Most watch brands are fortunate if they can lay claim to one genuinely great design. In the Portugieser, Ingenieur and Pilot’s models, IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN has in its stable three of the 20th century’s most recognisable watches. In the past three years, all three have been updated with in-house chronograph movements, culminating in 2020’s new Portugieser model. Each may perform essentially the same function of measuring elapsed time, whether it’s for flight checks, racing laps or more everyday tasks (we all need soft-boiled eggs and medium-rare steaks, right?). But each also brings a completely different aesthetic to bear on the complication.

The Pilot’s watch and Ingenieur both emphasise practical functionality – particularly the Pilot’s magnetic resistance and the Ingenieur’s flyback ability to time consecutive intervals – while the mid-century stylings of the Portugieser evoke scientific precision as well as pared-back elegance.

Our latest video in the About Time series explains the functional, stylistic and material differences between all three.

Watch previous episodes of About Time below, or on our YouTube channel. 

Inside An Unusual Hand-Wound Chronograph From Vacheron Constantin

How To Work, Rest And Play With Jaeger-LeCoultre 

The IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN Big Pilot’s Watch, Then And Now