IWC Portugieser

Founder's Select

The Reference 325 Portugieser from IWC is the first of the line — one of the very watches that spawned a collection, pushing towards a hundred years of history. It absolutely belongs in a museum...

-James Lamdin

Ever wonder why IWC makes such oversized tool watches? Well, here we have (at least part of) the answer: The Ref. 325 Portugieser. 

Developed to satisfy the request of two Portuguese merchants who desired an oversized, highly accurate wristwatch, the 325 paired one of the International Watch Company's pocket watch movements (initially the Calibre 74) with an oversized 42mm Staybrite steel wristwatch case ("Mod. 228") produced by Biel-based Wyss & Cie. Corrosion- and scratch-resistant — though not waterproof — it merged the pocket- and wristwatch worlds in a defiantly large package some 50 years before such a thing was trendy.

Well under 1,000 pieces were produced across several references between 1931 and 1981, making original Portugieser watches incredibly rare and highly desirable. This particular example from 1943 is a thing of true tool-watch beauty: Measuring 42mm in the famous Mod. 228 Staybrite steel case with a satin caseband, a satin bezel, a snap-on caseback, polished 'holey' lugs, an easy-winding 'turbine crown, and an acrylic crystal, it features a heavily patinated black luminous dial that has taken on the aspect of the night sky — complete with hundreds of tiny stars. 

Boasting an outer open minute track, luminous 'Arabic' indices, a radial subsidiary-seconds display above 6 o'clock, and a luminous 'sword' handset, it's finished with the cursive 'International Watch Company' wordmark used on 20th-century IWC timepieces. Powered by the hand-wound IWC Calibre 74 pocket watch movement with 16 jewels and a beat rate of 18,000 vph — which was treated to a full recent service by IWC — it comes finished with a black alligator strap and an IWC-signed steel pin buckle. 

Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from IWC, this superb example of vintage craftsmanship exists at the exciting convergence of several fascinating histories: That of the International Watch Company, the Second World War, and the transition from the pocket watch to the wristwatch. Who wouldn't want to own such an incredible horological object? 

When an American watchmaker named Florentine Ariosto Jones arrived in Schaffhausen, Switzerland in 1868, he found a city almost frozen in time. Though the Industrial Revolution had swept through America, in Switzerland the situation was very different. Watchmakers still plied their trades by their own firesides, as they had done for centuries. But Jones had in mind something different — an American-style factory where the watches would be designed and assembled in keeping with the old Swiss ways. His methods caught on, and soon there were 196 people employed at his factory.
Though the International Watch Company was founded 35 years before Wilbur and Orville Wright’s first flight, the association between IWC and aviation began just as the age of flight dawned: A pocket watch made by the company in the 1890s found its way into the pocket of one Robert Albert Lotter, a pilot in the German Luftwaffe who served with distinction during the First World War.
Two decades later, in 1936, IWC released a watch that set the standard for pilot’s watch design, the Spezialuhr für Flieger, or Special Pilot's Watch. Another would follow in 1940, the Beobachtungs-ühren (“observation watch”), which spawned an entire model line in IWC’s current collection called the Big Pilot. However, despite the Big Pilot’s current popularity, it was the Special Pilot’s Watch that would lay the cornerstone for IWC’s most iconic line: the Mark series of pilot’s watches.
IWC released the Mark XI in 1948 according to specifications set forth by the British Ministry of Defense. These watches had to be legible, compact, and able to withstand exposure to the magnetic fields emitted by instruments in an airplane’s cockpit. The Mark XI, therefore, had a black dial with large luminous Arabic numbers, while its incredibly robust Calibre 89 movement was encased in an iron cage. (Later, in the 1950s and 1960s, IWC would produce myriad dress watches in steel and gold based upon the Calibre 89 movement, which remain relatively plentiful on the vintage market.)
The Mark XI served as the basis for design inspiration for a robust line of pilot’s watches still being produced today – easily identifiable by their clean, uncluttered dials, robust cases, and outstanding quality.

Our Pledge

Analog:Shift stands behind the authenticity of our products in perpetuity.

Condition

Since our pieces are vintage or pre-owned, please expect wear & patina from usage and age. Please read each item description and examine all product images.

Warranty

We back each Analog:Shift vintage timepiece with a two-year mechanical warranty from the date of purchase.

International Buyers

Please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.

All of our watches include complementary insured shipping within the 50 states.

Most of our products are on hand and will ship directly from our headquarters in New York City. In some cases, watches will be shipped directly from one of our authorized partners.

We generally ship our products via FedEx, fully insured, within 5 business days of purchase. An adult signature is required for receipt of all packages for insurance purposes. Expedited shipping is available at an additional cost. We are also happy to hand deliver your purchase in Manhattan or you may pick it up at our showroom.

Returns must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. A restocking fee may apply. Watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.

We welcome international buyers, please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.