Manufacturer: IWC Year: 1939 Reference No: 325 Movement No: 931'766 Case No: 1'016'914 Model Name: Portugieser Material: Stainless Steel Calibre: Manual, cal. 74, 16 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Leather Clasp/Buckle: Stainless Steel pin buckle Dimensions: 42mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial and movement signed Accessories: Accompanied by IWC Certificate stating that the watch has been examined by IWC and confirming delivery of the piece on February 22, 1939.
Catalogue Essay
The IWC Portugieser's beginnings are a little hazy, but academics believe that in 1939, two Portuguese watch importers – Mr. Rodrigues and Mr. Teixeira – made a special request to IWC to produce a very large timepiece with a highly accurate movement. IWC accepted the challenge and used their caliber 74 pocket watch movement, which is a manually wound savonette movement with subsidiary seconds and a 54-hour power reserve. Wristwatches of the time were normally modest, with a diameter of 36mm considered big, therefore a 42mm wristwatch was positively massive.
The first reference 325s, nicknamed the "Portugieser," were delivered to Mr. Rodrigues, later of the firm Rodrigues & Gonçalves, Ltd., in Lisbon in 1942, three years after the original order. Only 304 specimens of the reference 325 with the caliber 74 were made, with a total of 690 examples produced between 1939 and 1981, according to IWC. The current sample, which was delivered the year after IWC began producing the watches, is one of the earliest specimens to come out of the factory, with a production date of 1939.
The present lot's rarity should be enough to attract any collector's interest, but these features are further accentuated by this Portugieser's appealing case condition and gorgeously aged dial with large Arabic indexes and an elegant pink gold outer minute track, which give this timepiece an incredible vintage vibe.
With a clear focus on technology and development, the Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen has been producing timepieces of lasting value since 1868. The company has gained an international reputation based on a passion for innovative solutions and technical ingenuity. One of the world's leading brands in the luxury watch segment, IWC crafts masterpieces of haute horlogerie at their finest, combining high precision with masculine design. Vintage wristwatches such as the oversized Portugieser, Aquatimer, Ingenieur and the B-UHR pilots watch are especially desirable for collectors.