This new IWC Portugieser duo are more wearable, more affordable and a lot more green
Borna BošnjakThe IWC Portugieser is a staple in the Schaffhausen watchmaker’s collection, with its signature Arabics, feuille hands and railroad minute track designs originating in 1939, before its reinvention in the early ’90s. Andrew went hands-on with two of its latest iterations – the Portugieser Automatic 40 and Perpetual Calendar 42. Both of these represent their suave features in smaller, more wearable diameters, when compared to the remainder of the Portugieser collection, rendered in a rich, green sunburst.
Elevated, with an edge
First introduced in 2020, the Portugieser Automatic 40 was meant to present a more wearable alternative to the oversized design of the collection. This actually brought it much closer to the original, designed for a pair of Portuguese businessmen, with the ref. 325 measuring in at 41.5mm due to the hand-wound pocket watch movements they contained. While the lineage to the original is obvious, owing to the legible Arabic numerals and oversized sub-seconds, there are also obvious refinements. The feuille hands have been slimmed down, yet their curved surface and finishing gives them an incredibly dimensional aspect. The Arabics are also applied, with a fine polish to their silver surface that matches the rest of the printing and applied indices along the railroad minute track. Finally, the rich green sunburst is the pièce de résistance, offset by the circular graining of the sub-seconds.
Though the name suggests a 40mm diameter, the reality is a little different. This Portugieser’s case measures in at 40.8mm by 49mm, with a 12.7mm thickness. Despite its dress watch styling, the dimensions suggest more of a daily, office warrior for most averagely wristed folk. It wore reasonably well on my 6.1-inch wrist, though indeed too large to make it a dedicated dress watch.
Similarly to other Portugiesers in the past, the finishing of the case is understated, though very finely executed. The sides of the case have fine vertical brushing, while highly polished surfaces dominate topside. Though the colour-matched alligator strap and IWC-branded deployant buckle are high-quality, the 20mm lug width offers plenty of versatility.
The other big difference between larger time-only Portugieser models and the Automatic 40 is the movement. While the 42.3mm 7-day automatic features the top-of-the-line 52010 Calibre (and a significant price premium), the Automatic 40 sports the mid-range 82200 Calibre. The well-decorated IWC-manufactured movement has a 60-hour power reserve and features IWC’s patented Pellaton winding system.
IWC Portugieser Automatic 40 pricing and availability:
The IWC Portugieser Automatic 40 is available now from IWC. Price: $11,100 AUD
| Brand | IWC |
| Model | Portugieser Automatic 40 |
| Reference Number | IW358310 |
| Case Dimensions | 40.7mm x 12.7mm x 49mm |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 30 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire crystal on both sides |
| Dial | Green sunburst with applied Arabic numerals |
| Strap | Alligator leather strap, 20mm lug width |
| Movement | IWC manufacture 82200 Calibre, 60-hour power reserve, Pellaton winding |
| Price | $11,100 AUD |
Complication, simplified
The Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 42 is an even more extreme version of simplification. In a nod to IWC legend Kurt Klaus, the perpetual calendar is pre-programmed and operated purely by using the crown. Like its time-only variant, the green dial is accented by silver highlights in the form of applied indices and Arabic numerals, as well as the elegant leaf hands and sub-dial printing.
The display is vastly simplified when compared to the 44mm Portugieser Perpetual Calendar, and I’m a big fan of its legibility. Firstly, the moonphase has been integrated into the month disc, allowing IWC to use the area above the pinion for more traditional branding. The left-most sub-dial retained the day of the week indication and gained a leap year indicator aperture, whereas the running seconds moved to a more traditional central position. Finally, the 3 o’clock date sub-dial keeps a small pop of red and loses the power reserve indication, which seemed superfluous in an automatic watch anyway. IWC only prints the odd numbers, however, as they’re already squished together closely, so legibility suffers somewhat. Thankfully, the awkward year indicator normally found in the bottom left has been removed for a much cleaner look.
The reality is once again different as far as sizing is concerned. The Perpetual Calendar 42 is 42.8mm in diameter, with a 50.3mm lug-to-lug and 14.1mm in height. It’s a considerable size, especially on my smaller 6.1-inch wrist, though certainly manageable on average and larger appendages. Finished in line with the rest of the collection, with a subtle mix of brushing and polishing, it’s also paired with a colour-matched 22mm alligator strap, albeit with a beefier deployant buckle to match the wider leather strap.
The movement is the main attraction with the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 42, mainly due to its compact sizing, simplicity of use and relative affordability considering the complexity. The only potential downside of IWC’s crown-operated mechanism is that if you advance a day too far, there’s no way to backtrack, and the only two solutions are to keep advancing 1,460 increments or wait for the power reserve to run down. Speaking of power reserve, the IWC 82650 Calibre offers 60 hours of it, as well as some handsome, tonal decoration.
IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 42 pricing and availability:
The IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 42 is available now from IWC. Price: $35,300 AUD
| Brand | IWC |
| Model | Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 42 |
| Reference Number | IW344207 |
| Case Dimensions | 42.8mm x 14.1mm x 50.3mm |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 30 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire crystal on both sides |
| Dial | Green sunburst with applied Arabic numerals |
| Strap | Alligator leather strap, 22mm lug width |
| Movement | IWC manufacture 82650 Calibre, crown-operated perpetual calendar, 60-hour power reserve, Pellaton winding |
| Price | $35,300 AUD |