Portugieser Regulateur White Gold

In Context

At 43.1 mm it is a large watch — well above this catalogue’s 40 mm median, and enough to dominate a narrow wrist. At 11.8 mm thick it is about average for a modern wristwatch. The case back is open, so the movement is visible without taking the watch apart, and the sapphire crystal will resist everything short of deliberate abuse. Rated to 30 m, it is protected against rain and splashes and nothing beyond that.

The movement is hand-wound, so winding it becomes part of the day rather than something the watch does for you. 46 hours of reserve carries it overnight, but not through a weekend in a drawer. At 18,000 vph the seconds hand advances 5 times a second, the slower and more audible rate of an older design.

IW5444-04 is one of 4 executions of the IW5444 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a grey dial and a white gold case. Introduced in 2006.

A hand-wound movement descended from IWC's calibre 98 pocket-watch base, a lineage running back to the designs of founder F. A. Jones. It drives the Portugieser Regulateur, where hours and seconds are given their own subdials and the minutes take the main hand — a regulator layout borrowed from precision workshop clocks. A large screw balance and Breguet hairspring regulate it.

3 other watches in the library run the IWC 98245.

IWC

Portugieser Regulateur Stainless Steel

IW5444-01 · 43.1 mm

IWC

Portugieser Regulateur Platinum

IW5444-03 · 43.1 mm

IWC

Portugieser Regulateur Red Gold

IW5444-02 · 43.1 mm