Portuguese Hand-Wound Silver

In Context

At 44 mm it is a large watch — well above this catalogue’s 40 mm median, and enough to dominate a narrow wrist. At 10 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. 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.

IW5454-08 is one of 6 executions of the IW5454 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a silver dial and a stainless steel case.

The IWC-manufactured 98295 calibre takes its stylistic elements from the first Jones calibres; a further-improved movement based on the original calibre (98, 9820) found in the early Portuguese watches now drives the Portuguese Hand-Wound, among other things.

5 other watches in the library run the IWC 98295.

IWC

Portuguese Hand-Wound Black

IW5454-07 · 44 mm

IWC

Vintage Pilot’s Watch Hand-Wound 1936 White gold

IW3254-04 · 44 mm

IWC

Vintage Portuguese Hand-Wound 1939 White Gold

325. · 44 mm

IWC

Portuguese Hand-Wound Panda

IW5454-05 · 44 mm