IWC Schaffhausen

Today we are going to talk about an icon from IWC Schaffhausen. Yes you guessed it right its none other than the IWC Portugieser.
The story of the Portugieser actually began in the 1930s which is a huge deal because at the time small art deco wrist watches were all the rage. But what happened in Schaffhausen at IWC was that two Portuguese sailors came in with an unusual request. They ordered a large wrist watch that would have the same precision as a pocket watch. Yes people still wore pocket watches back then. And that ladies and gentlemen was how the Portugieser collection came about.
By 1939, IWC had brought what they called “Reference 325” to life. Its design was inspired by the deck watches they had previously produced for the Biritish Royal Navy. Reference 325 served as a nautical instrument which is why the dial had to be large enough to be easily legible.
But this Portugieser ancestor was way ahead of its time and didn’t actually make a huge splash until 1993 when IWC decided to revive this model and issued the Portugieser Anniversary edition. Now the Portugieser Anniversary edition was the popular kid on the block and it sold out in no time. Way to make a comeback Portugieser.
Today IWC has added new models to the Portugieser family. Some of my favorites are the Portugieser automatic 40, the Portugieser perpetual calendar, and the Portugieser yacht club moon and tide.