Portuguese 325

About this item

• Brand: IWC
• Collection: Portuguese
• Model: Portuguese
• Reference: IWC Portuguese 325

The watch you are looking at is nothing less than one of the rarest pieces in watchmaking history, Reference 325 is one of the rarest iwc watches ever produced, but above all one of the most significant in watchmaking history, as it is the brand's first "true" Jumbo model, and probably the first in watchmaking history. t the end of the '30s, iwc was trying to expand into other markets: it was against this backdrop that a Portuguese merchant (probably Messrs, according to the archives), a firm believer in the future of wristwatches, entrusted them with the design of a bespoke watch. What makes it so special is its 41.5-mm diameter, an unprecedented size for a time when men's standards were between 30 and 35 mm. iwc fitted a pocket-watch movement for the occasion, and the watch became patient zero of the Portuguese line, still in the catalog today. It features all the aesthetic codes that made it such a success: a minimalist, uncluttered dial, twelve Arabic numerals, an ultra-thin bezel, small seconds and leaf-type hands. This legendary watch, which was probably decades ahead of its time, was only produced in 390 examples between the 1930s and the 1980s. As examples in good condition are almost non-existent on the market, finding one like this is a miracle.

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