A new entry-level model in IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN’s oldest and best-known collection that adds to the tried-and-tested design with an in-house automatic movement and smaller case.

The story of the Portugieser dates back to 1939. Without taking you on too long a journey down memory lane, it was commissioned from IWC by two Lisbon watch retailers by the name of Messrs Antonio and Rodrigues Teixera – they wanted something that could keep to marine chronometer standards of accuracy, and that meant a wholly new design based on a converted pocket-watch movement.

What IWC delivered was a 42mm watch in a simple steel case, with long, tapered “feuille” or “leaf” hands, simple Arabic numerals and a seconds subdial at six o’clock. The earliest versions had blocky sans-serif numerals and a thick minutes ring, but before long this Art Deco style was replaced with a mid-century reliance on thin, elegant numbers and extremely minimal minute markers. At the time, 42mm was enormous; a typical men’s watch measured 34 to 36mm. This combined with the sparse dial furniture gave the Portugieser its defining characteristic: acres of negative space.

That formula has been followed reliably for the past 80 years. But until now, if you wanted this classic Portugieser look, it had to be big, and it had to be hand-wound – take, for example, the 2018 Portugieser 8 Days Hand-Wound model, which the brand released for its 150th anniversary. (It’s worth remembering that, thanks to the bezel-free design, the Portugieser has always “come up big”, as we watch geeks say; it has a bigger wrist presence than its pure measurements might imply.)

At 40mm across, this new model is about opening Portugieser ownership up to people who have always found previous models too large, and that’s a fairly significant move. It becomes the entry-level piece in the Portugieser collection, but with just hours, minutes and seconds – not even a date – it is also the purest expression of a design that has expanded to include everything from chronographs to tourbillons and minute repeaters, and I think that will bring an appreciation from seasoned watch buyers as well as those new to the brand.

Purists might find the switch to an automatic calibre something of a compromise – it’s certainly further from the original character of the watch – but this is entirely in keeping with the thinking behind this model. It’s about making the Portugieser more accessible, and for that you need the “put it on and forget about it” easy-going experience of an automatic calibre.

Plus, IWC has invested heavily in recent years to develop a new family of in-house movements, so you’re not compromising on a mechanical level in the slightest. The 82200 calibre uses durable, low-friction ceramic components to reduce wear, and has a competitive 60-hour power reserve.

IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN Portugieser Automatic 40, ref. 358304

Materials: Stainless-steel case with Santoni leather strap

Diameter: 40mm

Height: 12mm

Water-resistance: 30m

Power reserve: 60 hours

Price: £6,450