Replica IWC Portugieser Chronograph [live photos, availability, price]

A watch designed years ago in Schaffhausen on the Rhine is at the fore in the category of chronographs with a classic design. Virtually unchanged, now it is offered in a fully in-house version. The best one so far?

Recently, on the pages of CH24 we often talk about the classic watch and its definition … or rather its proper interpretation. We live in a time when practically everything is redefined, but replica watches, as a painfully conservative industry, persist in the canon written decades ago. Although what and how we wear changes, the definition of a classic watch (I emphasize once again – conventional) continues like a dusty legend, which turns out to carry a grain of truth. Nothing wrong with that, because classic watchmaking is a bit like a glass of good Single Malt whiskey (never with ice, or with a drop of cold water), a perfectly made fillet mignon (with a creamy green pepper sauce), or the bottom button is good a tailored jacket that must not be buttoned under any circumstances. Some things do not change, but are even respected and cultivated with reverence. So what is a classic wrist timepiece? – simple, uncomplicated, elegant, minimalist. So how does the hero of this review fare against this background and such a theory? Well – I consider and have always considered the Portugieser Chronograph to be one of the finest examples of a timepiece, which, while sporting a complication, is an almost perfect classic. Why – read on.

Portuguese

Every text about Replica IWC Portugieser should start with a bit of history, even if we have already written about it on CH24 many times. The watch was made when (at the end of the 1930s) two Portuguese art dealers joined the Schaffhausen factory. The gentlemen wanted a wristwatch with the parameters of a marine chronometer, which was quite a challenge at that time. IWC did it, and so one of the watch icons was born, although in the case of the Portugieser it is more of a whole collection than one specific model, it earned the name of an icon. What happened next, you could write for hours (we encourage you to read the article #KultoweZegarki IWC Portugieser), so let’s focus on the part of the story that directly relates to the topic. The first IWC Portugieser Chronograph was launched in 1995 as the reference 3712 Chrono Rattrapante and in 1998 as the reference 3714 Automatic Chrono.

Like the original “Portuguese”, the chronograph has a minimalist design, reduced only to the basic set of indications in a pure, non-recombined form both on the outside of the watch and on the dial. The project turned out to be so good that it has remained almost unchanged in the IWC Replica catalog to this day.

Ref. IW371604

Under the above reference is the latest version of the Portuguese with a chronograph, presented in April 2020. Potentially not much has been changed, but as with subtle (and wisely introduced) changes, they turned out to be good for the watch. Is this the best edition of the Portugieser Chronograph so far? We will consider this at the end, for now a handful of details.

The steel version of the watch that IWC lent us for the test has a case with a diameter of 41 mm, 13 mm thick and closed on both sides with sapphire glasses (which is important, and more on that in a moment). Mostly finished with satin finish with polished details, the casing on the right has a non-screw, comfortably serrated crown with the “Probus Scafusia” logo and two appropriately large “mushroom” buttons for operating the stopwatch.

From the top, the case is closed with a narrow, polished bezel (also polished on the underside, narrower than the upper edge), to which a slightly convex glass with double-sided anti-reflection is attached. Beneath it you can see a classic, “Portuguese” dial.

The Replica IWC on the Chronograph allows you to choose between several dial colors, from classic black and silver to colorful options in red, green and metallic blue. For me, however, the flagship has always been the variant you see in the pictures: a silver dial with gold applications and contrasting blue chronograph hands. The base of the dial has a matte, slightly opalescent shade that harmonizes very nicely with the applied rose gold applications over it. The Arabic hourly indices are golden, the minute scale is in the form of smaller and larger golden dots, the small second hand on the hour. 6 and a pair of central, shiny leaf hands. All the precious metal elements were polished. The only hint of additional color are two tips dedicated to the complication: a small one on the 30-minute counter (at 12 o’clock) and a central one that counts the seconds. The rest are painted in black, the minute scale (on the ring surrounding the entire dial), the manufacturer’s logo on the right, and information about the complication and type of mechanism on the left – usually unnecessary, but here it balances the entire project well.

