The IWC Portugieser is a large, clean-dialed dress watch family built around Arabic numerals, leaf hands and a railroad minute track, and it comes in three main flavors: the Automatic (time and seven-day power reserve), the Chronograph (a stopwatch in a 41 mm case) and the Perpetual Calendar (a full calendar with moon phase). Pick the Automatic for simplicity and endurance, the Chronograph for timing, and the Perpetual Calendar for the complication. Bizak & Co. is a sourcing desk, not an authorised IWC retailer, so every watch below is sourced to order rather than held in stock.
Last reviewed on October 28, 2026 by Filip Biczak. Sources: IWC, Portugieser Automatic 42 Year of the Horse, IWC press, Portugieser Chronograph and IWC, Portugieser Perpetual Calendar. Figures vary slightly between IWC pages and retailers, so confirm on the watch you are offered.
What is the IWC Portugieser?
The Portugieser is IWC's long-running line of oversized, legible wristwatches that trace back to 1939, when Portuguese merchants asked the Schaffhausen maker for a steel wristwatch with the accuracy of a marine chronometer. IWC answered by fitting a pocket-watch movement into a large case, the reference 325. The model sold in small numbers at first, and sources disagree on exact production counts and on the case diameter, so treat those details with care. What survived is the look: a wide, symmetrical dial that reads at a glance. Today the family spans automatic, chronograph, calendar and tourbillon watches, and you can browse what we can seek in our IWC Portugieser collection and the wider IWC watches we source.
How do the Automatic, Chronograph and Perpetual Calendar compare?
The Automatic is the simplest and shares the longest power reserve (seven days) with the Perpetual Calendar, the Chronograph is the smallest, and the Perpetual Calendar carries the most indications. The table lists figures published on IWC pages for example references; other references in each line differ.
| Model (example reference) | Case | Movement | Power reserve | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automatic 42 (IW501709) | About 42 mm steel | IWC-manufactured caliber 52011 | 7 days (168 hours), two barrels | Time with small seconds; this edition has a red dial |
| Chronograph (IW371605) | 41 mm steel, about 13 mm high | IWC-manufactured caliber 69355, 28,800 vph | 46 hours | Stopwatch with sub-dials |
| Perpetual Calendar (IW503302) | 44.2 mm 18 ct 5N gold, about 14.9 mm high | IWC-manufactured automatic | 7 days (168 hours) | Date, day, month and moon phase |
Water resistance on the Chronograph and the 44.2 mm Perpetual Calendar is listed at 3 bar, which means splash resistance, not swimming. Retailer listings for the Year of the Horse Automatic show 5 bar.
What is the Portugieser Automatic 42 (IW501709)?
The IW501709 is the Year of the Horse edition of the Portugieser Automatic 42, a steel watch of about 42 mm with a red dial and a leather strap. Inside is the IWC-manufactured caliber 52011, which stores a seven-day reserve in two barrels and is wound by a rotor that works in both directions. Retailer listings describe a galloping-horse rotor visible through the sapphire caseback and a limited run of 500 pieces. A seven-day reserve means the watch can sit on a table over a long weekend and still be running on Monday. Our full review of the IW501709 covers its siblings and buying checks, and the IW501709 catalogue entry shows the configuration we can seek.
What does the Portugieser Chronograph offer?
The Portugieser Chronograph is a 41 mm steel chronograph that pairs the family's dial with a stopwatch, and since the 2020 update it runs on IWC's own caliber 69355. IWC's press material says the reworked reference 3716 kept its outward design while gaining the in-house movement and a see-through back. The silver-plated dial with blue hands, the IW371605, came on a blue alligator strap, and a steel-bracelet version, the IW371617, followed in September 2020. The 46-hour reserve is shorter than the Automatic's, so wind or wear it regularly if you want it ready. Choose it if you want to time things and prefer the smallest case in the family.
What is the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar?
The Portugieser Perpetual Calendar is the family's calendar watch: it tracks date, day, month and moon phase and, like other mechanical perpetual calendars, is built so that it should not need correcting for month lengths and leap years until 2100, which is not a leap year. Press coverage notes that the 42 mm version shows the calendar on three sub-dials and the 44 mm version on four. The IW503302 above is in 18 ct 5N gold and carries a seven-day reserve per IWC's specification page.
The IW502213 is an earlier 42.3 mm generation in 18 ct 5N gold with a silver dial and a leather strap. Confirm the caliber and power reserve against the papers and the caseback of the specific watch. Our IW502213 pre-owned guide goes into the case, the calendar and what to check before buying.
Which Portugieser size will suit your wrist?
Most buyers will find the 41 to 42 mm models wear well on average wrists and the 44 mm models look big. The dial is wide with a slim bezel, so the watches read larger than their number suggests, and a gold case adds weight. Try one on before choosing, and ask the seller for lug-to-lug and thickness, because those two measurements decide how it sits under a cuff.
Which dial should you choose?
Silver-white dials give the classic Portugieser look, while blue, red and other colors are often tied to a specific edition. IWC has launched the Chronograph in horizon blue, obsidian and dune, so the dial you want may belong to a particular reference rather than the whole line. Name the dial color and reference when you ask us to source one, because a different dial on the same model is a different watch. Edition dials such as the IW501709 red can be harder to locate than the standard dials.
What should you check before buying a pre-owned Portugieser?
- Reference and caliber. Match the reference engraved on the case back to the movement and dial you were promised.
- Service history. Ask for dated invoices, especially on the Perpetual Calendar.
- Case condition. Gold cases show polishing; look for crisp lugs and a clear reference on the case back.
- Calendar function. Every display on a calendar model should move cleanly and together.
- Papers and box. A full set adds confidence on a limited edition.
Quick answers
What is the difference between the Portugieser Automatic and Chronograph?
The Automatic shows the time with a seven-day power reserve on caliber 52011, while the Chronograph adds a stopwatch in a 41 mm case with a 46-hour reserve on caliber 69355. The Automatic is the more relaxed, longer-running watch; the Chronograph is for timing.
How big is the IWC Portugieser?
The family ranges from about 41 mm for the Chronograph through about 42 mm for the Automatic 42 to 44.2 mm for the larger Perpetual Calendar. Always confirm the size of the exact reference.
Does the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar need adjusting?
Not in normal use. It is built to handle month lengths and leap years, with a correction expected only in 2100. If the watch stops, have a specialist reset it rather than forcing the calendar.
How long does the Portugieser Automatic run when it is not worn?
The Automatic 42 with caliber 52011 stores about seven days, or 168 hours, when fully wound.
Does Bizak & Co. hold these watches in stock?
No. We are a sourcing desk: you tell us the reference, dial and condition, and we locate a specific watch and confirm photographs, papers and the final price before you commit.
Get your Portugieser sourced
Tell us the model, size, dial and strap preference, whether you want new or pre-owned, and your budget and timing, through our sourcing enquiry form. We confirm the specific watch, photographs and final price before you commit.
Related reading: Which IWC to buy · IW501709 Year of the Horse review · IW502213 Perpetual Calendar guide.
0 comments