ref. 3907) sails into port. The novelties are a larger case size, the relocation of the date window, some fine-tuning on the dial and a new metal bracelet. Still ticking to the tune of in-house automatic calibre 89361 with a flyback function and […]
It’s the year of the Portugieser at IWC and the Portugieser Chronograph welcomes two new dial colours to the family. Previously known as the ref. IW3714, the big news in February 2020 was that the chronograph had been upgraded with an in-house calibre. The other good news for fans of the iconic Ref. IW3714 was […]
The Portugieser (no longer referred to as Portuguese or Portugaise) is probably IWC’s most emblematic collection. With a history dating back to the late 1930s with the reference 325, this nautical-inspired and elegant watch has been equipped with all possible complications. However, over the last couple of years, there have been no time-only models in […]
When Chris Granger-Herr, the CEO of IWC, posted a photo of himself wearing the prototype for this updated version of the original 5002-generation Big Pilot in matte titanium while on his African Safari, collectors took notice. Shortly after, IWC announced a limited edition of 100 watches, which sold out almost instantly via Instagram (despite a six-month wait for them to be built). The watch was immediately nicknamed the “Safari” Big Pilot, while IWC officially named it the “Tribute to 5002.” Today we’re talking to @winewhiskywatches about his IWC Big Pilot Tribute to 5002 ref. IW501007 AKA the “Safari” Big Pilot.