So much for the background, because in the category of chronographs, the Portuguese dial has always been considered a kind of model of legibility, minimalism and class. The combination of the silver base with gold details adds a bit of elegance, while the blue stopwatch hands unobtrusively remind of the sportiness of the complication closed in the envelope. The lightness of all details, the delicate form of indices and hands are also important. It absolutely does not lose the legibility, which was the basis of the design of the first Portuguese, and is still doing well.

Portuguese “in-house”

While the cosmetics of changes in the latest version of the watch are easy to overlook, the mechanics are quite the opposite. After decades of presence in the collection, IWC finally introduced a regular (read: unlimited) model with an in-house mechanism. In a limited edition, such a procedure was performed on the brand’s 150th birthday in 2018. In two references, with white or blue lacquered dials, IWC Replica closed the automatic caliber 69355. Until then, watches replica from this family were powered by calibers based on the heavily modified Valjoux 7750. Recently (in reference 3714) it was the caliber 79350.

The in-house 69355 now powers all models. Among the many distinguishing features of the movement, it is certainly worth mentioning the Pellaton automatic tensioner, which uses the two-sided movement of the central rotor, translating it into a more efficient energy supply to the main spring. The movement has a power reserve of 46 hours – sufficient by today’s standards. The balance mounted on the half-bridge ticks with a frequency of 4 Hz, and the whole mechanism works on 27 stones and consists of 212 components, including some made of extremely wear-resistant ceramics.

From the purely utility side, the 69355 is a very well-designed structure, easy to use and with a nice stopwatch, operated by a column wheel. On the plus side, I also definitely include the glass case back, because it’s nice to look at the ticking mechanism, and secondly, that the mechanism is not ugly at all. In the price range of the IWC Portugieser Chronograph, one cannot usually expect fireworks in terms of watchmaking aesthetics, but the watchmakers from Schaffhausen have their own style. The caliber bridges were thus decorated with concentric Geneva stripes, the screw heads were polished, and the base plate was decorated with careful pearlisation. The central rotor is partially skeletonized and decorated with black-colored engravings.

Impressions

For a long time, as long as I can remember, I have been a huge fan of the Replica IWC Portugieser, especially the Chronograph version. This is my favorite complication, and when solved with style, it turns out especially tasty. In theory, of course, the mechanical stopwatch is a strictly sports complication, which in my opinion absolutely determines the use only in sports replica watches. An example – the Portugieser Chronograph is the perfect one.

I wore the tested model for a dozen or so days and it was the first time that I could experience this watch icon for such a long time. First impression (and every subsequent impression, in fact)? Exactly as I expected – this icon is called an icon for a reason, not without reason, practically unchanged by the IWC since its premiere. Almost every element of the watch works perfectly with the rest, creating the perfect timepiece for everyday use and for very, many more and more formal occasions.

In the new version, the Portuguese – although it has gained 0.1 mm in diameter and 0.4 mm in thickness – wears great and will wear the same on practically every wrist. The lug-to-lug case, the size from the tip of the upper pair of lugs to the tip of the lower pair of lugs, is only 47 mm, which is more than bearable even on a small wrist. Profiling the ears and a leather strap that fits snugly to the hand also help. The strap is fastened with a snap-on butterfly with a buckle signed with the Probus Scafusia seal. A small minus for the lack of buttons, so unfastening the watch requires a bit of force.

And the choice of dial? A matter of taste, of course, although in my opinion the silver-gold option with blue details, the most faithful to the original, offers the most and looks the most dignified, in the good sense of the word. If I were to categorize the IWC Portugieser Chronograph, I would create a new category for it – smart / casual watch. And please IWC Replica – never change it.

In the tested version, the Portugieser Chronograph costs EUR 8,850 (~ PLN 41,000).

PS. If you had appreciated and were looking for the sporty side of the Portugiesera Chronograph more than I had been, for some time now you can get your watch on a steel bracelet.