Vintage Pilot’s Watch Hand-Wound 1936 White gold

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 12 mm it is a tall case, and it will catch on a cuff. 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. 60 m covers rain and hand-washing comfortably; it is not a watch to swim in.

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.

IW3254-04 is one of 5 executions of the IW3254 base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a grey dial and a white gold 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 Portuguese Hand-Wound 1939 White Gold

325. · 44 mm

IWC

Portuguese Hand-Wound Silver

IW5454-08 · 44 mm

IWC

Portuguese Hand-Wound Panda

IW5454-05 · 44 mm