IWC Portuguese Automatic

The main feature of the Portugieser Automatic is the automatic in-house calibers from the 5xxxx series. These movements set themselves apart with their seven-day power reserve and so-called Pellaton winding. Albert Pellaton, then technical director of the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen, developed this especially efficient system in 1950.

This watch takes its classically elegant looks from the first Portugieser from 1939. Sapphire glass protects the dial. Its clean design features a small seconds at 9 o'clock and a power reserve indicator at 3, in addition to the standard hour and minute hands. A date display at 6 o'clock was added in 2015.

The Portugieser Automatic's case comes in your choice of stainless steel or rose gold and is 42 mm in diameter. However, it also fits well on smaller wrists thanks to its ergonomic lugs. A sapphire glass case back offers a view of the finely finished movement with its skeletonized rotor and solid gold medallion.

There are multiple versions of the Portugieser Automatic. Introduced in 2015, this series uses the caliber 52010 with a 7-day power reserve. You can choose from among various stainless steel and gold models. The dials and hands also come in a variety of colors. For example, the stainless steel edition features a white silver-plated dial with gold-plated, tempered blue, or polished stainless steel hands and matching numerals and hour markers. A mint-condition timepiece on an alligator leather strap costs around 9,900 to 10,500 USD. You can find pre-owned watches for between 8,500 and 9,200 USD.

IWC also crafts the stainless steel version with a black or blue sunburst dial and polished stainless steel hands. Prices for these models are similar to those of their sister models, with new pieces selling for 9,900 to 10,500 USD and pre-owned watches for 8,000 to 8,800 USD.

Timepieces with an 18-karat rose gold case are paired with a white silver-plated or anthracite dial with a sunburst pattern. A brown alligator leather strap and gold-plated hands and numerals complete this elegant design. Depending on the edition, plan to spend anywhere from 18,000 to 19,500 USD for a new timepiece. Prices for pre-owned watches fall between 13,500 and 16,500 USD.

If you think less is more, it's worth taking a closer look at the Portugieser Automatic 2000 . This watch debuted in 2000 and lacks a date display, resulting in an even tidier dial. The in-house caliber 5000 is this timepiece's beating heart and also boasts a seven-day power reserve. There are three versions of this watch: a stainless steel timepiece with a black dial and white subdials, a platinum model with a white silver-plated dial, and a gold edition with a white dial. The first two variants cost between 8,900 and 10,500 USD depending on their condition. You'll have to dig a bit deeper in your pocket for a gold watch. Well-maintained pieces sell for 13,500 to 16,000 USD.

The Portugieser Automatic isn't the only watch in this collection to have an automatic movement. For example, a modified Valjoux 7750 ticks away inside the Portugieser Chronograph and provides it with a small seconds at 6 and a minute counter at 12 o'clock. Plan to spend around 6,200 USD for the stainless steel model and 13,000 USD for the rose gold version.

You'll find the in-house caliber 89361 in the Portugieser Chronograph Classic and Yacht Club Chronograph. It comes with a 68-hour power reserve, a flyback function, and a combined minute and hour counter at 12 o'clock. The stainless steel model demands around 10,000 USD, the rose gold edition about 17,000 USD.

The Portugieser family also includes some models that combine the seven-day power reserve of the 5xxxx caliber series with additional complications. Thanks to the caliber 51900, the Portugieser Tourbillon Mystère Rétrograde features a flying tourbillon, retrograde date display, and power reserve indicator. This 44.2-mm timepiece changes hands for about 88,500 USD in platinum and 70,000 USD in gold.

For 30,000 USD, you can get the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar with the caliber 52615. This movement lends this watch its perpetual calendar and a moon phase display that takes both the northern and southern hemispheres into account. It's also 44.2 mm in diameter and comes in platinum or rose or white gold. The dial is available in white, blue, or anthracite.

The Portugieser Annual Calendar bears the closest resemblance to the Portugieser Automatic . It features subdials for the power reserve indicator and small seconds. Unlike its more understated sister model, this timepiece measures in at 44.2 mm in diameter and uses the caliber 52850 with a three-part display for the date, day, and month at 12 o'clock. Stainless steel models require an investment of about 16,500 USD, and rose gold watches sell for around 24,500 USD.

The platinum Portugieser Grande Complication boasts a wide variety of complications. These include a minute repeater, perpetual calendar, moon phase display, and chronograph. Be sure to have about 204,000 USD on hand to call this watch your own. You can save several thousand dollars by purchasing the rose gold model, which costs around 174,000 USD.